Can caustic soda used in soap making, harm skin

[Rosie2]

I would like to make my own natural soap, but when I saw the ingredients needed I was alarmed to see caustic soda played a big part in the making of soap. Can this be harmful to the skin, especially sensitive skin like psoriasis or baby skin. I want to make a natural soap for my niece who has psoriasis, but am now worried it might make the problem worse. Please help. Thanks

[Law Student]

YES. Caustic Soda at almost any strength is highly corrosive to skin and other tissues. Contact with the eye can cause rapid and permanent blindness.

Whether the SOAP would be damaging depends on whether there is any excess caustic soda left in it when it is made. I can't help you there, but the easiest way to find out is to put a wet pH paper on the soap; the presence of a significant amount of caustic will give you a high pH (>11).

[theprof]

Wherever ther's any likelyhood of sensitivity arising, you need to avoid caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) like the plague. Sodium hydroxide can push up soap pH tremendously.

High pH soaps should not be used on baby skin or on those with psoriasis etc. Even if immediate sensitivity is not seen, the effects can be cumulative. You should be using pH neutral soaps - there are lots of them available commercially.

If your neice is very sensitive, a soap with an alkalinity as low as pH 8 could result in a reaction.

I can only suggest you keep looking!

[Rascalnet]

My wife and our daughter are sensitive to normal soaps.

They both use a brand called Lactacyd femina made by Glaxo smith Kline- Its a soap free cleanser.

Boots stock it, but its not cheap.

[brachiopod]

Sorry for terse reply - but just typed out a 300 word answer and lost the b�gger!

Yes - the process is called saponification - reacting a fat (usually animal) with concentrated sodium hydroxide (caustic soda)

I use it for cleaning my hob (enamel), which I find quite fun since dissolving the "caustic soda" granules is an exothermic reaction - then the resultant of reacting with the fat / oil residues is a gel you can scrape off - the basis of soap-making.

Disclaimer Bit - I'm an ex lab-tech so I know what it can do. If you are using caustic soda at home, remember it will dissolve fat, grease, skin, hair, eyes, etc. and will damage / mark aluminium, chrome , trendy brushed stainless steel, PTFE ("Teflon" or 'non-stick') pans, (given long enough), so wear rubber gloves, protect vulnerable surfaces, and watch out for the Anti-Terrorist Squad.....

[Gef]

All of the answers (and the question) make me laugh.

[Rosie2]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to answer my question. Your answers really helped me.

[Gef]

Apologies. Pasted my answer into the wrong question.