If the soap is made properly, the lye is used up in the saponification process to turn oil into soap. 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).

Can you use baking soda instead of lye to make soap?

It is certainly possible to make an acceptable cold process soap using baking soda or washing soda, but lather performance suffers compared to the same soap formula without them.

Is lye in soap bad for you?

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.