# Cold Process Soap Using Lard



## wbocrafter

I have been given some lard to make soap and was wondering if anyone had a good recipe that I could use to make some soap with lard.


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## BrewerGeorge

Sure!

50% Lard
20% olive oil
20% coconut oil
5% castor oil
5% avocado

Drop the avocado if you don't have it and raise the lard to 55%.


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## toxikon

You're definitely asking the right group, most of us loooove lard soaps!

My favourite recipe right now is:

50% Lard
20% Coconut Oil
15% Olive Oil
10% Avocado Oil
5% Castor Oil

35% Lye Concentration
5% Superfat


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## Bamagirl

My favorite recipe is:

55% lard
25% olive oil
15% coconut oil
5% castor oil

In my opinion, it makes for a really nice, gentle bar with good suds.


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## mx5inpenn

Lard anywhere from 40-60%, 5% castor, 15-20% coconut, the rest in olive and/or avocado is wonderful!


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## Steve85569

Those should give you a pretty good idea of where to start looking for your own "sweet spot" using lard.
I now use less coconut and more olive with the 40 - 60% lard than the suggestions above. That's mostly because of my old skin.

Enjoy the lard.


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## Susie

Mine is this:

Lard 65%
Coconut Oil 15%
Olive Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5%

My best suggestion is to try all of these recipes, so you will know what you prefer.

(See, I just gave you permission to make 6 batches of soap, all in the name of science, of course!)


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## Millie

Is there a consensus among the lardinators if extras (EDTA, ROE etc) are needed to help prevent DOS?


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## Seawolfe

I've never added ROE or anything to lard batches - in my experience lard isn't prone to DOS.


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## Millie

Thanks, phew! Sorry OP I probably should have posted that Q in another thread. But now we both know


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## Susie

Millie said:


> Thanks, phew! Sorry OP I probably should have posted that Q in another thread. But now we both know



This is, to me at least, an appropriate place to ask the question.  

I have never used any sort of preservative or antioxidant in my bar soaps, either.  And I have used lard from the beginning.


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## cherrycoke216

Susie said:


> This is, to me at least, an appropriate place to ask the question.
> 
> 
> 
> I have never used any sort of preservative or antioxidant in my bar soaps, either.  And I have used lard from the beginning.




I'm a lardinator,too. But at first or second try, I did not like it. And my family hate it. They claim that it leaves a film on their body. So I searched the forum, and started adding both 1% EDTA and 1% citric acid ( also extra NaOH to neutralize the citric acid; 10g citric acid needs 6g NaOH ). And now these combo really helps with our ROCK HARD water. 
Your mileage might vary. 
ETA: I use these as chelator, and only have 1 DOS (dreaded orange spot ) now.


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## DeeAnna

Ooh, ooh -- can I play too???  

My current favorite recipe is --

Coconut Oil 15.0%
Sunflower, high oleic	25.0%
Lard	60.0%

You can substitute any combination of olive oil or avocado or any other high oleic oil for the HO sunflower. You can take a total of 5% away from the sunflower and/or the lard (whatever makes sense to you) and add 5% castor. I use 32% lye concentration, more or less, and 3% superfat. I also use 5% KOH and 95% NaOH for added lather in my high lard recipes, but you definitely don't have too -- you can add sugar or beer and get good bubbleage too.

I add ROE in my home-rendered lard when the lard is freshly rendered to ensure it has a good shelf life. I always use 0.5% tetrasodium EDTA in my soaps to increase shelf life and reduce soap scum. I have articles about using ROE and EDTA -- they're in my "soapy stuff" webpage. Click the link at the bottom of this post.


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## Susie

Oh, yeah, I forgot about the 5% KOH and 95% NaOH.   It makes awesome bubbles!

I also use only "store bought" lard, as I know no pig farmers, and I hate rendering.  

Thanks for the reminders, DeeAnna!


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## Zany_in_CO

Hubby's favorite LS is 50/50 lard & PKO. Really nice and holds scent well -- lard helps with that.

I use oakmoss absolute (10% solution in jojoba) at a rate of 0.7% (1/4-1/2 tsp) PPO to offset the odor of lard/tallow.

SHORT STORY 
When I first started making soap (2004), I sent a bar of tallow soap to a high school classmate in Minneapolis. She loved the soap, but asked, "Why do I smell hamburger when I shower?" :mrgreen: Thus, the inclusion of oakmoss -- a tip from one of the early gurus of soapmaking, also a lardinator, BTW.


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## Millie

Zany_in_CO said:


> SHORT STORY
> When I first started making soap (2004), I sent a bar of tallow soap to a high school classmate in Minneapolis. She loved the soap, but asked, "Why do I smell hamburger when I shower?" :mrgreen: Thus, the inclusion of oakmoss -- a tip from one of the early gurus of soapmaking, also a lardinator, BTW.


 
Oh dear, I wouldn't want to smell that! Had you rendered the lard yourself or does that scent come with store bought lard too? I think I saw a few suggestions for Armour lard so I'll try that unless it comes hamburger scented. Although I love the scent of oakmoss I wouldn't want it in every soap, and that could get costly!

Edit:  oops, tallow. I was wondering why it smelled like hamburger rather than bacon. I don't know where my brain is tonight. Wouldn't want to smell bacon in the shower either.


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## Zany_in_CO

Millie said:


> Edit:  oops, tallow. I was wondering why it smelled like hamburger rather than bacon. I don't know where my brain is tonight. Wouldn't want to smell bacon in the shower either.


ROFL. Millie, you made me laugh so hard with that one, that I almost fell off my rocking chair!
:bath1:​


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## lenarenee

I've been a dedicated lardinator for over 2 years, using Armour, Farmer's John's, smart and final's 50lb box, (finished 2 of them!) and "home" rendered lard from Fannie and Flo and etsy. I've had only a few problems with dos, and a huge majority of them I know where my lazy habits during storage.

I've used Smart and Final's tallow and Fannie and Flo's tallow and can not smell a darn thing. 

I've never had a bar of lard soap that I thought smelled like pig. I do smell oil or fat sometimes.  BUT...I smell the same thing from my all vegetable bars! So, not sure what that's about.


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## wbocrafter

Thanks everyone.  I'm fairly new to soap making so I don't know what all the abbreviations mean but the recipes sure help.  I've heard soap made from lard is wonderful & when someone gives it to you it's pretty hard to turn down.


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## MotherMcree

*Not too much*

Lard can be great in soap for a few reasons. It's great at stabilizing the oil and will allow you to unmold faster but if you choose to use it at a larger quantity than 30% you will smell it in the soap. I find this very unappealing, especially for a shower/bath soap, it is an unpleasant odor. 
I usually use this base recipe for my soaps and they have been wonderfully conditioning and also great for sensitive skin. This recipe will also allow for E/O's and holds the fragrance nicely.

30% Olive Oil 
30% Coconut Oil
20% lard 
10% Sunflower Oil (works with the coconut to create a creamy, stable lather)
5% Cocoa Butter (adds to hardness and conditioning)
5% Castor Oil (its conditioning and will help as a natural preservative)


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## mx5inpenn

I use lard in most of my recipes at 40-55%. The cured soap doesn't smell a bit like it. Keeping the temps low eliminates the smell.


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## Zany_in_CO

MotherMcree said:


> 30% Olive Oil
> 30% Coconut Oil
> 20% lard
> 10% Sunflower Oil (works with the coconut to create a creamy, stable lather)
> 5% Cocoa Butter (adds to hardness and conditioning)
> 5% Castor Oil (its conditioning and will help as a natural preservative)


Thank you for sharing. That looks to be a great recipe!


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## shunt2011

I too use lard at 40-50% and have never smelled any piggy. Generally, if you are getting a piggy smell you've heated it too hot.  I just melt mine until clear and it's just warm to the touch.  I've used Armour, Snowcap and get the 50 lb from Soapers Choice and have gone through over 200 lbs with no issue.


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## IrishLass

This was the one that made a lard lover out of me. It was my first ever successful lard formula that got rave reviews from hubby and son (and me):

Olive Oil 34%
PKO flakes 31.5%
Lard 26.5%
Castor Oil 8%


For what it's worth, I've never smelled piggy in my soap, not even when I used lard as high as 65% and soaped it hot (we're talking near to 170F.....it was not intentional, but that's a story for another day, lol) Anyway, with all the differing/contrasting experiences out there in regard to the piggy smell/no piggy smell phenomenon, I've personally come to the conclusion that it comes down whatever scent receptors are active or inactive in our individual noses- kinda like how some folks can only smell cat pee when smelling jasmine. lol


IrishLass


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## Susie

wbocrafter said:


> Thanks everyone.  I'm fairly new to soap making so I don't know what all the abbreviations mean but the recipes sure help.  I've heard soap made from lard is wonderful & when someone gives it to you it's pretty hard to turn down.



Here's the acronym and abbreviation thread.  It is a sticky in the beginner's forum.  There are lots of good bits of info in those stickies.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=51841


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## SunRiseArts

I tested a small batch the other day and included the sunflower oil, and OMG, I absolutely love it.  Lard, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and a little castor oil.


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## wbocrafter

Wow!  This is great information.  Can't waut to try some of the recipes!  I don't know which one to try first.  You guys are great!!!


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## cmzaha

Millie said:


> Is there a consensus among the lardinators if extras (EDTA, ROE etc) are needed to help prevent DOS?


I add EDTA and Bht to my high lard soaps. Unlike general concensus I do have trouble with dos when using lard. A few yrs ago I did some test batches of 100% lard using several brands of lard. All my test soaps turned dossy and the very worst was with Farmer John Lard/Manteca. My dos problems ended when I started adding BHT. Many lard brands have BHT added, it is a food grade preservative. 

I still use lard because I love lard with tallow soaps


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## beardguy

I'm a beginner too, but I made the decision to go for lard soaps since it is economical and readily available. 

My favourite recipe thus far : 

15% hemp seed oil 
10 % coconut oil
25 % olive
50 % lard

I have a few other bars that do not have that much soft oils (hemp/olive) and they lather more readily and are a lot harder, but they seem to be a tad more drying and draggy in the shower. 

The first soap I made was like 90 % lard and I still find it to be a very good soap. 

PS: If you check my join date, you'll see that all my soaps are quite young, but I soaped A LOT in the first few weeks.


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## Seawolfe

Oh I love hemp oil in soap - is that enough to give it that nice green tint too? Try some sugar in your water before adding the lye next time for mo' bubbly.



beardguy said:


> I'm a beginner too, but I made the decision to go for lard soaps since it is economical and readily available.
> 
> My favourite recipe thus far :
> 
> 15% hemp seed oil
> 10 % coconut oil
> 25 % olive
> 50 % lard



That is similar to one of my favorites - and funny enough this one lathers like a champ even without castor oil. I have a fellow soaper compliment the lather even! 

65% lard
20% sweet almond oil
15 % coconut oil

5% superfat 

Sugar added to the water for bubbles (1 TBSP ppo) and citric acid (with the appropriate amount of lye added so as not to increase the superfat) for my hard water.


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## redhead1226

MotherMcree said:


> Lard can be great in soap for a few reasons. It's great at stabilizing the oil and will allow you to unmold faster but if you choose to use it at a larger quantity than 30% you will smell it in the soap. I find this very unappealing, especially for a shower/bath soap, it is an unpleasant odor.
> I usually use this base recipe for my soaps and they have been wonderfully conditioning and also great for sensitive skin. This recipe will also allow for E/O's and holds the fragrance nicely.
> 
> 30% Olive Oil
> 30% Coconut Oil
> 20% lard
> 10% Sunflower Oil (works with the coconut to create a creamy, stable lather)
> 5% Cocoa Butter (adds to hardness and conditioning)
> 5% Castor Oil (its conditioning and will help as a natural preservative)




Mothermcree - No no no... your in the wrong group. This group not only soaps at high percentages of lard but we also sleep in it, smear it all over ourselves and would have an affair with it if we could! Ive been soaping lard for years and most of the time at more than 50% mostly 65! I have never smelt a thing! It will smell if its bad or if you heat it too much. But i dont ever do that. your recipe with 30% CO is just too much for my skin.  I stay at around 15% max 20 and I have to have a good reason to do that.


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## Zany_in_CO

redhead1226 said:


> Mothermcree - No no no... your in the wrong group. This group not only soaps at high percentages of lard but we also sleep in it, smear it all over ourselves and would have an affair with it if we could!















   Too funny!


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## beardguy

Seawolfe said:


> Oh I love hemp oil in soap - is that enough to give it that nice green tint too? Try some sugar in your water before adding the lye next time for mo' bubbly.
> 
> 
> 
> That is similar to one of my favorites - and funny enough this one lathers like a champ even without castor oil. I have a fellow soaper compliment the lather even!
> 
> 65% lard
> 20% sweet almond oil
> 15 % coconut oil
> 
> 5% superfat
> 
> Sugar added to the water for bubbles (1 TBSP ppo) and citric acid (with the appropriate amount of lye added so as not to increase the superfat) for my hard water.



No since I have only used refined hemp seed oil. I will try non-refined next order and see if there are any differences apart from the colour/scent. 

I have added sugar pretty much every batch now, but I have water hard enough that you don't need a glass, it just stands on its own, so lather is a problem.


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## redhead1226

beardguy said:


> I have added sugar pretty much every batch now, but I have water hard enough that you don't need a glass, it just stands on its own, so lather is a problem.



Beardguy - you use tap water? No issues??


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## beardguy

redhead1226 said:


> Beardguy - you use tap water? No issues??



No I use distilled (I did use tap for the first batch), I was talking about the water when I shower,


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## redhead1226

beardguy said:


> No I use distilled (I did use tap for the first batch), I was talking about the water when I shower,



Oh! lol I misunderstood!


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## BrewerGeorge

beardguy said:


> ...
> 
> I have added sugar pretty much every batch now, but I have water hard enough that you don't need a glass, it just stands on its own, so lather is a problem.


Been talking about water today, but you'll understand this... My water is SO hard that I can't make a stout without lactic acid. 600 ppm hardness, Baby.


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## beardguy

BrewerGeorge said:


> Been talking about water today, but you'll understand this... My water is SO hard that I can't make a stout without lactic acid. 600 ppm hardness, Baby.



I'm in the same boat. We have had to replace the faucets in the shower every 5 years due to soap scum even with weekly cleaning (we use cheap ones obviously).


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## BrewerGeorge

I wouldn't want to live without a softener again.


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## earlene

beardguy said:


> I'm in the same boat. We have had to replace the faucets in the shower every 5 years due to soap scum even with weekly cleaning (we use cheap ones obviously).



Take some plastic baggies, a bottle of vinegar, a rubber band into your shower/kitchen/bathroom.  Then fill a baggy with straight vinegar, place it over your faucets/shower head/whatever water spews out of, then rubber band it tightly, so it the faucet is totally submerged in the vinegar and the baggy remains tightly secured to the faucet.  Leave it for a couple of hours to eat away at all those mineral deposits that occlude the faucet.  When you remove it a couple to a few hours later, the water will flow more freely.

It works like a dream.  If you don't have a water softener, you can do this periodically to remove deposits, keep your aerators clean and free-flowing as well as to make the faucets shiny again.


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## beardguy

earlene said:


> Take some plastic baggies, a bottle of vinegar, a rubber band into your shower/kitchen/bathroom.  Then fill a baggy with straight vinegar, place it over your faucets/shower head/whatever water spews out of, then rubber band it tightly, so it the faucet is totally submerged in the vinegar and the baggy remains tightly secured to the faucet.  Leave it for a couple of hours to eat away at all those mineral deposits that occlude the faucet.  When you remove it a couple to a few hours later, the water will flow more freely.
> 
> It works like a dream.  If you don't have a water softener, you can do this periodically to remove deposits, keep your aerators clean and free-flowing as well as to make the faucets shiny again.



Thanks, I'll try that. 

Now on to the regular non hijacked by me thread. 

I'll be trying out a 100% lard soap tonight for fun since it traces so slowly and I want to do a multi-color swirl. I love the lard.


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## wbocrafter

This is what is so wonderful about this forum.  You guys are a wealth of knowledge.  I have learned so much just listening to you conversing back & forth.


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## FragranceGuy

Zany_in_CO said:


> Hubby's favorite LS is 50/50 lard & PKO. Really nice and holds scent well -- lard helps with that.
> 
> I use oakmoss absolute (10% solution in jojoba) at a rate of 0.7% (1/4-1/2 tsp) PPO to offset the odor of lard/tallow.
> 
> SHORT STORY
> When I first started making soap (2004), I sent a bar of tallow soap to a high school classmate in Minneapolis. She loved the soap, but asked, "Why do I smell hamburger when I shower?" :mrgreen: Thus, the inclusion of oakmoss -- a tip from one of the early gurus of soapmaking, also a lardinator, BTW.




Hey Zany! When do you add your oakmoss? It seems common practice to add fragrance at light trace, but if the purpose is to neutralize the odor, rather than project a scent (3.5g PPO) would adding the oakmoss to the heated oils before lye possibly help integrate the odor canceling power to the pre-saponified oils? 

@DeeAnna  Once I decided to explore lard I spent way to many hours tweaking the soap calculator  I was studying fatty acid profiles heavily and ready to experiment. After 3-4 hours spread over a couple days (I ALWAYS sleep on ideas) I settled on 14 % CO, 26% OO and 60% Lard. That was a month ago. Today I found this post on a google search and was SO FREAKING pleased how similar my recipe is to yours!  Because you actually know what you’re doing!! The only reason I used 14% CO and 26% OO is because it didn’t greatly affect the soap, but it made the values end in zero  As a newb, I figured that might minimize my odds of making mistakes while measuring. I relish in any opportunity to increase my odds of success. I’ve been testing this recipe in the shower after a 4 week cure over the last 2 days and I’m very pleased, but would prefer more (larger) bubbles/lather. How much white sugar PPO would you recommend for this recipe? What superfat? I’m guessing 2-3% superfat with 1Tbsp sugar PPO is a good starting point for increased bubbly lather. Or maybe a higher carb light beer? I don’t have castor oil right now, but that can change at my whim. Thanks!!


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## Zany_in_CO

FragranceGuy said:


> Hey Zany! When do you add your oakmoss?


I add fragrance to my warmed oils and give it a good stir for one full minute (or SB) before adding the lye solution. I use oakmoss alone or most often to anchor a blend to be used in a non-lard soap.


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## DeeAnna

@FragranceGuy --  My latest favorite recipe --

Avocado Oil    5.0%
Tallow, Beef    10.0%
Coconut Oil    15.0%
Sunflower high oleic    20.0%
Lard    50.0%

But the lard is at 50% only because my friend Renae gave me some tallow. When I run out of tallow, I'll add the 10% back to the lard. 

The HO sunflower and avocado are both high oleic oils. Olive, HO safflower, HO canola, or another high oleic fat can be subbed for any or all of the sun and avo.

I don't use castor anymore and haven't noticed any great difference in the lather. Maybe if I didn't have a home water softener, the castor might have more of an effect. Can't say for sure, though.

I don't use sugar in my soap, but your 1 TBL sugar per pound of oils (or per 500g of oils) sounds fine. I think a typical range for sugar is 1 tsp to 1 TBL ppo. When I use beer in soap, it's a regular type beer, not a lite beer.

I superfat at 2-3% depending on my whim. I also adjust for the lye purity (96% purity for the NaOH I'm using currently), so it's a "realer" 2-3% superfat compared to setting up the recipe with an online s_oap recipe calc where the NaOH purity isn't accounted for.


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## Zany_in_CO

DeeAnna said:


> I don't use sugar in my soap


FWIW, I don't use sugar either. 

Here's my go-to tallow & lard bar. It is based on a recipe shared by Oak Tree (Violet). Here's what she had to say about it:


> _Think of that new Dove body wash commercial that shows the thick,  rich.. almost sinful looking lather.. (which is the what the commercial soap market is targeting) that is what you get from this recipe. I have tailored my recipes to this and the results are tried and true... no one has ever complained that the lather was missing something._


I call it "Naked Dove" because it lathers like Dove without all the syndets.  

I started with the default settings on *SoapCalc* and adjusted to my liking from there. My adds: vitamin E, ROE, fragrance

13 oz. water
4.5 oz. NaOH 8% SF
6.8 oz. tallow 20%
6.5 oz. lard 19%
6.12 oz. RBO 18%
5.75 oz. High Oleic Sunflower 17%
3.75 oz. PKO 11%
3 oz. Coconut 9%
2 oz. Castor 6%
34 oz. TOTAL OILS

Temps: 120°F - 135°F
Unmold: The next day
Cure: 4 - 6 weeks


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## FragranceGuy

Two delicious looking recipes! Thank you for all the advice!!

@DeeAnna I’m using a technical grade 100% NaOH. I’m not sure what impurities may be involved in terms of heavy metals, but I’m hoping using 100% might limit filler impurities. Honestly, the only thing I know at this point in my saponifying journey is the lye is working and isn’t zapping my tongue or irritating my skin  I’m curious, is there a reason why you and @Zany_in_CO choose not to use sugar? Have you had bad experiences or maybe never felt like it was necessary? I do have hard well water and haven’t used my soap away from home. I’ve also considered adding citric acid. Looks like I have more experimenting ahead of me


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## Zany_in_CO

Re: Adding sugar: Just never felt like it was necessary. Ditto sodium lactate, EDTA, citric acid. Also, sugar is a heater -- heats up the batter as happens in making goat milk soap, beer soap, honey & oats soap. Best to avoid sugar in most cases and knowing what your doing when you do add it.

FWIW, When I first joined a forum in 2004, my sig line contained the Latin phrase, _"Nequid nimis - The perfect measure"_. Using that as my soaping mantra over the years, I focused on finding the least amount of ingredients to develop the most perfect soap recipes. I also encouraged my wholesale customers to tweak their formulas. The result? Fewer ingredients, while maintaining the unique quality of the soap, produced a better profit margin and fewer supplies to store and keep track of.


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## dibbles

Zany_in_CO said:


> Re: Adding sugar: Just never felt like it was necessary. Ditto sodium lactate, EDTA, citric acid. Also, sugar is a heater -- heats up the batter as happens in making goat milk soap, beer soap, honey & oats soap. Best to avoid sugar in most cases and knowing what your doing when you do add it.


My experience with sugar (regular, granulated cane sugar) is different - I don't find it heats up my batter or accelerates trace. In fact, as far as heating goes, I almost always have to force gel. I agree that milk, beer and honey can do that though.


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## Zany_in_CO

@dibbles Hey there!   My guess is, you generally soap cool when adding sugar to the batch, yes?
I generally soap using recommended temps for the batch. For example, for lard & tallow, temps are 120-135°F. I've never had a problem with getting my soaps to gel.


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## dibbles

Zany_in_CO said:


> @dibbles Hey there!   My guess is, you generally soap cool when adding sugar to the batch, yes?
> I generally soap using recommended temps for the batch. For example, for lard & tallow, temps are 120-135°F. I've never had a problem with getting my soaps to gel.


I do soap cool - usually. But do you notice sugar heating or accelerating your batch more than would be expected at the temps you mentioned?


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## Zany_in_CO

I don't use sugar in any of my batches. Just never felt any need for it. I do soap cool, though, when working with known heaters like GM, honey & beer.


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## Susie

I either use sugar, aloe vera juice, or honey to boost bubble. Mostly I use the last two to boost label appeal.  Honey is a worse heater than sugar, for whatever reason. Aloe vera juice is the least heating. I mostly soap cool if I am doing designs, but then use a heating pad under the molds to force gel. If I am making solid colored soap, I soap warm and don't need to force gel.

I stick to 2-3% superfat, usually 2%. I don't have a home water softener, so I do use EDTA. I always use castor oil, because I CAN see the difference. 

YMMV


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## SPowers

My fave is:
55% lard
20% coconut oil
15% palm
5% each shea butter & caster oil

I love, love, love, working with lard!


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## cmzaha

I personally would go with DeeAnna's recipe, it is similar to my go-to recipes. 

When I did use sugar at the rate of 1% batch weight I never had problems with soaping cool or warmer. Even with my high tallow, lard, or palm recipes, I tend to soap cool now and work through the initial false trace. 
For a few years now I quit using sugar and went with Sorbitol to get a thicker lather since I do no use high CO and my customers prefer the thick lather. Now that I no longer sell I may not use Sorbitol we will see because when I move I will have hard well water so may continue. I also soap low superfat, EDTA Sodium Gluconate, combination, and vinegar with no overheating issues.


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