Allergies and the zap test ...

[SaltedFig]

I am no longer convinced that a general recommendation to zap test soap is a great idea.

We often get people who started soaping because of sensitivities, or people who make their own products and ask about oils and gloves, or people who ask how to avoid triggering allergies in either themselves or people they care about.

But we recommend what fundamentally equates to ingesting a tiny amount of soap, by way of a zap test ... to lick a minute amount of watered down soap as a test for free lye (no offence intended to the writer).
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

After seeing lung damage that I suspect was due to a zap test, seeing first hand an anaphylactic reaction to a single zap test, and personally knowing someone else who has been formally diagnosed (skin prick test) as being allergic to soap, I am trying to find an alternative to suggest to new soapers.

Any ideas?

 

[Gemmali]

I am no longer convinced that a general recommendation to zap test soap is a great idea.

We often get people who started soaping because of sensitivities, or people who make their own products and ask about oils and gloves, or people who ask how to avoid triggering allergies in either themselves or people they care about.

But we recommend what fundamentally equates to ingesting a tiny amount of soap, by way of a zap test ... to lick a minute amount of watered down soap as a test for free lye (no offence intended to the writer).
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-properly-safely-conduct-the-zap-tongue-test.63199/

After seeing lung damage that I suspect was due to a zap test, seeing first hand an anaphylactic reaction to a single zap test, and personally knowing someone else who has been formally diagnosed (skin prick test) as being allergic to soap, I am trying to find an alternative to suggest to new soapers.

Any ideas?

As a new soaper and someone with no desire to lick soap for obvious reasons I both appreciate you looking out for us new kids and am curious to know what else can be done.

 

[SaltedFig]

As a new soaper and someone with no desire to lick soap for obvious reasons I both appreciate you looking out for us new kids and am curious to know what else can be done.

Generally, I think that the zap test is quick and easy (it doesn't involve any licking of soap as much as it's testing a watered down bit on the tip of a finger, so the amounts are tiny. IrishLass did an excellent job of describing clearly how to conduct in in this thread: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/alternative-to-zap-test.12314/#post-116518).

I don't have a problem zap testing my olive oil soap (as a for-instance), following the zap test technique, but there are some additives that are included in soap that are a long way from the usual ingredients used in food, that can create a soap that would not be particularly good to ingest, even a little bit. And the superfat and allergies bothers me ... perhaps I am being overly cautious, but I have encountered someone with mild lung damage from zap testing the wrong soap (it caused an inflammatory response in their lungs).

I have found this further (or rather, prior) post, which is also by Irish Lass (back in 2009), describing the correct method to pH test soap (and the pH range to look for, in a well-cured soap). Like the zap test, it requires that the soap be diluted first (for pH it is by quite a bit), and it surely isn't as quick and easy as a tongue test, but perhaps it needs revisiting after all?
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/alternative-to-zap-test.12314/#post-116518

 

[kayak1987]

In general, the idea of using phenolphtalein is not that bad but it give us very little information used in the range of pH of this test
in our experiment it will be colorless if we have a very large excess of lye, then shades of pink hard to read, and then even if it's very unlikely to happen it is back colorless when pH drops under 8
so basically the only "good info" it give us is that if it turns pink, in some way we are not too far (we have not a very large excess of lye, we are not over 13 in pH)

just an idea that have to be developed and tried can be to use amonium chloride, that is an easy to find salt used also in "baking soda" products.
that with strong alkali like NaOH it gives a reaction that develop ammonia that is a Gas
So the idea is to use this directly on the soap, or on a little ammount of soap with some drops of water, and see if it bubbles or give the typical ammonia smell
This reaction should happen only if there is still lye active, instead of phenolphtaleyn that gives us "any" info on this side.
if I find some NH4Cl around I'll make some test

 

[penelopejane]

Interesting.