|
|
What
About Lye?
Won't
it harm my skin? |
|
Our ingredients list includes the words,
"saponified oils," which actually means that the oils and butters
are mixed with lye water. We
receive many questions about whether there is lye (sodium hydroxide)
in our soap. The simple answer is "No."
While all real soap must
be made with lye (anything
made without lye is a detergent and not a soap),
no lye remains in our finished product.
|
Red Rose & Buttermilk Soap |
SAPONIFICATION: The Chemical Reaction
|
Lye is an alkali and the oils are fatty acids.
Once we select the oils and mix them with sodium hydroxide and a
liquid,
the molecules combine, a chemical reaction occurs, called
saponification
(pictured below),
and a totally different substance is created --
SOAP!
picture from The Soap & Detergent Association
website
|
The Reactants (what we
start with) |
|
The Products (what we
end up with)
|
|
Triglycerides
+
Alkali
|
= |
Neat
Soap + Water
+ Glycerine |
| Triglycerides
are what make up the oils and butters we use. A triglyceride, is a chemical compound formed from
one molecule of glycerol and three fatty acid molecules.
The alkali is the lye mixed with
rainwater, tea, goat milk, juice, etc.
|
|
When mixed together the chemical reaction (saponification)
results in...
neat soap:
the saponified oils
water: which evaporates as the soap cures
glycerine:
In commercial soap, the natural glycerin removed from the soap
and used in moisturizers and other cosmetics where it commands
a higher price. Our
handmade soaps retains the glycerin which occurs naturally in the
soap making process.
|
Notice there is no LYE on the product side of the equation!
No
lye remains in our finished product! |
|
SUPERFATTING
Superfatting
is the process of adding extra fats (oils or butters) when formulating a
soap recipe, so there is more fat in the mixture than the lye can react
with during the chemical reaction.
If you look at the colored picture of the
chemical reaction above,
in addition to "soap,"
glycerine, and water, Chagrin Valley Soaps also
contain free oils which have been left unchanged by the saponification
process and add extra moisturizing properties to our soaps and shampoos!
|
|
WE SUPERFAT
all of our
SOAPS & SHAMPOOS |
 |
If you are still not convinced here is
an example of another chemical reaction. The element sodium
(Na) is
a highly reactive element that explodes if it touches water. The
element chlorine (Cl) is a deadly poisonous gas. But when they come
together in a chemical reaction
a totally different
substance is created -- table salt (NaCl)! |
Chagrin Valley Soap &
Craft uses computerized software to determine just the right amount
of lye needed--so
there is NO lye left in a bar of Ida’s Handcrafted Soap, just
fabulous all natural soap.
|
Interesting Note About Lye!
Lye has many uses in the
food industry. The secret to great pretzels is a lye
bath! Lye gives pretzels their characteristic flavor,
crispiness, and glossy finish.
Hominy is dried corn kernels
reconstituted by soaking them in lye water until the germ is
removed. Lye may also
be used in the preparation of olives and pickles.
|
 |
Click
here to learn more about how we make Ida's Handcrafted
Soap
at Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft Company. |
|
|
|