How much lye should I use to make soap?

The Pallas Athene Soap company formulated a quick and easy cold process soap recipe that requires exactly 20 ounces of lye (the size of 1 canister from Certified Lye™) and yields a superior bar of natural soap.

How much lye do you need to make soap?

The Pallas Athene Soap company formulated a quick and easy cold process soap recipe that requires exactly 20 ounces of lye (the size of 1 canister from Certified Lye™) and yields a superior bar of natural soap.

What happens if you put too much lye in soap?

When soap is made with too much lye, it is called “lye-heavy.” This means there is extra, free floating lye that was not made into soap during the saponification process. Lye heavy soap can be irritating when applied to the skin and should not be used or sold. Lye heavy soap is often crumbly or dry feeling.

What is the ratio of lye solution to oil in soap making?

(This is what you get when using a water:lye ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 plus soft oils such as olive that contribute to a slow moving recipe.) For recipes high in olive oil and other soft oils (50%+) I will use a water amount equal to 1.5 times my lye.

Do you have to list lye as an ingredient in soap?

Technically, you do not have to list the ingredients. You just have to label it “soap,” say how much it weighs, and where to find your company. But, in order to make sales and drive a good business, you have to give people what they want to know—and they want to know what is in these types of products.

Is there a substitute for lye in soap making?

The main way that you can make soap without handling lye is by using melt-and-pour soap. … Melt-and-pour soap comes in all types. Clear glycerin soap, creamy goat milk soap, palm-oil free, the list goes on. Melt-and-pour soap can also be a detergent, so watch out for the ingredients.

How do you make homemade lye?

To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water, rain water is best, for about half an hour. Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim the liquid lye off the top.

Does Dove soap contain lye?

Dove. It is true that the words “lye” or “sodium hydroxide” do not appear on the Dove ingredient label. But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate. … Yes, Dove is made with lye!

Can I add more lye to soap?

If your soap is soft and oily, melting it back down and adding small amounts of lye solution can save it. … After an appropriate cure time, this process renders a hard, long-lasting natural soap. It is similar to the process of working with melt-and-pour soap – shred, melt, make additions, and mold.

Can you use soap with lye pockets?

We should all be so lucky as to never have separation with lye pockets in soap. Those of us who make complex swirls with multiple colors using very thinly traced soap are at risk, because the thinner the trace, the less emulsified the soap batter has become. Not enough mixing can lead to lye pockets in soap.


What is the best lye concentration in liquid soap making?

Most recipes and tutorials here on Modern Soapmaking use a 33% lye solution, as it’s typically a manageable water discount during the soapmaking process, but also hardens up a little quicker to get the soap out of the mold! A strong water discount is typically referred to as a 40% lye solution.

How do I know if my soap is lye heavy?

The first test – the “zap test” – is nice and simple. It involves tapping the soap lightly on your tongue. It sounds weird, but it totally works. If it “zaps” you, it is likely lye heavy.

How do you calculate soap ingredients?

Calculating the Amount of Soap Needed to Fill a Soap Mold
  1. Calculate the volume of the mold in cubic inches.
  2. Multiply the volume of the mold by 0.4 to find the total amount of oils in the recipe. …
  3. Enter that amount of oils into an online lye calculator to get the final recipe quantities.

Does homemade soap have to be FDA approved?

Neither the product nor its ingredients need approval by FDA, except for any color additives it contains. It is your responsibility to make sure your product is safe for consumers when it is used as intended, and to make sure it is properly labeled.

Does handmade soap need FDA approval?

According to the FDA officials during the visits it was found that the cosmetic products like Face Mask , Hair Oil , Handmade Soaps , Conditioners , Scrubs etc. … A license is required for cosmetic product manufacturing and to market them in India according to Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Can I label my soap organic?

In short, products labeled ‘organic’ did not earn the title lightly! Anything labeled organic went through a strict regulatory process, and you can feel confident that what you’re buying does not contain any synthetic additives or pesticides.