Lye Calculator Websites

Thank goodness for lye calculators!!

Don't get me wrong...I love a challenge just as much as the next person but picking up a pencil and paper to figure out how much lye is needed for a new recipe I want to try isn't my idea of time well spent. Not with the vast array of lye calculators on the web begging me to use them.

Some not only tell me how much lye I need, but also help me to answer questions like 'Will these oils produce a good lather?' or 'Will this recipe make a conditioning or cleansing bar of soap?'.

This information is valuable to a soapmaker....it takes much of the trial and error element out of soap making. Though I'm sure I still have much of that ahead of me!

Lye calculators have become a necessary tool for soap makers. They provide us with the ability to quickly and easily recalculate old recipes or create new ones...all at the click of a button.

Below you will find links to a good selection of calculators for soapmakers and a few details about each one.

1. SoapCalc - wonderfully detailed calculator for liquid and bar soaps. Includes info on soap qualities and fatty acid makeup of oils. Measurements in ounces, grams, pounds and percentages. Each section contains a number to click on for help as well.



2. Snowdrift Farm - allows you to use both NaOH and KOH at the same time as well as how much of each.



3. Cranberry Lane - basic beginners calculator for cold process soap making.



4. Summer Bee Meadow - calculates for liquid and bar soaps but only in ounces.



5. Majestic Mountain Sage - has a resize feature and measures in ounces, grams and pounds.



6. Bramble Berry - basic calculator for liquid and solid soap making. Works in ounces, grams and percentages. You can pick a lye discount from 0-10% and the water seems to be fixed at about 33%.



7. Suds and Scents - another basic calculator for cold process soap making. Calculates in grams or ounces.



8. Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild - can use sodium or potassium hydroxide and will calculate by percentage or weight. Works in grams, pounds and ounces.



9. Natural Soap Calculator - basic calculator for cold process soap making. Only works in ounces and uses approximately 34% water as a percentage of oils. I think the superfat is around 4 - 5%

There are, of course, many more lye calculators out there on the web.....this is merely a sampling of what is available.

Oh.....did I mention that they are all free?