handling lye safety

Tips of First Aid and Safety Guidelines When Handling Lye

by lisa on Jun 30, 2010

When creating soap using the hot method or the cold method, handling lye is inevitable. Lye is one of the ingredients used in making soap. It is also known by its other names, such as caustic soda and sodium hydroxide.

Lye is a very dangerous chemical. It is considered as an acid. It could cause blindness when it enters your eyes, can cause severe burns when it comes in contact with your skin, and could be fatal when swallowed. Obviously, staying conscious of the safety precautions when working with lye is necessary in order to prevent injury to yourself and to the people around you.

Here are some safety guidelines you need to observe when using and storing this essential soap making chemical.

Consult with the saponification value table and compute the amount of lye you need to use, which changes depending on the type of oil you use and its quantity. Even when using recipes, it’s good practice to still double check the computation to make...Read More >>