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.
How do you know if your soap has too much lye?
If the bar “zaps” you, it’s likely lye heavy. The feeling is hard to describe, but you’ll definitely notice it. Don’t do this test if the soap is seeping, as the liquid may be unsaponified lye that can burn your tongue. If the soap doesn’t zap you, it’s likely safe to use.
How do you fix heavy lye soap?
To correct a lye heavy batch, shred the soap as finely as possible, using gloves to protect your hands, and add to a slow cooker set on low. Add 1 tablespoon of distilled water and cover. Allow the soap to cook, stirring occasionally, until it has melted into a homogenous solution.
What happens if your soap is lye heavy?
If the soap is lye heavy, the soap will turn green or yellow. If it’s balanced, it will turn blue. Read more about using cabbage juice in this post. Cabbage juice can be used to test the pH level of soap.
Is lye in soap bad for you?
Lye is a caustic substance that can certainly damage your skin if you‘re exposed to it. It can cause a number of problems, such as burns, blindness, and even death when consumed. … The lye gets entirely used up during the process, which means it’s no longer present and can do no harm to your skin.
How do you test soap for lye?
Place the pH strip on the wet soap to get a pH reading. If you don’t have pH strips on hand, the “zap test” is another method to test pH. Place the bar of soap onto the tip of your tongue. If you feel a slight zap feeling (similar to licking a battery), this means your soap is lye heavy.
What pH should hot process soap?
First, unless a soap contains a large amount of excess alkali, it could test within a “normal” pH range for handmade soap (between 8 and 10).
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.
How do you fix soap failure?
- Weigh your soap, then add to the glass baking dish.
- Add water to the soap.
- Cover and bake at 200°F for 30 minutes. Stir, then bake another 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add any additional ingredients you wish.
- Spoon into molds. …
- Cool and remove from mold(s).
- Cure for 3 weeks or so if you used fresh soap.
Why is my homemade soap slimy?
The main reason that your homemade soap may be is that not enough hard oils were added. These are usually the oils you find in coconut butter, castor oil, or even avocado oil, with the closest runner-up for your slimy soap being old, or not enough lye added.
How do I know if my soap is safe?
It just lightly on the soap. And then just put the paper test strip on the surface of the soap if
How soon can you Rebatch soap?
Rebatch soap does not require a 4-6 week cure time like cold process soap does. But, allowing the bars to cure for about 2 weeks will ensure extra moisture evaporates, creating a harder and longer lasting bar.
How do you Rebatch a bar of soap?
Take your grated soap and put it into a crock pot or a glass oven dish that you can tightly cover. Add the liquid and stir it up gently. If you’re rebatching to fix (the problem) that you left out an oil in the original batch, go ahead and add that oil at this time too.
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!
What can I substitute for lye in soap?
- Goat’s Milk Soap Base.
- Shea Butter Soap Base.
- Glycerin Soap Base.
- Cocoa Butter Soap Base.
What can I use instead of lye in soap?
The main way that you can make soap without handling lye is by using melt-and-pour soap. It’s already been through saponification (oils reacting with lye) and is safe to use and handle straight out of the package. All you do with it is melt it, add your scent, color, and other additives, then pour it into molds.