| Author | Content |
threegardeners
North Augusta, ON
(Zone 5a)
March 03, 2009
04:51 PM Post #6217097
| Is there such a thing? I love the texture of goats milk soap but the lye makes my skin blotchy. |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
March 03, 2009
05:04 PM Post #6217154
| Could the soap you used not have completely saponified? Even commercial soaps use sodium hydroxide. There are recipes using, I think Potassium hydroxide, I know I used it once to make liquid soap. It would seem to have the same effects on skin though.
I'd check the other ingredients in the soap and see if there was something in it besides the lye. |
threegardeners
North Augusta, ON
(Zone 5a)
March 03, 2009
05:10 PM Post #6217170
| I can't use commercial soaps either, that's why I went to the more natural ones. |
redring
South Bend, IN
March 06, 2009
11:55 AM Post #6229210
| A friend of mine has this problem. I have been trying to figure her out too. She can use bath and body works glycerin soaps. The strange thing is at least in natural soapmakeing glycerin soaps are the same process and then you add more things like sugar and alcohal to make them clear. I dont understand unless there soaps are just dertergent with no lye at all. If all else fails you could try soaproot. That you can even grow your self in your garden. There are several other plants that produce the same effect. Or you can just wash with herb sasheys like you do for babys. I never recomend useing lye soap on a baby. Its just personal prefrence. An adults skin can handel if your soap is just a bit lye heavy. It hapens even though that is not my concern. It hapens rarly to someone who is being carefull. but many soaps have added ingreadents that may cause allergic reactions. best to go with what is most gential. Brings me to another idea. Ever try washing with baby wash? ill stop rambeling now LOL! |
sw1fty
Schenectady, NY
March 06, 2009
12:06 PM Post #6229250
| There is no lye in the soap when you get it. Lye is consumed by the chemical reaction that forms the soap. Lye + oils = soap + glycerin. The maker properly lists what goes in, but it's not what's in the soap after it's become soap!
You may be sensitive to particular oils used in the soap (there are always residual oils because we add extra, but not residual lye), or scent or color if those are used.
Soaps that are just detergent are not soaps - they are "cleansing bars" or "beauty bars" and do not contain actual soap. Many commercial products are a blend of soap and detergent.
Adult skin ABSOLUTELY CANNOT handle soap if it is at all lye heavy. That's a bad idea - the free lye will saponify the oils in your skin - essentially eating it and leaving you with a burn. Yea you'll heal, but I'd not say you can handle lye heavy soap. Holy cow.
Baby skin can tolerate "lye soap" just fine - as well as any other cleansing product. But soap will sting the eyes whereas baby wash is formulated not to. Baby wash is a detergent product. I don't recommend using any cleansing product on a baby unless absolutely necessary - water and a soft cloth should do the trick in most cases. |
threegardeners
North Augusta, ON
(Zone 5a)
March 06, 2009
12:08 PM Post #6229259
| I've never tried baby wash. I wash my face many, many times a day with just warm water. I can tolerate Noxzema...go figure. Wish I knew what was in it. When I was an acne prone teen Noxzema was the only thing that cleared it up. |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
March 06, 2009
12:24 PM Post #6229328
| One of the best ways to quickly test soap for alkalinity (I don't think I spelled that right) without PH paper, is to touch your tongue to it. If it tingles or burns, DON"T use it on your face! No zap, it's mild and gentle. Occasionally, you will run across handmade soaps that have tiny crystals and pockets of unsaponified lye in them. Everytime I make a batch of soap, I check when I cut the bars for these as they can be a real shock in the shower.
As far as babies go, our family has always used my soap on the babies, it's pure vegetable and I super fat it at the end. I used to use nothing but olive oil on by son's bottom for diaper rash. |
cdesousa5
Pompano Beach, FL
April 05, 2009
11:42 PM Post #6370315
| "Occasionally, you will run across handmade soaps that have tiny crystals and pockets of unsaponified lye in them."
If this ever happens you need to rebatch or throw it out. The only way this will happen is if you didn't blend the oils & lye well or you reused a tool that was used in the beginning of your soaping process or you used to much lye not enough water.
Run your recipe through a soap calculator. No soap should have free lye pockets in it. |
threegardeners
North Augusta, ON
(Zone 5a)
April 06, 2009
09:34 AM Post #6371513
| How can we tell this is the case when we're buying it? Any telltale signs to watch for at the farmers market soap stands? |
jylgaskin
Williamsburg, MI
(Zone 4b)
April 06, 2009
11:25 AM Post #6372117
| Look for tiny white granules or dark hollows where tiny pockets of liquid drained out. And then there is the tongue test... I've only ran into these bars a few times and had it happen to a batch of mine once. I just tossed mine, but some people will sell them anyway, probably not even realising there was a problem.
Soap is as much art as science (I'm sure someone will jump in my crap about this statement). Even though I use the same basic recpipe and equipment for every batch, there will still be one or two a year that just don't work right. I don't stress over it and move on. I've never had a person unhappy with a bar of my soap and it suits me. |
cdesousa5
Pompano Beach, FL
April 06, 2009
03:04 PM Post #6373241
| I agree soap is science first then you personalized it making it a work of art.
But art should not hurt! =) Many things can effect a basic recipe especially FO's, but sometimes how cold, hot, humid your environment is.
I would hope that anyone selling soaps knows what a lye heavy bar looks like. That said if you ever find a bar that looks as described above don't buy it but do let the seller know it might have a problem that they should check out.
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redring
South Bend, IN
April 23, 2009
08:17 PM Post #6454319
| I am verry cautious with my soaps. I use an end cut bar my self befor I will ever sell or give away. I agree with hopeing anyone makeing soap can tell a lye heavy batch. A responsable soaper will be verry carefull what they sell. I would hate to have a customer or friend harmed. Soaping is as much art as cooking. They are verry simular. So I agree jylgaskin. They are a fine balance of creativity and science. If you look around you can see some verry exceptional examples of beautifully made artistic bars. I envy them sometimes. I find I do rather make a more natural bar though. I find it more relaxing. Also to me they are more apealing. I feel guilty useing the fancy ones. I dont worry too much when i try other soapers bars. I have accidently goten some lye under my gloves befor and it dident do too much. You definintly wouldent want to rub it on your body but I disagree with those who make it sound like youll melt your skin off. If you do get a lye heavy bar most likely yull end up feeling sun burned. Not nice but not deadly. If you are worried just try washing your hands with the bar first. You can stick it to your tongue and see if you get a zap feeling ( kinda like the batery test) or try a strip test. Most commonly a botched batch will be noticeable. Most show in the look of the soap. If you do ever get a bad reaction from useing a bar ( non alergenic reaction) Please be sure you contact the maker and let them know right away!!! Yull be doing them a favor. Some soapers will even let you try a sample size soap if you are unsure about useing handmade soaps. This way you can be sure there soaps are safe. ...ok ive gabed enough. As you can see i enjoy soaping and will go on forever. |
sw1fty
Schenectady, NY
April 28, 2009
10:44 AM Post #6474532
| Oh, its science: chemistry in action - but with so many variables and little available information on how those variables interact we have to kind of treat it as an art. Intuition is really nothing more (IMO) than being able to intergrate a lot of information and experiences at an unconscious level. But however you do it, it's still chemistry!
Swirls and such aside, of course - that can be art! |
