my soap is all natural NO CHEMICALS ,sodium hydroxide is in my soap that is lye ,you cant make good homemade soap w/o it ,but its not a chemical it comes from wood ash ,also in my soap is,coconut oil,olive oil,vegetable oil,water,shea butter vegetable oil,palm oil,palm kernal oil,essential oils& herbs ,my new line of soap is MEDICINAL ,PATCHOULI homemade soap is like a topical remedy for skin problems such as,acne,eczma,inflamed,cracked,chapped&irritated skin .it is also known as a cell rejuvenator and is helpful in healing wounds&scars as an anti-fungal to treat athletes foot ,it is also used for hair to help dandruff and to aide oily hair we also have a CAMPHOR soap for pain that is great too camphor is used to help pain,so check out the web site www.lindaslathers.com