lye

[Roxy25]

I just read the difference between CP, HP, hand milled , and melt & pour. Since i am a beginner i will be making some melt and pours first, then handmilled etc..... I was wondering for the CP, HP, and handmilled that lye is used in the ingredients, is lye natural ? i know that sounds like a dumb question sorry

 

[Cattleyabubbles]

NaOH is a manufacture chemical...

 

[Lindy]

Hey Roxy - what you need to know is that without Lye there is no soap, not even M&P. However, once the soap is completed, there is no lye left in the soap....

Cheers
Lindy

 

[carebear]

It's NOT a dumb question - and it's asked quite often.

There is, in reality, no naturally occurring lye.

Ok, well if you happen across an old, cold pile of ashes from a fire from lightening or other natural causes (what those might be I can't imagine) where water has naturally filtered through the ashes you might find some alkali... but that's really not likely to happen in the course of your soapmaking.

So no, lye is not natural (despite all the claims people make about selling "natural" soap) with "all natural" ingredients.

 

[Lindy]

Carebears right there are no dumb questions and it is a fair one. I should have said that before writing the rest of my reply.....sorry..... :?

 

[Roxy25]

It's NOT a dumb question - and it's asked quite often.

There is, in reality, no naturally occurring lye.

Ok, well if you happen across an old, cold pile of ashes from a fire from lightening or other natural causes (what those might be I can't imagine) where water has naturally filtered through the ashes you might find some alkali... but that's really not likely to happen in the course of your soapmaking.

So no, lye is not natural (despite all the claims people make about selling "natural" soap) with "all natural" ingredients.

thanks !!!! this why i was confused, I see people stating all natural so i was not sure about lye being natural.

 

[Roxy25]

Carebears right there are no dumb questions and it is a fair one. I should have said that before writing the rest of my reply.....sorry..... :?

no problem, i learned something from your post. i did not know the lye is not really in the ending product nor did i know m&p have lye also. it just so confusing with everyone marketing “natural soap” lol

 

[Lindy]

Oh yeah - we can use everything else that is completely natural but since we have to use a chemical to create the whole process it is tough to figure out especially once you start to look at what needs to go in it....

Make sure you post pictures as you grow in this addiction - we love pictures....

 

[carebear]

MOST MP was made with lye. Depends if it's a true soap product or a detergent product or a mix of the two.

But any soap is made (by definition) by the mixing of an alkali (lye) with oils.

 

[AshleyR]

Don't mean to hijack - but for those of you that sell your soaps... do you market any of them as "ALL NATURAL"?

 

[Cattleyabubbles]

I don't sell any soap as of yet, but doesn't it depend on ingredients exactly are that used in the soap to call it 100% natural or some % of....

 

[surf girl]

The "all natural" question is interesting, I think. (I don't market or sell soap, so I don't have a dog in that particular fight).

What is "all natural"? If "natural" implies something formed by nature, and "artificial" implies something formed by humans, then soap itself, as a manufactured product (sure, manufactured by hand, but still a forced chemical reaction), is not really "natural". As far as the FDA (and many other sources, if you look around) is concerned, "natural" means: 'ingredients extracted directly from plants or animal products as opposed to being produced synthetically.' Lye is produced through electrolysis, so as an ingredient, it's not "natural", but then again, it's a pretty straightforward reaction using electricity on a salt water solution. Not frighteningly unnatural.

And, of course, there's no lye left in the final product. Is an ingredient what you put in, or is it what the final product contains? If I use lye and coconut oil, are those my ingredients, or is my ingredient sodium cocoate because that is what the soap contains? In neither case could one claim that the product contains "all natural" ingredients, since both lye and sodium cocoate were obtained through a chemical process.

So, I think the "all natural" label is bogus, if one is going to be precise. However, I do accept that what most people seem to mean when they say "all natural", is that, aside from the lye, the things they put into the soap were all derived fairly directly from plants or animals, without the addition of other chemicals.

 

[Lindy]

When I'm selling my soap I am emphasizing 2 things - 1) It is handmade by me so I know what the ingredients are in this soap, there are no surprises & 2) I am using food grade oils & fats not petro-chemical products or bi-products. I find people are more interested in that plus the fact that a hand-made soap does not have the glycerin stripped out of it. Another thing is with my naturally scented and coloured soaps there is a huge market that really likes the fact that there are botanicals/herbs/spices etc in the soap.

So do I promote my soap as "All Natural"? No but I do say my soaps nurture through nature....... 8)

 

[topcat]

That is very well put, Lindy.....and most handmade soap/b&b manufacturers probably mean just that when they say "all" or "98%" natural....they just don't see it as clearly as you do.

Hi Roxy25 - that is definitely not a dumb question!!! There are no dumb questions, except the ones you don't ask :wink: As little as 4 or 5 months ago I didn't even know what lye was...and everyone here on this forum were very helpful and kind with me.

Tanya

 

[carebear]

In my opinion, if you cannot pluck a bar of soap from a tree like an orange - then it isn't natural.

 

[surf girl]

In my opinion, if you cannot pluck a bar of soap from a tree like an orange - then it isn't natural.

Now that is to the point! I used far too many words.