No Lye Soap Body Wash
As a child I had terrible eczema. I had to be very careful about the products that I used on my skin, including soap. Most soap based products further irritated my fragile skin.
I have recently re-commenced making my own skin care products. As part of this re-discovery I have been investigating and experimenting with making soap.
Exploring the soap making process:
While investigating the process of soap making I discovered that all soap is made with lye (caustic soda). Soap is made from lye, and fats or oils. Lye is the ingredient that triggers the chemical reaction to make the soap harden.
I had no idea that this harsh ingredient is something that we use every day. In saying that, it may be used in a very small percentage in some soaps. With the addition of some moisturising and nourishing ingredients it can (kind of) be redeemed. I have made some gorgeous recipes that I may share here soon. Despite my success with regular soap, and the general consensus from the internet and soap making experts, I convinced myself that there had to be a way to make soap without the lye.
One of the soap substitutes that I used growing up as a child with terrible eczema was Castile soap. Castile soap is made from just coconut and olive oils. I got the idea stuck in my head that if I used Castile soap instead of lye that I may be able to create an alternative soap that many people are seeking.
I believe that I have done that purely based on the way that this silky body wash makes me feel happy every time I use it, however, this recipe does not create a hard bar of soap.
You may suggest that this equates to a fail but I beg to differ. I have created a gloriously decant feeling body wash that I know you will love as much as I do.
If you have a practical nature and are simply seeking a soap product without lye then I suggest that you source and use Castile Soap. It will do what you need.
My body wash feels special to use. I love scooping out a little bit from the jar each morning in the shower, feeling the silky lather and inhaling the subtle beautiful smell.
A note about raw materials:
As with food, it is important to understand the quality and origins of any raw materials that you decide to use in skin care. Failure to do so can have dire repercussions. There are many poor quality ingredients and “essential oils” on the market. If you are unsure of the quality of a product you would like to try please seek advise from a qualified aromatherapist.
This recipe is based on using either organically derived, or therapeutic quality ingredients. I strongly urge you to ensure that you do the same if you wish to replicate this recipe.
To help you source the highest quality raw materials I can recommend my personal supplier, Aromatherapy for Australia. The ingredient table below provides links to the products that I use.
Note: The links in the table below are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of the items from my supplier via the links below I will earn a very small commission from the sale. This is used to assist with the running costs of this site and to help me to continue to bring you recipes like this one. Thank you for your support.
Ingredient Properties:
If you are seeking a simple soap (or soap alternative) that does not contain lye I recommend that you get yourself some Castile Soap to try.
If you would like to try something a little more decadent, with a subtle beautiful smell (I find Castile Soap to have an odd smell) then please give this recipe a try. I would love to hear what you think of it if you do.
Have you ever made your own soap? Would you like to see a recipe for a bar of soap (using lye, but my way) here? I would love to share one with you if you are interested.
*UPDATE: 11/06/2014*
Thanks to those who have provided feedback on the ingredients in this recipe. I am new to soap making and appreciate your feedback and tips as I have much to learn about the process.
I can confirm that the Castile Soap that I used in this recipe does NOT contain any lye. Some Castile soap may contain it, however the brand I use does not. You can find a link to the brand I use in the table above.
This information has been provided by the lab of the company the produces the Castile Soap that I use. It contains: Postassium hydroxide in combination with olive and coconut oils, it is this which creates the soap. The fatty acids of the vegetable oils react with potassium hydroxide, forming potassium oleate and potassium laurate. This is the “soap” in Castile Soap.
Potassium hydroxide is a strong alkaline chemical that is also known as potassium hydrate and caustic potash. It is commonly used to treat fungal infections in skin, hair and nails. Potassium hydroxide is not Lye. I trust my supplier, I have been using their products for more than 15 years.
I will not publish any more comments about lye on this post. Please give the recipe a try as it is a gorgeous silky body wash that is gently and moisturising on the skin. I hope that you love it as much as I do. Thanks! Kyrstie.
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{ 11 comments… add one }
I hate to break it to you Kyrstie but even Castille soap is made with lye 
All soap is made with lye, but should not contain lye when cured as all the lye should be consumed in the chemical reaction that makes soap. This is why using a good soap calculator is so crucial when making soap. True Castille is just olive oil and lye, and is considered one of the trickier soaps to make because it takes forever to trace and forever to cure.
The chemical reaction that produces soap also produces the valuable by-product, glycerine. And this is where the difference between homemade soap and commercial soap lies. Commercial soap makers have the ability to draw off glycerine and sell it, so they keep adding more lye during the manufacturing process to produce more glycerine. It is the glycerine and free oils in soap which moisturise your skin, and is why commercial soaps feel so drying. There isn’t any free oil left, and all the glycerine has been extracted.
When I make my soap, I always superfat at 5%, which means that there is still free oil in the soap and also all the valuable glycerine. I too cannot tolerate commercial soap. It dries my skin horribly. But I can even use homemade soap on my face with no problems.
Sorry, I know that is long winded. I look forward to your soapy adventures.
Hi Tania, it is early days in my soap making adventure so I appreciate any and all feedback and information that you are willing to share. It is such an interesting hobby to get involved in and I have a lot to learn. I wish that you lived close by so that I could come and learn from you! I have found what I think is a good soap calculator but if you can recommend one then please do as I would love to give it a go.
I believe that the Castile Soap that I have used does not contain lye but I am checking into it to verify. If I have made an error I will update this post with a correction.
You are 100% correct Kyrstie that it shouldn’t contain lye, but it will have been made with lye originally. Soap cannot be made without it. Anybody that tells you otherwise is not being truthful. If the final soap contains lye, you’ve made it wrong And any soapmaker, at some point, has made it wrong. Trust me, I have binned a batch or two. A good Castille from your supplier will be far more moisturising than any commercial soap as they probably are sourcing it in smaller batches from sources they trust.
Soap is a confusing world, with much conflicting information. It took me a very long time to wrap my head around it. But you are right, it is a very addictive hobby. Any time you have any questions, just drop me an email. I would love to help.
As to calculators, I always use this one https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html Once you input your recipe, it will give you different lye amounts for different superfats. I always superfat at 5-6%. Let me know if you need any help with it or want some help with your recipes.
Essential Therapeutics Castile Soap does in fact not contain any lye. It is a pure, vegetable oil soap made only from pure coconut and olive oils. So it’s different to other brands of similarly named products
I like your recipe & will try it. I looked it up, because I know that all soap contains lye, but I have daughters that have tender skin. I was hoping for a minor miracle. However, Tania is correct. Castile soap doesn’t contain ‘tallow’ which is ‘sodium hydroxide’. It does contain ‘sodium carbonate’, which is still a lye. It is use in pretzels & lye rolls. Caution should be used with it as must as the other lye. It was originally used in it’s purist form to remove flesh from animals that were to be mounted as trophies.
Tallow is not lye. Tallow is rendered fat. Sodium carbonate is not lye. It’s soda ash. Castile soap is soap that is made with only olive oil. Lye is necessary to make soap but during the saponification process it converts oils to soap. If you made your soap properly there is no lye in it when you are done, only soap. There are tons of resources out there where you can get accurate information regarding soapmaking. Probably best not to follow the advice of amateur soapmakers. They mean well, but I suggest checking out the resources at Brambleberry and on youTube. Read, read, read. There’s a lot of inaccurate information here and you can end up hurting yourself or others. Stay safe.
Sorry, there was one suggestion you may want to look into & that is aloe vera gel. It can make a low lather that may work in a body wash. I do know that some people can be sensitive to it though. Happy hunting, don’t give up!
Great tip thanks Teddi I appreciate it very much.
Just wanted to add my two cents. Everything Tania has posted about lye (or sodium hydroxide) is absolute correct. For a product to even write “soap” on their label it has to go through the saponification process which uses the lye to change the oils and butter into soap. You’ll notice at the store, many products are just named “beauty bars” or something similar. Those are not soaps at all. Tania is also correct about the castille soap. A true castille is olive oil, water and lye, which is gone after saponification. Castille soap is supposed to be an extremely gentle soap for those with skin sensitivities, especially if you dont add fragrances or colors to your soap. I wanted to point out that the recipe you posted above has Castille soap as an ingredient. At some point that soap did undergo saponification and that involves lye.
Thank you for the information Sunny Land Soap. I appreciate your input.
Potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide are kissin’ cousins. The only difference is that KOH is used for liquid soap while NaOH is for bar soap. And as an experienced soap maker, I concur that a properly made and well cured soap will no longer contain lye. Superfatting a soap recipe will also make a more moisturizing soap.
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