Many people are interested in soap-making but hesitate at the thought of using lye, a caustic chemical, in the process. Soap is made when fats or oils react with a strong alkaline substance such as lye. This chemical reaction is fundamental to creating soap, although there are a number of ways to get around the problem of using lye when molding soaps or creating soap substitutes.

Use Prepackaged Soap Bases

Craft stores or online crafting sites often sell glycerin or olive oil soap bases that can be used to create soaps in your favorite shapes, colors and fragrances. These materials are safe to use because the soap-making process using lye has already occurred. They can be melted in a double-boiler or the microwave and poured into molds with any essential oils, dyes, herbs or floral elements you wish to include. Liquid soap can also be made in this manner using craft store supplies.

Repurpose Existing Soap

Again, this process uses soap that has already been manufactured by using lye, but will allow you to create your own personalized soap products. A white soap like Ivory, with mild scent or no fragrance, can be grated and melted, combined with fragrances, colorants and herbs, then poured into soap-making molds, rolled into balls or molded by hand to create a variety of shapes.

Use Soap Substitutes

There are some plants that contain what are known as saponins, a glycoside compound that forms a kind of soap or foam when mixed with water. Soapwort, or Saponaria officinalis, is one herb that can be boiled to extract the saponins and produce a soap-like substance that can be used for cleansing clothes, or as a body or hair wash. Horse chestnut seeds, when rubbed between hands with cool water, can also be used as a soap substitute. The bulb of the amole or soap lily (Chlorogalum pomeridianum), a native North American plant, can be dried and grated or chopped for this purpose as well. Other plants that are high in saponins include many species of the yucca plant, buffalo gourd, mountain lilac and soaproot, among others.

Source:

Love To Know: Soap Making Methods Without Lye

Planet Botanic: Glossary of Botanic/Medical Terms

Plants For a Future: Soap Plants

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Mother Earth News: Naturally Clean