About Lye – why it’s needed to make soap
You can’t make soap without lye!!!
Soap is made by a process called saponification, which is done by mixing a base (lye, which is VERY alkaline) with an acid (oils and or fats). The chemical reaction (saponification) creates, essentially, a salt. A byproduct of soap making is glycerin, which in hand made soaps such as ours remains in finished product, and adds benefits to the soap in the form of it’s ability to attract moisture to it.
Whether the soap will be a bar or liquid is determined by which type of lye is used. Potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used to make liquid soaps and Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used to make bar soaps.
Because of the chemical process there is NO lye in the finished product, which is why soap labels in Canada do not have to have lye listed in the product ingredients list.
Not all soaps are soaps; many of the “soaps” found in the supermarket are detergents.
To learn more
Saponification
