Soap Making Dangerous???

[TessC]

I don't wear long sleeves but I do personally wear gloves, goggles, and shoes. I almost constantly have little nicks and scrapes on my hands and having lye solution or raw soap hitting those is waaaaay down on my Things I Want To Do List. The shoes are a must because I have wussy feet, I definitely don't want a lye burn on my poor wimpy feet.

The goggles are ones I picked up from a hardware store, they weren't the cheapest pair they carried but they weren't the most expensive, either. They fit over my glasses just fine and fit snugly enough to my face to keep any splashes or drips away from my eyes, but they're not so snug that they're uncomfortable. I went with a ventilated pair because it's so hot and humid here for most of the year, the eyeballs like to breathe.

Sometimes the goggles are a hassle but I just don't want to risk soaping without them, I've read too many accounts of something freakish going wrong like a stick blender dying and sending a big spatter of raw soap flying. Stuff like that makes me not want to rely on just being careful.

 

[carebear]

I don't do gloves, or worry about long sleeves or slacks. But shoes are ABSOLUTELY necessary - and not flip flops or those vented crocs. somewhere I've written about the bit of lye that burrowed a tunnel into my heel. NOT good.

oh and yes, goggles. I wear when measuring lye, mixing, when adding lye to soap pot, and if stickblending (which I don't do much any more) and when slamming my mold on the floor to get out those damned bubbles.

 

[TessC]

The heel burn thing just made me curl my toes up, ack!

 

[Sunkawakan]

mine too! ooooohhhh pain :cry: gloves and goggles are a must for me, and, now, shoes

 

[Manchy]

a bit of raw soap dropped on my foot (i was in slippers and socks), and i didn't notice, and it didn't burn - until one moment, when i felt strong burning sensation and in a second took everything off of me, and ran for vinegar. i guess it just took some time to soak through the sock, but the feeling is very unpleasant.
i keep reminding myself all the time - safety is important, anytime there could be drop of raw soap where you don't want it, like your face :!: and if nothing happened for 10 or 100 times, it doesn't mean it won't the hundred-and-first time..

 

[Overthemoon]

I think goggles might be the most important safety tool we can use as soapers. Ones that make a firm seal are ideal. I was just remembering a story my father was telling me of the time he was working with a wood chipper, and wearing a face mask but a single sliver hit his chest, jumped up under the mask and got stuck in his eye. It didn't blind him but it cost him about 40% of the vision in that eye. Liquid is plenty bouncing. I don't think I'll be trusting just my glasses to protect my sight, goggles that seal up are worth every penny and irritation.