soap without lye? Yeah... I think she lies.

[Numbers]

Sorry this one is a bit long winded. Just wanted to share my day.

Today at the farmer's market, I met two other soapers who just stopped by to chat. One was someone I recently met who came by again for the second time and the other was someone new. All three of us were chatting for a bit (it was a slow day). Soaper-A only makes hot process soap and does not sell. Soaper-B runs a small business focusing on herbal aroma therapy products such as message oils and hair balms. Well long story short, Soaper-B mentioned that she doesn't use lye. And both Soaper-A and I look at her and each other and we both say something like "all soap is made with lye." She said she doesn't use lye and is totally against it. She claims her soap is all natural lye free soap and is not MP or rebatched. She said she doesn't disclose her ingredients and refused to share how she does it. She went on about how she has attended several soap making schools... blah blah blah... I was a little shocked at what she was saying, but didn't force the issues or anything. Just let it go and smiled at her and said okay.

After Soap-B left, Soaper-A and I talked at length and she gave me some great tips for trying my own hot processed soap and I talked to her about cold process. And we said we would like to meet up again when I have made some HP and she would help me critique it. She also said she would show me how to crotchet a granny square. Like I said it was a slow day and we talked at length LOL.

Anyway I was googling and I can not find any special way other than melt and pour and/or rebatching that makes soap without lye. Which we all know was originally made with lye. I was just wondering if there is indeed some special technique to making lye free soap that I just don't know about or if she is full of bull. This woman has approached me twice already about buying my soaps for a private label so she can sell them as her own. Stating that she just doesn't have the time to make her own anymore with all the other products she makes. I'm not against private labeling and she is an out of towner so I'm not worried about her taking my customers or anything like that. But, I'm starting to believe that she doesn't actually make her own soap and that is why she is asking to sell mine. And why is she asking if she is so against lye anyway? My soap is made with lye. It says so on the label. Is this weird or just me?:crazy:

 

[new12soap]

She sounds woefully misinformed, unless she is making/selling syndet bars, and I believe even those contain some lye in there somewhere (don't know, I don't make them). She may have turned "no active lye remains in the finished product" into "no lye" in her head...

Yeah she sounds slightly nuts... Anyone that made such pronouncements and then refuses to disclose any ingredients or the process??? Ummm, no.

AND... unless it IS made with lye, it ain't soap and has to be labeled as a cosmetic! Including ALL the ingredients!

 

[pamielynn]

Crackpot.

 

[MagicalMysterySoap]

Did her soaps list the ingredients? She's full of it lol.

But, care to share what tips the hp gal shared? I'm a hp person and love hearing info about it. There is way more info on cp than hp.

 

[Numbers]

The HP gal she suggested not using a stick blender unless I have too and not to do it all all after trace because for her it seizes and clumps up really bad. Also suggested if worried about boil over stick the crockpot in the sink if it looks like it's getting close to being finished because it doubles in size. I've made HP soap before.. But "boil over" kinda makes me nervous. I do like the idea of being able to dump all my ingredients in the pot at once without having to cool down and mix things separately. I don't know about fragrance though. I'm afraid of burning my FOs during the cool. I will probably try a small unscented batch of coffee soap to start with.

 

[AustinStraight]

Yep, I call BS... I do wonder what her ingredients list is, though... maybe she uses "naturally sourced" lye, or lye from ashes? Maybe she uses potash instead of lye?

 

[seven]

nutso. i don't think she even knows how to make her own soaps, yet she claims that she's to busy, yadda yadda yadda... i would stay away if i were you, or else, if she wants to buy your soaps for a private label, charge her high... real high

 

[neeners]

crazy lady is what I say. totally doesn't know or understand anything about soap. and since she's selling, isn't she REQUIRED to label everything in the soap?

 

[pamielynn]

crazy lady is what I say. totally doesn't know or understand anything about soap. and since she's selling, isn't she REQUIRED to label everything in the soap?

You technically don't have to list sodium hydroxide, if you're taking the stance of listing "what comes out of the pot". BUT to actively say that you don't use lye to make soap really can only mean one thing: melt and pour.

 

[Susie]

If that really is soap, then lye was involved somewhere. Simple as that.

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

or if she ever does make her own, which I doubt based on her wanting to buy yours and label it as hers, she doesn't know how it's made

 

[Numbers]

Yeah I was shocked and a little bit offended to hear that from someone who is suppose to be a professional. I just noticed her hair creams and massage oils don't even list all the ingredients. I don't understand what she is trying to hide.

 

[Momonga]

Seems to me it takes so much more energy to run an entire business based on a bunch of balony than just to learn how to make soap. Maybe she's got TOO MUCH time...

 

[anani]

She sounds woefully misinformed, unless she is making/selling syndet bars, and I believe even those contain some lye in there somewhere (don't know, I don't make them). She may have turned "no active lye remains in the finished product" into "no lye" in her head...

Yeah she sounds slightly nuts... Anyone that made such pronouncements and then refuses to disclose any ingredients or the process??? Ummm, no.

AND... unless it IS made with lye, it ain't soap and has to be labeled as a cosmetic! Including ALL the ingredients!

I make a Syndet bar and there's no lye in my formula... It's really nice and very gentle, but I'd hardly call it "all natural"

 

[judymoody]

A well formulated syndet bar can be a joy to use. It doesn't have to be "natural" to be good quality.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

anani--A sydnet bar in the US cannot be labeled as 'soap', and has to follow the rules for labeling as a cosmetic. It might get called a soap bar colloquially, but according to the US government it's not. Anything that meets the government definition of "soap" has to be made with some form of lye.

 

[AustinStraight]

YI just noticed her hair creams and massage oils don't even list all the ingredients. I don't understand what she is trying to hide.

That sounds really, really sketchy...

 

[Numbers]

It's melt and pour. I was dropping off an order of wooden tea lights she has my dad make her and she started in on me again about wanting to sell my soap. This time she had the nerve to tell me I need to change the way I make my soap and she went and got her soap making book for me to see. I flipped through it and saw all the recipes were m&p. I just smiled and said that it is a nice book and left. I just don't understand some people lol.

 

[inkyfingers]

Numbers, that's actually a comical story, now that we have the punch line.

 

[Lion Of Judah]

ladies it's just the way of the world and some people in it . some look at this craft as an easy money venture and jump right in for that sole purpose. they have zero intention of maintaining any standards nor are they interested if truly representing the soap making community. "no lye is a lie " plain and simple