Hi - can't wait to try making homemade soap! Two questions..

1) How do you heat the lye? in the microwave, on stove? They showed cooling it down in ice water but not how they heated it?

2) How does it smell?

Thanks!

Janice Adams

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Hi Janis,

How great that you are interested in making soap. It is so much fun. You asked about the lye and how to heat it up? The lye heats up very hot as soon as it touches the water. You don't do anything to the lye except to add it to the water and let it cool to the correct temperature. I would also suggest that you use a bowl of cold water and not use the ice. Many methods tell you that you can use ice, but it sometimes causes the lye to stick to the bottom of the bowl.

The scientific name for lye is Sodium Hydroxide. You will find that many, many products have this listed as an ingredient. When mixed with the oils it changes its structure.

Lye is a strong chemical and will burn your skin if it comes in contact with it, that is why we use gloves. It also has a strong smell and can make you cough if you don't protect your mouth. That's why we use the masks and why I even suggest opening a window. When concentrating on soap making and using lye, it is a good idea to not have the children around.

Thanks for your interest in this recipe. I hope I have answered your questions sufficiently.

My Best,

Jeanne Wolfley