My lye didnt burn?

[Amber1111]

Hi all,
I am new here and a total newbie to soap making. After reading a book and studying cold process, I made my first batch this weekend. I was so petrified about getting a lye burn so i was careful but ended up getting a little bit of batter on my hand when i was cleaning up. I was surpised that it didnt burn at all. And, today after cutting my bars i touched them with my bare hands and nothing happened. I thought the lye should burn. Is that not true? The book i read built it up like it was so toxic and deadly.

 

[TJ]

I've had this happen as well. I got batter on my hand. It doesn't burn at first. Usually I get to the sink quick enough before it starts irritating my skin. And I did get minor irritation when I was handling my bars. I cut them before the 24 hours youre supposed to wait to cut though.

It can be dangerous though. After getting batter on my hands a second time, I washed it off as soon as possible. I didn't feel any burning, nothing. And then the next day I woke up to a rashy hand that itched a bit and was EXTREMELY dried out skin just in that one spot. It was very... unpleasant. But if that happens to you, I found that a hydrocortisol cream actually made it 99% better in like 10 mins.

Just be careful! I know I thought I was free to touch raw soap all I wanted because it didn't burn me at first, and then I found out the hard way that it can burn later. Have fun soaping!

 

[Traceyann]

The book is correct it is Toxic and can and will give you a very nasty burn, always have white vinegar un capped incase you spill the lye on you or your benches as the vinegar will neutralise the lye....

I have heard some of the soapers on the forum say to rub your hands with Shea butter if you get a minor burn or dehydrated hands as it puts the moisture back in

I usually cut about 18 - 24 hours after pouring and I handle my soap with out burns.....but I am also very careful measuring my ingredients and always run a new recipie through a program called soap Calc.....and so far so good NO ZAP .....touch wood lol....

Just err on the side of caution and you will be ok

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Ive got about five lye holes on my hands from a soaping session the other day. I got a hole in my gloves, so took them off while I fluffed around with colouring, mixing and pooring.
Somehow I had soap on the spoon handles, I think the friction caused it to heat up. Ouch :cry:

I've also still got a scar on my face from a splash when I first started.

It is very toxic. If raw soap doesnt burn you it will definately dry out your hands

 

[Traceyann]

Ouch !!! Busymakinsoap ...U know I must have dropped a lye ball (teeny weeny lye ball ) on the floor the other day and guess who found it......the cat.......man I have never seen my cat run so fast......I shoudnt laugh as it would have been extremely painful for her .....but hey it was really funny

 

[agriffin]

If you get lye on your skin - rinse well with water. Don't use vinegar. Vinegar neutralizes lye by flashing it out (for lack of a better phrase) so you can end up with worse off burns.

If you get lye on the counter- neatralize with diluted vinegar.

Also, it is not a good idea to rub shea butter or any other oil/butter on a burn right after it happens. It will trap the heat in and will make things quite uncomfortable. After a day or two you can rub some shea butter on to help heal if you feel it's needed. Aloe is good also. But right after...just let it breathe.

 

[Traceyann]

Thanks for the correction , I will definately change my way of doing things ....

 

[carebear]

I shoudnt laugh as it would have been extremely painful for her .....but hey it was really funny

I fail to see that as funny.
Good reminder that animals need to be considered in developing safe procedures. Not only for this sort of accident but also keep them out from underfoot, make sure they cannot get into a cooling lye solution, etc.

 

[Traceyann]

Care bear Im not 100% sure it was a lye bead, as I cant see any damage to her mouth, and I know it was horrible and Im extremely careful, she wasnt anywhere near me whilst I was soaping , this happend 2 days later but if it was this that caused her to bolt around the house it certainly wont happen again.....

 

[Amber1111]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll be sure to be careful with my lye

 

[Miss Buttercup]

I've been making soap for over two years and I have raw soap on my hands quite often (when I'm cleaning up). I hardly ever feel it though. I've always found that odd..

Still, when making soap, I always wear gloves, just to be sure

 

[cleanwater]

This is a case of different people reacting differently to the same stimulus. Some skin is very sensitive to lye, some is less sensitive. I get raw soap on my hands and it just gives me a spot of dry skin, some people have a fast and painful reaction. Know your skin and your comfort level, and always treat lye with the respect it deserves. Whether you choose to wear gloves or not, always protect your eyes, your children, and your pets.
That said, I need to correct some terminology: Lye is not toxic. Toxic is poisonous, and sodium hydroxide is not poisonous. It is caustic, it will burn and/or dry out your skin, but it won't poison you.

 

[xyxoxy]

In my experience with raw soap batter... it's not like battery acid or something that will melt your skin on contact. The couple of times I've gotten a small splatter on my skin it can take a minute or two before I notice the irritation. Then I just rinse it well with running water.
Lye crystals or lye water would probably start burning a lot quicker so you absolutely must take all precautions every time.

I agree with Amanda... if you get either lye or raw soap on your skin do NOT start with vinegar... that's more for neutralizing lye on surface spills and utinsils.

It is probably good to think of lye and raw soap in terms of something like battery acid even if that's not 100% accurate. It's not a good idea to get too comfortable or casual about it.

 

[Healinya]

well.. raw soap batter has all this fatty acid floating around versus the slight oil on your hands and the tissue on the surface of your hand.. so I would only assume that is why it doesn't burn quite so bad... I could be wrong, but that's my logic...