Soap Making Dangerous???

[ecobean]

So I have taken a huge interest in soap making after lurking around and learning a little more about it! I was reading on a forum that it is hard to fins lye locally, because it is used for making meth.

That made me rethink this soap making idea. I have a kid at home, and can keep him away during the process...but you always hear about meth labs blowing up... is it the lye that does it or other chemicals they add? It looks fairly easy to start but I really don't want to risk blowing up my house. I have two questions:

How dangerous is making soap with lye?
How do I find lye locally?

 

[carebear]

soap doesn't blow up, so don't worry about THAT part.

this said, lye is a very strong caustic and if your son gets into it, or if the lye solution spills on him then it's very bad.

My kids are older now and stay out of the work area when I'm soaping - and wouldn't dream of touching soap in the mold. But if you have a little one underfoot you need to work where and when he cannot get into it all. If you soap after he's in bed, it's best to have someone around to run interference should he get up. You can soap when he's not home, though. Oh and be sure that your lye is stored safely where he cannot get to it.

 

[LizRNBSN]

So I have taken a huge interest in soap making after lurking around and learning a little more about it! I was reading on a forum that it is hard to fins lye locally, because it is used for making meth.

That made me rethink this soap making idea. I have a kid at home, and can keep him away during the process...but you always hear about meth labs blowing up... is it the lye that does it or other chemicals they add? It looks fairly easy to start but I really don't want to risk blowing up my house. I have two questions:

How dangerous is making soap with lye?
How do I find lye locally?

I make soap with two little ones at home ( a 2 year old and 5 month old) but only during naptime! I could never make soap when both are awake. I have mixed and measured the oils while the older was awake and playing but never handled the lye, I am just too scared of a spill or something.

 

[ecobean]

Thank you, this is very helpful! I would do it while he is sleeping, definitely!

Do you order your lye online or know how to find it locally...I am going to check out some hardware stores but if it is associated with meth I am almost embarrassed to look for it.

Is there a way to make it without lye if I cannot find it?

Thanks again!

 

[krissy]

try a lowes or ace hardware for the lye. i get mine at ace but i had to call around until i found one that carries it.

 

[evatgirl73]

I found lye locally at Ace hardware and a feed/tack store. So far nobody has looked at me funny when I check out with 4 bottles of lye and nothing else...

I do soap with kids and dogs around, but try to do it very carefully and I always put the lye solution in a spot neither can get to just to be safe. All my supplies are in the garage where they don't touch them and while I'm actually soaping of course I am right there so nobody can touch raw soap (sometimes it looks and smells super yummy and tempting, LOL, especially for my cake batter loving 5yo).

 

[ecobean]

Good to hear- I am so excited to make soap!!!!!! It looks like so much fun and the pictures of the bars you all have posted look good enough to eat.
My husband and son have eczema and I can't find a soap that won't irritate their skin...so I am going to try and formulate one

 

[holly99]

I can only find lye locally at our Tractor Supply Co.

I don't soap unless my husband is home to watch over the kiddos. Invariably, if I started making soap while home alone with the kids, something abnormal would occur and I'd have to leave my soap at a bad time.

 

[ecobean]

haha, that sucks because I need a scale too.

 

[TessC]

I have a young son in the house but I treat the lye and other possibly harmful components exactly as I treat normal household cleaners and solvents. Kept securely closed and in a safe place, it's really no more dangerous than having paint stripper or Drano on the premises, you just have to handle and store it safely, imo.

 

[beerfish]

Thank you, this is very helpful! I would do it while he is sleeping, definitely!

Do you order your lye online or know how to find it locally...I am going to check out some hardware stores but if it is associated with meth I am almost embarrassed to look for it.

Is there a way to make it without lye if I cannot find it?

Thanks again!

Sudafed is used to make meth too, doesn't mean you shouldn't take it if you have a cold. Lye is also used as a heavy duty drain cleaner, and you can often find it in the plumbing section at Lowes. Just tell them you have a stubborn drain clog, or tell the truth and say you're making soap.

We just ordered some online from thelyeguy.com and it was MUCH cheaper than Lowes, but we haven't used it (still had some left), so I can't vouch for it's quality just yet.

 

[Sunkawakan]

YES SOAP MAKING IS DANGEROUS!!! Its seriously addictive. Once people get started and have a few wonderful batches under their belt, people are usually stuck and there is no going back. You'll start looking at just about everything to see if you can somehow, in some way, use it in soap. The produce department (dried oranges & apples), the baking department (salt, sugar, cinnimon and the other endless supplies of spices not even to speak of the wonderful mold possibilities), the dairy department (eggs, milk, creme, butter). Its possible that you'll find yourself walking the hardware store thinking "Oooooh, THAT would make an interesting mold" or "Hey, I could make cool cuts with THAT" Your mind will start, after a while, to develop recipies in your head at night, you'll run home right after work and forget to cook dinner for your family because soaping is more important. Your husband will give you weird looks and start to question your sanity because you just purchased 10 gallons of goats milk and 10 lbs of buttermilk powder! He'll ask you things like "Just exactly WHAT do you intend to do with 25 lbs of lard, which oh btw, you just bought last week and now you're buying more??"

As far as the dangers of actually making it - no, I don't belive its dangerous if you use good safety practices - lock your lye up (I don't have children but do have small dogs and yes, I lock it up where they can not possibly get to it), don't let anyone but you in your area when you're soaping, WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLOVES AND GLASSES, don't soap barefoot (don't ask), don't soap in shorts (again, don't ask). There are more, but I won't elaborate. For the most part, yes, its safe but only if necessary precautions are taken.

Good luck, and... sincerely, welcome aboard the soap train - it is, without question, an interesting adventure.

 

[ChrissyB]

Soap making is extremely dangerous...to your bank account. :shock:

 

[dagmar88]

:roll: true...

 

[Manchy]

I get my lye at Menards. Although, the other day that whole section of the shelf was cleared out. There must be another soapmaker in my area! :twisted:

or a meth lab

 

[dagmar88]

Or a family with really long hair & wookies in their drain!

 

[ecobean]

Wow thanks for all the helpful responses! I picked up the last bottle of lye at Menards.

I already am addicted to it, and I haven't even started yet! I have to improvise, because I don't have the patience to wait until an online order arrives. But in the future, I will probably be placing some, assuming I don't blow myself up with a lye volcano! So this is what I picked up, and I am sure some won't work and I will have to take it back:

Goggles (I hope racquetball goggles work- my husband wants to do this with me and we only have one pair of the construction kind)
Scented Oils: lavender, pomegranate, pina colada, and cinnamon nutmeg
Safflower oil, Saffron, Condensed goats milk can, lye, lard (which I may have to take back as it is not 100%), castor oil, heavy cream, dish gloves, a plastic drawer organizer, a cake cutter, a miter box, honey, cocoa butter oil w/ vitamin e (also has a lot of other stuff in so I am not sure if I can use it), pure pomegranite juice 2 glass candy thermometers, a pyrex measuring cup, pure honey, pure aloe vera juice, bamboo drawer organizer (I am going to try to use these as molds), wax paper, poppy seeds, olive oil, rubbing alcohal...oha and ice cream. But thats not for the soap. :-D

I know I am getting ahead of myself here and am all over the place but that is just the end result from my shopping trip today. Any suggestions? This should be interesting!

 

[TessC]

This is just a general suggestion, but I personally wouldn't mess with fragrances or any of the extras like poppy seeds for the first batch or two. A nice unscented batch of mild, creamy soap is an excellent starting point. Once you have those under your belt, it's easier to add in stuff like fragrances, colorants, and scrubbies.

Also, you mentioned scented oils, where did you find those at? You have to be careful that they're both skin-safe and not something that's going to cause your soap to seize.

 

[ecobean]

Thank you for the warning Tess, I just read the 'avoid contact with skin' label. These are going back to the store. No fragrances for me! As for the other stuff...is there a reason other than just taking baby steps to not add poppy seeds, etc?

 

[carebear]

I always scream "start simple" but there is a side of me that counters with "go with your gut".

But be aware that the poppy seeds are quite "scrubby" so I'd go easy on them!