The Truth About Lye

Demystifying Soap’s Essential Ingredient

When it comes to soap-making, the word "lye" often stirs up a lot of confusion and concern. But as essential as it is, there's no need for alarm. In fact, understanding what lye really is, and how it works in soap, can ease those worries and help you appreciate this natural process even more.

What is Lye?

Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide (for solid soap) or potassium hydroxide (for liquid soap), is a strong alkaline compound. It plays a critical role in the process called saponification, which is how soap is made. When lye is combined with oils or fats, a chemical reaction occurs that transforms these ingredients into soap and glycerine—a natural moisturiser that gives handmade soaps their skin-loving properties.[1]

How Does Lye Work?

During saponification, lye breaks down the fatty acids in oils and forms soap molecules. The lye itself is neutralised and no longer exists in the final product. That’s why, despite its caustic nature in its raw form, there is absolutely no lye left in the soap you use on your skin. At FOKUS, we carefully measure and mix our ingredients and allow each soap batch to cure for a full four weeks, ensuring the saponification process is complete and the soap is perfectly safe and nourishing.

Why Do People Worry About Lye?

Lye in its pure form can be dangerous, which often leads to confusion. However, when properly used in soap-making, it’s completely transformed. In fact, lye is crucial in turning oils into the firm, cleansing bar we all love. After saponification, the oils and lye bond, leaving behind nothing but soap and glycerine.

Why Use Lye?

Lye is essential for creating real soap. It allows the oils to become soap molecules, which can lift dirt, grease, and impurities from the skin. Without it, soap cannot form. With natural oils like coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter, lye helps produce a product that cleanses and moisturises. Additional ingredients like essential oils and clays provide extra benefits, making each bar a complete sensory experience.[2]

Natural Doesn’t Mean Lye-Free

A common misconception is that natural soap is lye-free, but this simply isn’t true. Without lye, soap wouldn’t exist. The key is ensuring that it is properly transformed during the soap-making process. By the time your soap has cured, the lye has done its job and is long gone, leaving only a skin-friendly, natural product behind.

At FOKUS, we’re passionate about creating high-quality, all-natural soaps, free from synthetic chemicals and additives. Our focus is on mindful living, which includes understanding the ingredients we use. Lye plays a crucial role in making natural soap possible, and with the right care, it helps us produce bars that are gentle, luxurious, and deeply nourishing for your skin.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." — Marie Curie

At FOKUS, we believe that understanding the science behind our products leads to empowerment, helping you embrace nature without fear—just as Marie Curie believed - knowledge dissolves fear.

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