Important Tips for Working With Lye When Making Soap
Soap making probably sounds like a simple, harmless process, perhaps even something you can do with the kids while making Christmas or birthday gifts. But remember that all through history, whenever people have made soap either from animal fats they’d conserved or, later, from vegetable oils, lye has always been one of the ingredients. Making soap is not a craft activity for young kids, and it is certainly not a project to get involved in unless you yourself plan to take the proper care.
When making soap, needless to say you want to keep your eye on the ultimate aim, that is to produce those wholesome, decorative, homemade soap bars that you could wrap in ribbons and give as gifts, infusing them with scents or natural moisturizers and hues. However, remember that in order to get to that ultimate creation, you must go through a complex procedure, and most importantly, you need to be aware of how to handle the most harmful component of all soaps, and that is sodium hydroxide, or lye.
Handmade soaps are both practical and, in the long run, less expensive than continually buying commercial soaps. But taking such a project into your own hands involves taking the right precautions against injury from lye, the most dangerous ingredient used in making soap. You’ll need to wear goggles, for instance, to protect your eyes, as well as rubber gloves and long-sleeved clothing. The lye can burn your skin, and permanently damage your eyes if you don’t keep it from splashing on you.
The very handling of the lye while you are making bars of soap will require added attention also. When you measure it out and are shaking it from the jar or tin, check to make certain that no small specks or flecks stick to your sleeves or gloves, especially if the air is dry and there might be static. When you pour your water into the lye, you will get a violent reaction. So you have to pour the lye very slowly into your water instead and ensure nothing splashes, while stirring as your pour. Keep vinegar within reach to counteract any lye spills. After the lye crystals have completely dissolved, then you can pour this mixture into your soap base.
Making soap can be safe as well as enjoyable, as long as you take precautions to make sure you handle all your soap making ingredients with the respect they deserve. Most of your ingredients are harmless on their own, and few of them get any more dangerous when combined with others. It’s mainly the lye that can put you in real danger. But even that, if you handle it properly, will not detract either from the safety or the enjoyment you derive from creating your soap masterpieces.
Soap making is really not that complicated. Find out what you need to know at our site on How To Make Soap, and check out the soap making FAQ for the answers to your questions.