Quote Originally Posted by English View Post
No problem if you wish to disagree.

I'm not a chemist but I have read other forums were this issue has been discussed at length by soap makers.
They said that using lye in your back shed and the chemical reactions that take place in the soap making process is not something you would want to be doing in your back shed. You should also check out the price of Sandalwood EO and you might change your or mind on why it is rarely found even in the more expensive perfumes, scents and cosmetic products.
I think someone is trying (sucessfully) to buffalo you; this is exactly how soap was made for many years, in the back yard. Really, the chemistry is quite simple. first you put lye into water (always add lye to water not the other way around). This is not really chemistry, just dilution. You do the same thing everytime you use liquid drain cleaner. It does produce some fumes, so you need adequate ventilation, and you need to wear gloves and goggles, but again, you should wear these when ever you use drain cleaner as well. If you are particularly clumsy and get splashed with lye solution, use vinegar to neutralize.

Then you put the lye solution into the fat (again, lye into fat, not the other way) and stir. This is the actual chemistry part, the lye reacts with the fat, breaking out the glycerine and forming a sodium salt of the fatty acid - aka soap (the technical name for this reaction is saponification). The reaction takes time, seveal weeks infact, which is why soap must be cured. There are more exact instructions and recipies available at seveal locations on the internet. Soap