Final answer:
Too much lye in the soap-making process results in soap that can be harsh and irritate the skin. The process called saponification should be carefully managed to ensure soap is gentle. Modern soaps are typically superfatted to be skin-friendly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Too much of a specific ingredient in soap can make it too harsh for use on the skin, making it an irritant or causing other forms of skin discomfort. In traditional soap making, the balancing act between the fat or oil and the alkaline substance, typically lye (sodium hydroxide), is crucial. When too much lye is used in the soap-making process, the soap can be very harsh and irritate the skin. However, modern soap production has refined the process to ensure that the soap is skin-friendly and does not contain excess lye.
The process of making soap involves a chemical reaction called saponification, where fat or oil reacts with an alkali to form soap and glycerol. Too much alkali can lead to soap that is too harsh, potentially resulting in skin irritation when used. Manufacturers typically mitigate this risk by carefully measuring the ingredients and often 'superfatting' the soap, which means adding extra fat or oils beyond what the lye can convert, to ensure that the final product is more gentle on the skin.
Regarding the quality of soap in different circumstances, it's also noteworthy that soap's effectiveness can be diminished in hard water, prompting some to choose other cleaning agents or invest in water-softening solutions.