Did You Know......All Soaps Have Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)? Read here to find out more!

Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 02:01 - Post Comment

I made a batch of soap this evening, it is goat milk soap. When this soap is ready to use, I think I will list some of it in my store.

Making goat milk some was neat. It was different than just using water in the soap. The goat milk turned orange when it is added to the lye. All of the sites I read on the internet said that the goat milk/lye mixture would turn orange.

Oh...by the way...Did you all know that all soaps have lye in them, even the soaps that come from the store? Without lye, there is no soap. Most store soaps list lye as Sodium Hydroxide or they list it under other things.

Many people are afraid of homemade soap because of the lye (Sodium Hydroxide). I tell them that all soaps have lye in them, with out lye...no soap.

The bad thing about commercial soaps is that the commercial soaps take out all the glycerin in there soaps. Glycerin is very good for your skin!

The commercial soaps take out the glycerin and sell it. Have you ever seen those bags full of bars of glycerin at places like hobby lobby? Those bars of glycerin come from soap and without lye there is no soap.

Many people just melt down bars of glycerin, scent it, and call it soap. Many say that it is there glycerin bars of soap have no lye, but....glycerin comes from soap...and without lye....there is no soap.

My homemade soap has all the glycerin left in!

                            ~Belle~

Please, visit my store ~From the Past~ where I sell cloth menstrual pads, soap, and things for baby!

http://www.homesteaderbelle.blogspot.com/

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Posted by Jonash2004 on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 09:15 - Link

Actually, I'm not sure where to buy "soap" at the grocery store anymore. If it is called a 'beauty bar', 'deoderant bar', 'cleansing bar' or any such thing it isn't soap - it's a petrolium based-bath product.

Even baby shampoos have very harsh chemicals in them - which is why I started to make my own soap about 2.5 years ago. :)

Ashley

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Posted by Vickie on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 09:42 - Link

You have taught me something today. I did not know how they got glycerine.
I enjoyed reading your blog.
Good luck with your store.

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Posted by oldfashionedgirl on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 10:37 - Link

very interesting! I just had this conversation with my dad the other day as we were making soap! We'll have to try and make a batch of goats milk soap as we have an enormous excess of it!! We just made soap on monday... and got 90 bars!! Isn't it so wonderful to know exactly what goes into your soap?? Have a most wonderful day and know that you and you mom are in my prayers!!

Blessings,
Alex

Great info

Posted by imspecl on Monday, June 2, 2008 at 05:38 - Link

Once again I have learned from you. I did not know that about soaps nor what the comercial folks do with the glycerin. Thanks for teaching this "old dog" yet another trick!

God Bless - Michele

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Posted by SisterLori on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 01:43 - Link

Blessings Belle!
Just to give you a little hint on the goatmilk soaping...measure our your milk and then freeze it! The orange color you are getting when you add the lye is actually burning the milk. It doesn't matter a whit in the finshed product but for a lighter, less orange (and less burnt) coloring freeze it first and when you pour the lye on it (slowly as it won't have liquid to soak it up right away) let the lye melt the milk. You can also lay your bowl in a bed of ice to help keep it a bit cooler as well so as to make more tan or ivory colored soap.
Just my two cents:)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori