We often receive emails asking the following question;
What can I use instead of lye to make soap?
The short answer is, yes, you can make soap without using lye by using any melt and pour soap bases. Simply melt, add color or scent, pour into mold and wait to harden. Done! Once the soap base has harden, its a ready to use soap that you can use immediately.
The long answer is all real soap are made with lye (either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). If you are planning to make soap from scratch, you will need lye. No lye, no soap, period.
Having said that, if you are not trying to make soap from scratch, you can use ready made soap bases. To make bar soap, use a melt and pour soap base. To make liquid castile soap, use a castile liquid soap base.
Soap bases like melt and pour soap base (also known as glycerin soap or glycerine soap) or liquid soap bases are great for soap makers if you are uncomfortable handling lye or obtaining lye.
Melt and pour soap bases are lye-made soap with added humectants to provide added moisturizing and the ability to melt and remelt over and over again.
Castile liquid soap bases are also lye-made liquid soap that’s ready to use.
In both types of soap bases, all the lye added are used up / consumed thru the saponification process (to make soap) and there are lye left in the soap base that you purchase. Its’ simply ready to use soap that can be customized to your preference.
