Can you use lye in shampoo bars?

I’ve made shampoo bars with lye many times in the past. But with this recipe, you don’t need to leave it to cure for four weeks. It just needs a few days to harden then it’s ready to use. I’ve also noticed that it holds its shape better so it lasts much longer than my cold process bars.

What does lye do in shampoo?

The lye (being extremely alkaline measuring a pH14 on the pH scale of 0-14 with pH 7 being neutral) is needed to turn the oils into soap through a process called ‘saponification’.

Is lye good or bad?

Lye is a caustic substance that can certainly damage your skin if you’re exposed to it. It can cause a number of problems, such as burns, blindness, and even death when consumed. The lye gets entirely used up during the process, which means it’s no longer present and can do no harm to your skin.

Why is lye bad for hair?

Yes, lye is a corrosive substance. Lye, or sodium hydroxide, is a substance that “may generate sufficient heat to ignite combustible material” when in contact with water, and symptoms of exposure include burns, hair loss, and pneumonitis, according to the CDC.

Are Shampoo Bars damaging?

Alkaline products will open and raise the hair cuticle and cause any dye pigment to fall out in color treated hair, create friction between the strands causing hair damage and tangles, and lose natural oils that protect the hair.

Does lye damage your hair?

The combination of lye in relaxers and peroxide in hair dye can cause severe damage to both your hair and scalp. If your hair is already brittle, breaking or bleached, avoid relaxing your hair altogether. Wait a few months to give your roots a chance to grow out before you relax again.

Does shampoo need lye?

There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap or shampoo. While all real soap must be made with lye, no lye remains in our finished product after saponification (described below).

Why does my hair feel greasy after using a shampoo bar?

When first using a shampoo bar, you may experience a “waxy” feel to the hair after washing. This is often referred to as “the purge” or “the waxies” in the shampoo bar community – and could be the result of one of two things: a bad reaction with hard water, OR an adjustment to balancing out your scalp’s oil production.

Are shampoo Bars damaging?