Question about making Soap.

[Xiousia]

Hello Xio here, New to this forum and Country Living site. I have been checking out the information for soap making and wondering if we couldl make soap without using lye. Would like to make it as pure and user friendly as possible. Did attempt making soap a few years back and it had no lye in it but cannot find my recipe. Have recently moved into a new house some of my precious notes and books have gone walk about. I shall continue to search nonetheless but if anyone has recipes other than using lye I would be very grateful thank you...

[Admin]

Hi Xio

It is not possible to make soap without lye. There are 2 types of lye, and both are needed for soap making, depending on the type of soap you want to make. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) is the most common type of lye used and we use it for making hard soaps. Potash (potassium hydroxide) is used if you want to make a soft or liquid soap.

You need the lye to react with the oils and fat to convert it to soap. However, once you have cured your soap it should no longer have any traces of lye left in the finished product.

The only way you can make soap without lye is when you take an already made soap bar, and then grate it up and add your own ingredients to it and let it dry before you use it. This is called hand-milled soap. If you make soap this way you don't have to cure the finished soap as the lye is not present.

Hope this helps!

Regards
Kathryn

[historygurl]

You can make homemade soap without lye if you aren't completely making it from scratch. The chemical reaction between the lye water and the fat used is what makes the soap 'come together' or solidify to make your bars. This old fashioned type of soap isn't quite as sudsy, but will clean and soften your skin and garments. For no-lye soap, you will need a glycerin base, which you will melt and add your own goodies to "make it yours." You can buy this in blocks in the craft store, but it contains no lye. Hope this helps!

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