I'm confused. Isn't glycerin from lye?

[Guest]

The other day I was telling someone I plan on trying to make my own soaps and she said that that's a good idea because most people don't want lye in their soap. Ok I am VERY new to all of this so I might not know what I'm talking about but doesn't ALL soap have lye to some degree? I think it was this very forum too, where I saw a topic about someone putting up a recipe for lye~free soap and people were saying that it is impossible. I noticed while looking around online at a bunch of handmade soaps that what people some times do is label theirs as "All natural, Organic, blah blah blah" and only put "Glycerin" in the ingredient list (along with the EO's and/or butters if used of course) but isn't glycerin FROM lye? Like after it has "saponified" or whatever...(is that the correct term?)
I suppose if you're selling to people who know nothing about soap then they'd buy it but when it comes to people who make soap or even people like me who are just now studying this stuff, it kind of makes you..well I don't know the nicest way to say it but more or less "Think the seller is full of it"

 

[Deda]

Glycerin is a by-product of soap.
All soap is made with lye.
No soap should contain lye.

 

[TheSoapyEwe]

"No Lye, No Soap....No Lie"

Glycerin is a by product of the soap making process.

 

[Saltysteele]

if you make soap without using lye, you're making a detergent, not soap.

your friend has been misled or misinformed

 

[JenniferSews]

If it says "saponified" that means the oil was mixed with lye. It's a way of using lye to make soap, but leaving it off the label so people like your friend don't freak out. :wink: But yes, all soap is made with lye. By the time the reaction is complete, all the lye has been used up and there is no free lye left in the soap (assuming careful measuring, etc.) If it says glycerin, it may be that they are melt and pour soaps with a glycerin base. I'm not too sure about that though, I don't know very much about M&P.

 

[dagmar88]

When you did a good job; there won't be any lye left in your soap. The lye will have a chemical reaction with the oil and forms soap, glycerine and just a little extra oil to make your skin feel good.
We call a soap that still has lye in it lye heavy.
It does always take lye to make soap. /but that's not a bad or scary thing.
Your right, anyone who sells soap without lye or incorrect labeling is just not o.k.

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[JenniferSews]

Most people don't have a clue how soap is made, so I try to educate those fooled by 'lye free' marketing ..

If it says "saponified" that means the oil was mixed with lye. It's a way of using lye to make soap, but leaving it off the label so people like your friend don't freak out. :wink:

Technically speaking, "saponified oils of" soap would be great in the laundry ..

But most folks would want at least a little superfat (unsaponified oil) on their skin, yes?

Well of course.

 

[Bnky]

Also, most (maybe all) of the commercial soaps and many handmade soaps do not list "lye" as the ingredient. They will list it as sodium hydroxide, which may be less concerning to your friend and others.

 

[carebear]

there is no lye in soap. the lye is consumed in the chemical reaction with the oils. what you end up with are saponified oils (sodium salts of the fatty acids) and excess oils. there is no lye remaining.

and yes, the glycerin is a by-product of the saponification. think of it as a beneficial side effect LOL.