All about Lye

[creativechef]

I am new to cold process soapmaking. I haven't ventured into it yet but have a few questions.

Can soap made with lye actually be classified as natural? I know that may sound like a silly question but I'm asking because I want to create a line of products that I can also market to stores that carry natural products. One company's products were removed after they found out she used lye.

Is there an alternative to lye to make beautiful opaque soaps?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Healinya]

A question like this is very debatable and has been debated on this soap forum, and about every soap forum. You can dig thru and read what people think and form your own opinion. But the summary is - you can't make soap without lye.. you can however, make detergent without lye. Lye comes from wood ashes, in my opinion, it is natural. Plus, the whole process is a chemical reaction anyway, so the finished soap no longer has lye or fats in it (except for the superfatting amount) it's all just soap.

 

[creativechef]

Thank you!!! I didn't even know where lye came from. That info has already answered many other questions I had (regarding whether or not the end product still has it in it).

I think I'll broaden my horizons and jump on in. Thanks again

 

[carebear]

I'll make it easy - soap cannot be harvested, this IMO it's not natural.

 

[mandolyn]

Soap made with lye is natural, but when you start adding to it, you can tip it into the unnatural realm - IMO.

There are varying definitions of natural. To me an all natural soap would be one made with lye, water, oils/butters, with a natural colorant such as clay & scented with an essential oil.

You can't make soap without lye. You can press a bunch of chemicals together with detergents & call that soap, but to me it's just a bunch of chemicals & definitely can't be classified as natural.

 

[carebear]

Lye, of a sort, CAN be made from wood ashes - but
1) commercially it isn't. "Sodium hydroxide is produced (along with chlorine and hydrogen) via the chloralkali process." and is made by companies like Dow Chemical (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide)
2) the lye produced from wood ash isn't even the sodium hydroxide that we use. It's a mixture of potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide and other alkalis http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_ashlye.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye

 

[Healinya]

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

(If you're ever inclined to I'll never be)

 

[carebear]

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

(If you're ever inclined to I'll never be)

yea I've read a bunch of instructions like this and am always interested. Until I remember that the potato test supposedly tells me when it's "ready" but not what the heck "ready" means!

But still it'd be neat to try to do if lye weren't so darned dangerous.

But my favorite instruction on that site is this one: "How to make soap without Lye"

Un hunh.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Soap-Without-Using-Lye

 

[mandolyn]

But my favorite instruction on that site is this one: "How to make soap without Lye"

Un hunh.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Soap-Without-Using-Lye

 

[Healinya]

I would love to hear from someone who does it.. To me, the directions kind of sound like you would just end up with something smellling like dirty ashtray water.

 

[eargirly]

The problem I have seen in researching the lye made from ash is that it is not so controllable as far as the 'strength'. For example, when we use lye that is purchased, it always meets the same level for specific gravity and other attributes. (or it should anyway) These are the numbers that soap calculators take into account when helping us figure out recipes.

It makes sense to me anyway. Seems like that is why soap making in years past was a hit and miss on strength and lye heaviness. What do y'all think?

~ear

 

[carebear]

they dealt with that by using way extra lye and then salting out the soap or something like that. very confusing to me, but then I've not researched it from a chemist's POV yet.

someday I'll understand.

 

[mandolyn]

The problem I have seen in researching the lye made from ash is that it is not so controllable as far as the 'strength'. For example, when we use lye that is purchased, it always meets the same level for specific gravity and other attributes. (or it should anyway) These are the numbers that soap calculators take into account when helping us figure out recipes.

It makes sense to me anyway. Seems like that is why soap making in years past was a hit and miss on strength and lye heaviness. What do y'all think?

~ear

Yup, I'm sure that's why. I think you'd have to be able to measure the gravity of the lye/ash solution to know what you're working with strength-wise. To say it's ready 'cause something floats in it is funny at best.

Another question for me is what type of soap would you be making? He keeps saying lye, but are we talking potassium or sodium hydroxide? :?

 

[Wax Munky]

I'm learning slowwwly but surely...I might be slow but don't count me out

please forgive my newbiness with the soaping process..
The first link helped me somewhat with the process of woodash to lye process... they do provide pics of it all and the final look of the soaps.

http://www.frontierfreedom.com/index.ph ... iew&id=105

Haven't had the time to really dig deep into this one..Maybe it will help..

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_ashlye.html


Munky.

 

[carebear]

uuuuh yea.