The Short Answer… NO!
People often ask me if I have soap that’s made without lye ( Sodium Hydroxide ). It’s impossible to make soap without lye because lye is essential to the soap-making process. Lye reacts with oil to create soap and this reaction is known as saponification. Once the saponification process is complete, there is no lye left in the soap.
Let’s examine H2O, which consists of oxygen and hydrogen. Although they are gases separately, they form water when combined. Lye and oil are the same concept. When put together they create a completely different compound.
Please remember that lye is an essential ingredient in the making of soap. However, when soap is made properly, there is no lye leftover in the final product.