# Shelf life of lard soap?



## Joycats (Jan 31, 2013)

I have a basic recipe that I use most of the time and I love it.  Recently I have had an issue with a few batches and I'm wondering if it's something I'm doing or a quality issue with an ingredient.  I use lard, coconut oil and olive oil and then add different essential oils but I try to stay very natural.  The last 2 batches of soap (one was unscented and one was Peppermint) changed color and had an "off" smell to them like they were going rancid after only 2 weeks.  Could I be doing something wrong to cause this, or did I get a bad batch of lard?  Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks!

I should also tell you that I use the hot process method of soaping.  The soaps always start out very pretty and white and then start to turn a bit yellow looking.


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## Genny (Feb 1, 2013)

If they're getting yellow spots then they sound like they're going rancid.
Did the lard or oils smell "off" before you put them in the soap?  They would stink, if they were rancid.
In what kind of environment were you curing them?  Is it humid?  What are they curing on?


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm using lard from the grocery store (Armour Manteca) and it didn't smell off at all.  I store the soap on baking racks (the kind like to cool cake layers) and I have gas heat so it's a dry environment.  The soap doesn't have "spots" but it's an overall change in color like it's going bad.  But it really shouldn't be going bad that fast, should it?  Could I be adding too much water?  It hasn't been an issue up until now.  My soap usually lasts for months before showing any discoloration.  Just wondering if I need to tweak the recipe or add something new.


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## Genny (Feb 1, 2013)

Hmmm...  What's your water percentage?
Did you make any other batches besides those 2 with any of those same exact oils/lard?  

If it's an overall color change it doesn't really sound like rancidity.  

I don't work with lard, so I don't know the color changes that it usually has.  Hopefully someone else here will pop in as well.  But a lot of them have probably already gone off to bed.


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## Kansas Farm Girl (Feb 1, 2013)

I have made 100% lard soap that did turn yellow after awhile. It did not affect the soap. You say you have been making this recipe for awhile and only recently did this happen, but does the soap smell the same, lather the same, clean the same? I think I would shrug and use it. I am wondering if the weather or humidity was different than "normal" when you made those batches. I don't know that weather makes a difference, but I have seen some of mine sweat and ozzze on  humid days but didn't have that happen before.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm not sure which container of lard it came from as I've been making a lot of soap for Valentine's Day gift orders.  And since I'm selling it, I don't want it to discolor so quickly.  It doesn't really have an "off" smell and I've used a bar of it and it's fine (lathers well).  My recipe is 20% coconut oil, 30% olive oil, 50% lard with 12 ounces of water and 4.4 ounces of lye.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm also wondering if it makes a difference with hot process vs. cold process soaping.  I have a bar from a friend that was CP and it's still just as pretty and white as it was 5 months ago.


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## Genny (Feb 1, 2013)

I totally missed the part about hot processing!  
Hot processing can affect that.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

Is there anyway to fix the discoloration problem with hot process soap?  I really don't have the patience for cold process.


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## sweethavenarts (Feb 1, 2013)

I got some yellow when I HP'ed my lard laundry soap- they were bits that had gotten a bit scorched on the edge of the crock pot.


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## nebetmiw (Feb 1, 2013)

Joycats said:


> I have a basic recipe that I use most of the time and I love it.  Recently I have had an issue with a few batches and I'm wondering if it's something I'm doing or a quality issue with an ingredient.  I use lard, coconut oil and olive oil and then add different essential oils but I try to stay very natural.  The last 2 batches of soap (one was unscented and one was Peppermint) changed color and had an "off" smell to them like they were going rancid after only 2 weeks.  Could I be doing something wrong to cause this, or did I get a bad batch of lard?  Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks!
> 
> I should also tell you that I use the hot process method of soaping.  The soaps always start out very pretty and white and then start to turn a bit yellow looking.



I use the same lard.  I have one last bar from my second batch and it is still white. It is 5 years old now.  I am betting it is the olive oil that is going for it does not have a long shelf life.  Your liquid oils go well before the hard ones go.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

Hmmmm....I have changed Olive Oil recently, that might be it.  Thanks everybody for the suggestions and help. Nebetmiw - so you didn't use olive oil in your bar that has stayed pretty and white?


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## Meliv (Feb 1, 2013)

I have used extra virgin and have it stay a bit green when making a hot process castile but it smelled fine, almost sweet. I've also used some regular olive oil that was golden in color go rancid on me and yes, the soap smelled as well. Have you smelled your olive oil yet? I haven't had any issues with lard yet and use the same brand. Good luck figuring it out.


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## Genny (Feb 1, 2013)

I don't think it's the olive oil, I've got Castile soaps that are pure white & a few years old.  Coconut oil & Olive oil (as long as they have not been adulterated) have a shelf life of at least 2 years and that's without refrigerating it.  

I still think that it's the heat from HP'ing it.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

Genny - I've only ever done HP soaping and this is a new issue for me.  I haven't changed my technique at all.  But I did change Olive Oil recently.  I found some in bulk (cheaper) and that's what I've been using.  I just realized it's a mixture of virgin olive oil and "refined" olive oils.  It's not out of date but I think this might be the issue.  I'm going to buy a different kind of olive oil and try that.  Meliv - I didn't think about it until now but the soap does smell like the olive oil.  This olive oil has a different smell to it and I don't really care for it.  The soap doesn't smell bad, but it has interfered with some of the essential oils that I use for fragrance.  I can barely smell the peppermint over the "oil" smell.  Thanks again for all the suggestions and help.  I really want to get this fixed right away.  I don't want unhappy customers.


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## CaliChan (Feb 1, 2013)

Joycats said:


> I have a basic recipe that I use most of the time and I love it.  Recently I have had an issue with a few batches and I'm wondering if it's something I'm doing or a quality issue with an ingredient.  I use lard, coconut oil and olive oil and then add different essential oils but I try to stay very natural.  The last 2 batches of soap (one was unscented and one was Peppermint) changed color and had an "off" smell to them like they were going rancid after only 2 weeks.  Could I be doing something wrong to cause this, or did I get a bad batch of lard?  Any ideas would be appreciated.  Thanks!
> 
> I should also tell you that I use the hot process method of soaping.  The soaps always start out very pretty and white and then start to turn a bit yellow looking.



Lard itself has a shelf life of a year, Ive never had a lard soap go bad on me. Um.... How were you storing your soap and how old were the oils that you used? The only batch Ive ever had go rancid was the one I stored improperly (I put it in a non-ventilated closet not realizing my soap needed air)


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## Maythorn (Feb 1, 2013)

Olive oil as well as several other common liquid oils doesn't do well with high heat but I wouldn't know how to avoid that making beeswax soap.  I've read several articles about olive oil oxidizing and have started cooking with coconut oil instead since it can take high temps.  Lard, I don't know about but I've heard if overheated it can cause the soap to smell off.


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## Joycats (Feb 1, 2013)

I stored the soaps on racks (the kind used for cooling cakes and cookies) on my dining room table.  They had plenty of air circulation.  I made lots of soaps for Valentine's Day and it's only the 3 last batches that have gone bad.   I don't put them in plastic of any kind. The soap I keep for myself is stored in a basket on a counter.  I use a crock pot on low heat to cook the soap so I wouldn't consider it high heat.  I'm wondering if it's the "refined" olive oils that are mixed in with the virgin olive oil.  Would those be prone to go bad faster?  This is the olive oil from Sam's Club and the ingredients listed are: Olive Oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils.  Bottled and packed in Italy with olive oils from Italy, Greece, Spain and Tunisia.  Maybe I need to try a better 100% virgin olive oil?


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## Lindy (Feb 1, 2013)

Actually according to Kevin Dunn olive oil is not any more likely to create DOS than any other.  In my experience I have found that organic oo and co have a tendency to go rancid (forget about DOS) within a few weeks.  I will never make another soap with organic oo again.  Just nasty stuff....


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