SarahJane, I felt much the same way about lye - the more I read, the more warnings & dire messages about the dangers I saw, the more I started to think that I couldn't make CP, coz lye was much too dangerous & scary.
One day, I decided that I was going to try, just once, and see if I could do it. I Loved It.
The thing to remember with lye is not to be scared but to BE CAREFUL. If you are careful, there is nothing to be scared of. Take note of the safety precautions recommended & use them.
If you let yourself stay nervous of it, you might miss out on something that you find as richly rewarding as I do, and that would be a real shame.
Becky.