I have a confession .....

[dixiedragon]

I wear gloves when I soap, mainly b/c it makes my hands super dry, which makes my cuticles dry, which makes me pick them until they bleed.

I don't wear goggles and I usually don't wear shoes when I soap.

 

[GemstonePony]

I don't wear gloves when unmolding and cutting my soap. If I was making a lot of soap frequently I might re-think that approach, but for now my skin can deal, and it's easier for me to tell how soft or dry it is and where if I don't have anything on my hands. To be clear, if I made more soap or made soap more frequently I would use gloves, but they would have to be different gloves than the ones I currently have. And I zap-test my soap prior to getting too crazy with the cutter.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I wear gloves when I soap, mainly b/c it makes my hands super dry, which makes my cuticles dry, which makes me pick them until they bleed.

I don't wear goggles and I usually don't wear shoes when I soap.

I wear shoes now after spilling some lye microbeads and not realizing it until my feet started to have burny spots. I really should wear eyewear, it's not like I don't have glasses, they are right there on the shelf but I just get going and never grab the glasses.

I don't wear gloves when unmolding and cutting my soap. If I was making a lot of soap frequently I might re-think that approach, but for now my skin can deal, and it's easier for me to tell how soft or dry it is and where if I don't have anything on my hands. To be clear, if I made more soap or made soap more frequently I would use gloves, but they would have to be different gloves than the ones I currently have. And I zap-test my soap prior to getting too crazy with the cutter.

I wear gloves when cutting but it's not really to save my hands but to prevent finger prints on my soap.

 

[Daisy]

I wear gloves when I soap, mainly b/c it makes my hands super dry, which makes my cuticles dry, which makes me pick them until they bleed.

I don't wear goggles and I usually don't wear shoes when I soap.

Please take care of yourself
PPEs are never comfortable. Just imagine, we have our healthcare teams that have to wear them sometimes for more than 12 hours a day. In comparison, soap maker's precautions are relatively simple.
It takes a small spill or splash of Lye to cause severe damage to eyes and skin.
There are many stories of blindness and severe inflammation caused by chemical splashes.

 

[linne1gi]

Please take care of yourself
PPEs are never comfortable. Just imagine, we have our healthcare teams that have to wear them sometimes for more than 12 hours a day. In comparison, soap maker's precautions are relatively simple.
It takes a small spill or splash of Lye to cause severe damage to eyes and skin.
There are many stories of blindness and severe inflammation caused by chemical splashes.

Agreed! At work I wear an N-95 mask with a surgical mask on top, a face shield, hair covering, shoe covering, gown and gloves. It is literally hot as H*LL! But necessary in these times. Goggles are the most important thing to wear.

 

[Obsidian]

I don't wear any kind of protection and am usually bare foot. Sometimes I'll put a mask on when mixing lye since I don't have a vent in my kitchen.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

Dear soap friends, please wear eye protection. I’ve been soaping for only a little over a year and I have TWICE splashed soap batter near my eye when cleaning up and it burns like mad. And I’m not even careless or clumsy I swear!!! I can’t imagine if it had actually hit my eye. So I wear goggles from the beginning of mixing to end of cleaning. Don’t mean to be a party pooper or Debbie Downer!

 

[Misschief]

I wear glasses and until recently, I thought that would be enough. It isn't. I had a lye droplet splash up under my glasses. Thankfully, it didn't get in my eyes but it came close. For me, it could have been disastrous as I am virtually blind in one eye (congenital). I now wear safety goggles, especially when pouring the lye into the oils.

 

[GemstonePony]

I'm a klutz, and I gravitate towards fast-tracing recipes, accelerating fragrances, and complicated designs. I wear safety gear. I've had stuff spatter onto the lens of my goggles, and I get batter on my gloves regularly. I can't imagine trying to soap without gloves, or having to stop and rinse my hands as often as they would get soap batter on them.

 

[toomanydogs]

I dump my fragrance directly into the oils before mixing with the lye. I like to live dangerously!

 

[The Park Bench]

I don't wear gloves or goggles

I don't wear goggles, but occasionally I do wear gloves

 

[cmzaha]

I do wear gloves, I wear glasses, no goggles, and yes I have a couple of lye spots on my glasses. I do not wear shoes but wear flip flops, no long sleeves or tight pants. If I have a lye spill or splash lye on my arms I want to get the affected areas underwater asap and not be shedding clothes. I have been fortunate in all my years of soaping I have had one volcano when I first started but no spills. I have dripped on my feet and want to get them in the sink under the faucet immediately, and it is a lot quicker to kick off a pair of flip flops than try to remove shoes and socks. We all have to do what works for us.

 

[MarnieSoapien]

You guys are killng me! I wear all the safety gear everytime I make soap. We're talking long sleeves, pants, shoes, gloves and goggles when there is the potential of a lye burn, not to mention hair up in a ponytail so it doesn't fall into my face. And, I wear gloves to measure out my EOs, FOs and colorants. I am a klutz, I've spilled oils all over my countertop, had micas poof up at me when I opened the container, raw batter splashes onto my shirt regularly (note to self... invest in an apron) and I've dripped raw batter on the floor before. Maybe it was my chemistry teachers who drilled the use of PPEs into my head.

 

[GemstonePony]

You guys are killng me! I wear all the safety gear everytime I make soap. We're talking long sleeves, pants, shoes, gloves and goggles when there is the potential of a lye burn, not to mention hair up in a ponytail so it doesn't fall into my face. And, I wear gloves to measure out my EOs, FOs and colorants. I am a klutz, I've spilled oils all over my countertop, had micas poof up at me when I opened the container, raw batter splashes onto my shirt regularly (note to self... invest in an apron) and I've dripped raw batter on the floor before. Maybe it was my chemistry teachers who drilled the use of PPEs into my head.

Solidarity, my clumsy, safety-conscious friend.

 

[cmzaha]

You guys are killng me! I wear all the safety gear everytime I make soap. We're talking long sleeves, pants, shoes, gloves and goggles when there is the potential of a lye burn, not to mention hair up in a ponytail so it doesn't fall into my face. And, I wear gloves to measure out my EOs, FOs and colorants. I am a klutz, I've spilled oils all over my countertop, had micas poof up at me when I opened the container, raw batter splashes onto my shirt regularly (note to self... invest in an apron) and I've dripped raw batter on the floor before. Maybe it was my chemistry teachers who drilled the use of PPEs into my head.

Just remember if you have a lye spill it is soaking in while you are trying to get all the clothing off.

 

[SeattleMartin]

Sometimes I drink the beer I am supposed to make soap with. The milk stout is just so delicious, I can't help myself. I'm shameless.

 

[melinda48]

I dump my fragrance directly into the oils before mixing with the lye. I like to live dangerously!

I have always done it this way. Oils, fragrance, lye!

 

[shunt2011]

I'm another one who doesn't wear gloves when soaping. I had one mishap and I had gloves on and the soap batter went inside my gloves and also had long sleeves on and couldn't get out of it fast enough. Even if a few grains land on my skin I know it as it itches before it gets worse. I'm always by or in the sink. I do wear a shield over my glasses. I haven't made soap in a long time though due to being sick with lung issues for almost 8 months now. I'm not sure I'll be able to go back to it either as they still have no idea what's wrong with me after a zillion tests and biopsies. I've always not breathed in the lye fumes but if I go back to making things I will wear a respirator. Those EO/FO's, curing soaps may have wreaked havoc on me without knowing.

 

[The_Phoenix]

The only confession I can think of is that when I am measuring out cocoa butter, I eat a little piece.

 

[Kari Howie]

I wear all my PPE. I even bought reusable elbow length gloves! But I drink a glass of wine while I soap.