Skip to content

Making Soap Naturally

Professional recipes and advice about everything soap!

Menu
  • HOME
  • SCENTS
    • antibacterial essential oils list
    • are perfumes toxic?
    • How to use Essential Oils
    • Cedarwood Essential Oils
    • Essential Oil Blends
    • Frankincense Essential Oil
    • Lavender Essential Oil
    • Rosemary Essential Oil
    • Tea Tree Essential Oil
  • SOAP BASES
    • Basic Soap Recipes – my 6 at a glance
    • #1 – Olive and Coconut, No Palm
    • #2 – Olive, Coconut and Palm
    • #3 – Olive, Coconut & Palm Kernel
    • #4 Olive, Coconut, Palm & Less Water
    • #5 Olive, Coconut, Palm Kernel & Less Water
    • #6 Castile, Just Olive
  • THE SOAPS
    • Baby Soap
    • Beer Soap
    • Castile Soap
    • Charcoal Soap
    • Coffee Soap
    • Dead Sea Mud Soap
    • Gardeners Soap
    • Green Mint Tea
    • Grocery Store Soap
    • Laundry Soap
    • Melt and Pour
    • Pet Shampoo
    • Recycle Bar Soap Pieces
    • Salt Soap
    • Shampoo Bar
    • Simple Halloween Recipe
  • BATH AND BODY
    • Bath Bombs
    • Bath Salts
    • Face Mask
    • Hemp Butter
    • Lip Balm
    • Lotion Bar
    • Whipped Shea Butter
  • SOAP SUPPLIES
    • Supplies you will need
    • A Great Place to Buy Soap-Making Supplies
    • Digital or Electronic Scale
    • Escali 136DK Alimento Digital Scale Review – To Weigh your Soap Making Oils
    • Thermometers
    • Soap Boxes
    • Soap Making Books
    • Where to buy soap making supplies
  • INGREDIENTS
    • Properties of Soap Making Oils
    • Shelf Life of Oils
    • Apricot Kernel Oil
    • Canola Oil
    • Castor Oil
    • Hemp Seed Oil
    • Neem Oil
    • Olive OIl
    • Palm Oil
  • FAQ’S
    • Craft Fairs and Festival
      • Christmas Craft Fair – just some thoughts as I’m packing
      • The Farmers Market – Selling your Soap
      • Trade shows
    • How to Pick a Business Name
      • Naming your Soap Company – what is a good name?
    • How much does it cost to make soap?
    • INCI Names
      • What is INCI
    • Labeling the Eco-Friendly Way
      • Organic and Natural Product Labelling Rules
    • Proper storage of the Natural and Handmade Soaps
    • Regulations for Hand made soap
      • Important Product Knowledge
    • Wholesale Handmade Soap or Sell it yourself?
    • Craft Fairs and Festivals – what do I need?
  • Baby Skin Care
    • Baby Soap Recipe
    • Baby Powder Recipe
    • Natural Baby Products
    • Vaseline (nonpetroleum) Recipe
Menu

Lye Soap Making

Posted on 06-0302-04 by Tes

Sodium Hydroxide Soap Making 

Also known as lye, NaOH, or caustic soda, and a must-have for making soap

Lye or sodium hydroxide for soap making (or NaOH), is needed for cold-process soap, and making cold-process soap is what this website is about.

Pour Lye into Water to Make SoapLye is also known as caustic soda, it is a caustic metallic base.


Lye or sodium hydroxide for soap-making creates a strong alkaline solution when dissolved in water.

It is used in many industries as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, soaps and detergents, anti-wrinkle face cream, and drain cleaners.

Yes, that’s right drinking water and anti-wrinkle cream…..those two got me.

Well in drinking water sodium hydroxide is used to treat the water if it is acidic.  The Sodium hydroxide helps to raise the PH.  It’s usually injected into the water with corrosion-resistant chemical feed pumps.

Sodium Hydroxide is used in face creams to balance the PH and also used as a buffer, my understanding is that some companies add a small amount of it as an anti-wrinkle agent, which creates a very minor burn action on your face, which in return, your skin adds fluid to the area in order to protect itself, and thus, the “appearance” of younger looking skin.  So be sure to check the labels of those expensive creams.

Well, back to soap and lye.  After the soap has been made and cut into bars, it should sit to cure for 4 – 6 weeks.  When it is finished curing there is no trace of lye left.

Because Sodium Hydroxide is a common base in chemical labs, 45 million tonnes plus are produced each year.

Basically, lye is an electrolyzed salt, pure sodium hydroxide is considered solid; and is available in pellets, flakes, and granules.  I buy granules in 50 lb bags for my soap making. Lye is hygroscopic, it absorbs water from the air, so it should be kept in air-tight containers.

You may also want to read What to do if you get Lye on your skin?

Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) for soap making

 




#handmadesoap #naturalsoap #makingsoapnaturally #soapmaking #soapmaking #soaps #artisansoap #bathandbody #cpsoap #coldprocesssoap #etsy #soapbase #soapcrafter #soapmaker #soaping #soapcrafting #soaphandmade #soap #giftidea #christmas #barsoap #handmadesoap #natural #organic #skincare #coldprocess #soapsupplies #lye #sodiumhydroxide

© 2016 – 2023, Tes. All rights reserved.

2 thoughts on “Lye Soap Making”

  1. Janine says:
    05-20 at 6:38 pm

    I have irritated skin after using my cured soap. If I leave my soap to cure longer will it help the soap to not irritate.

    Reply
    1. Tes says:
      05-28 at 9:27 pm

      Hi Janine,

      If the soap has not been properly cured that can certainly be a cause, or your soap could be lye heavy (to much lye) Your homemade Soap should be cured for a minimum of one month, but you could also be having an allergic reaction to one of the oils you are using. You could also check the PH of you soap, making sure it is not to high. Test the PH of you soap

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share

  • Trending Natural Soap Ingredients & Sustainable Practices In 2025
  • Eucalyptus Essential Oil
  • DIY Baby Lotion Recipe (Gentle & Natural)
  • 🎄 Christmas Soap Recipes
  • Oatmeal Honey Soap Recipe (Cold Process & Melt & Pour)
  1. Tes on Trending Natural Soap Ingredients & Sustainable Practices In 202509-08

    Thank you so much—I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been experimenting with a few of these trends, and the one…

  2. Hanna on Trending Natural Soap Ingredients & Sustainable Practices In 202509-06

    I really enjoyed reading your post—it’s so inspiring to see how natural soap making is evolving in 2025! I love…

  3. Tes on DIY Baby Lotion Recipe (Gentle & Natural)09-01

    This lotion is mild and should be fine for sensitive skin.  You could cut the recipe in half for a…

  4. Alexa on DIY Baby Lotion Recipe (Gentle & Natural)08-28

    As a first-time mom, I’ve been extra cautious about what I put on my toddler’s skin, especially since he’s had…

  5. Tes on Oatmeal Honey Soap Recipe (Cold Process & Melt & Pour)08-27

    Hi yes I do notice a difference on my skin.  I used to get excema really bad and now I…

200x400

Share

  • Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

  • Trending Natural Soap Ingredients & Sustainable Practices In 2025
  • Eucalyptus Essential Oil
  • DIY Baby Lotion Recipe (Gentle & Natural)
  • 🎄 Christmas Soap Recipes
  • Oatmeal Honey Soap Recipe (Cold Process & Melt & Pour)

Making Soap Naturally is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

©2018 Making Soap Naturally

© 2025 Making Soap Naturally | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme