LYE QUESTION

[MsCleanCat]

Hi everyone. I am a bit confused as to what to do if lye accidentally splashes on my skin. One soap maker stated that vinegar would be the best solution to treat it, not water. However, I have also read from another soap-making website that vinegar should not be used because it will cause a chemical burn, and instead use running water. :?

Hmmm, this is somewhat scary and confusing. Does anyone out there know the truth to this? Thank you all in advance.

 

[nebetmiw]

Dry lye you just brush off the arm or wherever then wash with soap and water. At least that is what i did no ill effects.

Wet lye I have no clue.

 

[agriffin]

If you get lye solution on your skin...flush with cold water. Do not use vinegar. Vinegar neutralizes lye by "burning it out". You can get an even worse burn by splashing vinegar on lye that is spilt on you. It will heat up really hot/fast and "burn out". Rule of thumb is spill lye on you, flush with water, spill lye on the counter top, spray with vinegar to neutralize and wipe up.

 

[carebear]

best is to dilute dilute dilute which means rinse with copious amounts of water.

if you use vinegar, what you are doing is creating a chemical reaction (acid + base) which creates heat. already you are dealing with tissue damage from the lye - add to that the heat of the reaction and it gets worse. IMO (I'm sure some will disagree). I once got a smear of KOH on the skin under my eye (I was wearing goggles and gloves, and pushed at my goggles without realizing I had some KOH solution on my glove). I was already with my head under the faucet when a "helpful" woman pulled me out and applied straight vineger. PAIN PAIN PAIN!!!!

If dry lye - brush off then rinse.
If lye solution - rinse a lot.
If raw soap (with oils), rinse and also wash with soap to help remove the oily mix then continue to rinse rinse rinse.

Vinegar is great for surface cleanup, though.

 

[Sauboon]

That's strange. I have used water first then vinegar and it did stop the burning and it stopped the irritation when I touch raw soap. But plan water first is the key.