Nikel allergy
- Thread starter amme20
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A mild, unscented soap, maybe Castile.
thank you- i have done a bit of research and Potassium hydroxide does contain nickle- obciously this is used to make Lye, can you tell me whether the lye disappers during saponifation? as just wondering if the nickle element will still be there once the soap has gone through saponification??
Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used for liquid soap.
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used for solid (bar) soap.
As long as no calculation errors and no measuring errors are made, no lye remains in the soap after saponification. That's why we do the zap test, to make sure that there is no active lye left in the soap.
I am not sure I would trust the research you found about nickel being present in KOH. In this link, it does mention that 'possible' impurities could contain (a variety of things) but that was not an absolute certainty that it would contain all or even any of them. But even so, if you're planning on make bar soap it is a moot point.
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used for solid (bar) soap.
As long as no calculation errors and no measuring errors are made, no lye remains in the soap after saponification. That's why we do the zap test, to make sure that there is no active lye left in the soap.
I am not sure I would trust the research you found about nickel being present in KOH. In this link, it does mention that 'possible' impurities could contain (a variety of things) but that was not an absolute certainty that it would contain all or even any of them. But even so, if you're planning on make bar soap it is a moot point.
IF there is nickel present in an alkali (NaOH or KOH) used to make soap, there will be nickel present in the finished soap. It might not be metallic nickel, but the nickel doesn't just disappear.
Honestly, you can't get a definitive answer by asking your question here. We aren't suppliers or manufacturers. I know there are several ways to make KOH (liquid soap) and NaOH (bar soap) and the contaminants will be different depending on the process used to make the chemical. For that reason, you will need to contact the manufacturer or supplier to verify the chemical composition and trace contaminants in the particular brand you purchase.
Honestly, you can't get a definitive answer by asking your question here. We aren't suppliers or manufacturers. I know there are several ways to make KOH (liquid soap) and NaOH (bar soap) and the contaminants will be different depending on the process used to make the chemical. For that reason, you will need to contact the manufacturer or supplier to verify the chemical composition and trace contaminants in the particular brand you purchase.
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
I have a niece who is allergic to nickel and most metals that jewelry is made of. I think gold of a certain ct is the only thing she can have next to her skin.
She can use soap including handmade soap. I think you will have to talk to your friend about her child's sensitivity.
She can use soap including handmade soap. I think you will have to talk to your friend about her child's sensitivity.
I have a nickel allergy. I can wear gold and sterling silver and any pieces that are nickel free (Simply Whispers is one company that sells nickel free jewelry). I use homemade soap in both bar and liquid form and have never had a problem. I would think that even if a soap was made with lye contaminated with nickel it would not affect the person since it is a wash off product.
A quick fling around google says that nickel can be used as a catalyst for hydrogenation, so don't use any artificially hard oils, margarines, or high melt point (modified) oils, if you are going to exclude nickel-rich ingredients.
After that, there are oils that naturally contain nickel.
Page 710 of this journal (page 4 in the scan), gives a good list of nickel rich foods - looks like there's quite a few.
This blog seems to have information on oils that naturally contain nickel (which is helpful to use when you are avoiding them!)
https://nickelfoodallergy.com/natural-skin-products-loaded-with-nickel/
You haven't mentioned the age of the child. For a very young child, soap probably isn't recommended at all. For a young to teenage child, I would still err on the side of caution and use certified organic or source it from a farmer directly if you can, and if it must be soap, a mild castile as lsg described.
The effect I've seen in people with a strong nickel sensitivity is that the response is as if the soap itself is harsh - mostly it shows up as peeling, or contact dermatitis (but each person is different and a child needs additional caution). I don't know that a mild nickel sensitivity would show this (and I haven't checked whether the reaction is cumulative).
As an example, where I am, there is an imported KOH that causes this reaction (more than any source of NaOH I've encountered) - I like the idea of checking levels directly with the supplier.
Take care
