What is a lye volcano?
You should also take care to always add LYE TO WATER rather than pouring water into lye which can result in a lye explosion…sometimes called a lye volcano! Using a candy thermometer while soapmaking is helpful, too, both to get good results and avoid issues like false trace (explained later in this FAQ), and to ensure that you don’t overheat the soap or lye water and create a dangerous mixture. Finally, you should make sure that you are working uninteruppted, can concentrate on what you are doing, and don’t have any pets/children around who might distract you or harm themselves or you.
