Can You Make Soap Without Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)?
If you’ve ever searched for a way to make soap at home, you’ve likely run into one big question that stops people in their tracks: Do I really have to use lye? It sounds harsh. It even has a scary reputation. But here’s the truth: all real soap needs lye. That doesn’t mean your soap has to be dangerous or complicated, though. Let’s break it down, talk about what lye (sodium hydroxide) actually is, and whether there’s such a thing as “lye-free” soap. We'll also help you understand how to use food-grade sodium hydroxide safely, the science behind it, and smart ways to create clean, skin-loving bars. That Time the Soap Split… It started with a simple recipe. Oils? Check. Scents? Check. Colorants? Check. But then came the word “lye.” And that’s where everything paused. Too nervous to use it, the batch was swapped with a store-bought melt-and-pour base. The result? A pretty bar, but it melted away quickly, didn’t clean well, and left skin feeling dry. The next try was different, using...