Lye in soap?

Question

I recently found out back in the old days lye was used to make soap and did in fact cause cases of blindness.

I figured they've found a better method now a days after checking the back of my Irish Spring Soap only to find out that an ingrediant, sodium tallowate, is nothing more than lye mixed with basically beef fat.

So why is that we are allowed to wash our faces with these soaps with no real warning? Are these soaps still potentional dangerous.

Answer 1

Yes, they use lye to make soap. It is important in the chemical reaction your body has to the soap; which "your body or skin" is equally essential to the cleaning process. It probably isn't banned, because nobody goes blind from it since it hurts so bad when it hits your eye and tastes almost equally as bad in your mouth. I will post you a link on the chemical process if I can find one on the net.'

Oh, I forgot to mention (although, I'm sure that it stands without mentioning) that since it is so painful to get soap in your eye, you learn not to let it happen. There probably is a warning lable on the box. Moreover, it is another reason children should be supervised while bathing. With that said the process in which the body takes the lye and oil in the soap and makes it such a great cleaning agent is called saponification... here is the link...

Okay, more:

So then, your problem isn't really the soap at all (im not trying to be a smart***).. You should see a phychiatrist, if you haven't already. They will give you some anti-anxiety medication to help with your OCD. It is nothing to be ashamed of to ask for help. I used to have a small case of it as well, but I just changed my lifestyle to cope with the disorder. Another way to say it is "I became too busy to have time for the disorder." Excercise is a great remedy for anything, but you should really see a psychiatrist. It is the first step to the healing.

Answer 2

Considering that millions of people use soap every day, all over the world, it can't be that dangerous. You know not to get it in your eyes or to eat it. Lye by itself can be very dangerous but once it's put into soap it isn't very.

Answer 3

In short they do not use as much lye as they used to. I know that Ivory soap has a very high amount in it that is why its a good laundering soap. Soap made today is a lot safer than what used to be available.