# Lard!



## Lillisa3479 (Dec 14, 2010)

Why would someone use Lard in making soap? Isn't this animal fat? Is Lard also what is called Tallow or Tallowate? Is the "Vegan" soap the one that is free of any animal fats? What would be the benefit of using lard?
Thanks all!
Lisa


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2010)

I like the color it produces, I like the cost, and I like to be frugal. I like to eat meat so I have no conscientious objections to using animal products. 
I have never found palm oil in my area but there is a lot of lard. 

Just tried Kathy Miller's recipe using the cheap beef shortening. I really, really, really like the consistency of the soap, how it has set up. 
My first batch of HP was very difficult to pour, but this recipe was not. 
It seems to be curing well and it took color well. Admittedly, I have only made 3 batches of colored soap, but they look great using that recipe (or the one I slightly modified to include beeswax, just because all my soaps have to have honey or wax) 
Hope this helps. I am a newbie, though, so take it with a grain of lye


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## TessC (Dec 14, 2010)

There are a ton of reasons for and against using lard in your soaps, best thing to do is read as much as you can from both sides and make the decision that best suits you. Me, personally, I love lard soaps.

Yes, lard is animal fat, pig to be exact. Tallow and lard are not the same thing, although both are animal fats. Vegan soaps do not include any animal products, be it lard or goat milk or honey or beeswax or silk or beer made with isinglass.


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## IrishLass (Dec 14, 2010)

Yes, lard is animal fat- pig fat to be specific. Tallow is fat from cows, deer, bears, etc..

Lard is a very shelf-stable fat that has been used in soap for centuries, and lots of soapers continue to use lard (and tallow) in soap- me included. There are a lot of us lard and tallow lovers out there in soapdom.   

I use lard in some of my formulas for the hardness, whiteness, and creaminess it lends to my lather. It also makes for longer-lasting bars of soap (and is very easy on my wallet compared to a lot of veggie oils). 

I also make a veggie bars as well for those that prefer no animal fats.

IrishLass


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## Deda (Dec 14, 2010)

I understand that lard makes good soap, but I cannot get past the thought of rubbing animal fat on myself.  I may be all alone in this, but it just grosses me out.


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## Lillisa3479 (Dec 14, 2010)

Thank you guys so much for all of your input! It really helped.
Lisa


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## lsg (Dec 14, 2010)

Well you really wouldn't be rubbing animal fat on yourself.  When combined with lye, fats go though a chemical change so what you have is soap.  Lard combined with coconut oil and castor oil makes a great bar.


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## krissy (Dec 14, 2010)

lsg said:
			
		

> *Well you really wouldn't be rubbing animal fat on yourself*.  When combined with lye, fats go though a chemical change so what you have is soap.  Lard combined with coconut oil and castor oil makes a great bar.





unless you are HPing and have done a superfat at the end after the cook, then you can't guarantee that. the lye monster does not discriminate and you have no idea what is or is not fully saponified at the end, so unless you are doing a 0% super fat for your CP bars then you are likely to be using some unsaponified animal fats on you skin. 


even so, i love Lard in soap and i figure it is soap so i am washing it off anyways...


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## soapbuddy (Dec 14, 2010)

A matter of personal preference.


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## punkflash54 (Dec 14, 2010)

i agree its a personal preference. I do not mind lard soaps in fact i like them but my girlfriend is a vegetarian and she will not use them


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## soapbuddy (Dec 14, 2010)

punkflash54 said:
			
		

> i agree its a personal preference. I do not mind lard soaps in fact i like them but my girlfriend is a vegetarian and she will not use them


May I ask what she uses?


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## llineb (Dec 14, 2010)

TessV said:
			
		

> There are a ton of reasons for and against using lard in your soaps, best thing to do is read as much as you can from both sides and make the decision that best suits you. Me, personally, I love lard soaps.
> 
> Yes, lard is animal fat, pig to be exact. Tallow and lard are not the same thing, although both are animal fats. Vegan soaps do not include any animal products, be it lard or goat milk or honey or beeswax or silk or beer made with isinglass.



Do you like the beef tallow soaps?  I read somewhere on here that it makes a hard bar and great lather.  I just ordered some before reading this post.  Maybe I should have bought some lard.

Can I substitute the amount in a recipe that calls for lard and use the beef tallow?

Thanks!


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## nattynoo (Dec 15, 2010)

I just can't do animal fat either Deda.
Anyone that has been to a rendering plant will know why.
It is a personal preference though.


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## Lynnz (Dec 15, 2010)

Never used Lard in soap but have been tempted to give it a go :0) I am amazed by how many people are totally unaware that near all the soap bars sold in supermarket have beef tallow as an ingredient........and the look on most of their faces when you inform them at times is priceless!!!!!! Guess it just sounds gross........Cow fat in ya soap :0)


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## Bubbles Galore (Dec 15, 2010)

Lard makes a beautiful, white, and very mild bar of soap.  :wink: I'd use it more often than I do except it's not cheap here.


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## Traceyann (Dec 15, 2010)

Jenny, coles have just started stocking dripping in a 500gm tub, it was about 3 or 4 dollars.....I bought some to try it out, its in a reddish coloured tub!!


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## Bubbles Galore (Dec 15, 2010)

Thanks Traceyann, I'll check it out next time I'm there. Dripping is usually beef fat though isn't it? Let me know what you think of the soap. 

This recipe makes great soap (believe it or not).

Supafry Tallow 30%
Lard 30%
Coconut 20%
Canola 20%

I made it exactly as per the recipe although I was tempted to replace the Canola oil. I'm glad I didn't.  :wink:


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## agriffin (Dec 15, 2010)

I love love love LARD!  I hate that alot of people don't like but...it's their choice.

It makes doing all of the fancy soap easier because its much slower to trace.  

I've also noticed that sometimes you can get the stearic bumps when you bring palm to emulsion (no trace) and lard stays smooth and perfect.  I think when the emulsion is so thin the stearic starts forming back together?  Maybe?  Not sure.  I've just had some problems with that at times. 

I love lard!


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## kaelily (Dec 15, 2010)

I have yet to use palm oil...been making CP soap for a couple of months and I've used lard in all of my batches.  I would like to try tallow also...going to order some one of these days!  I was surprised at first to learn that commercial soap had tallow in it...we've used Dove for YEARS.  So when I was getting into soapmaking and researching ingredients, I found some informative things (articles, forum threads) on lard and tallow...then it wasn't so "ew" to me.  

Lardy lardy!


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## dubnica (Dec 15, 2010)

Lyn said:
			
		

> Never used Lard in soap but have been tempted to give it a go :0) I am amazed by how many people are totally unaware that near all the soap bars sold in supermarket have beef tallow as an ingredient........and the look on most of their faces when you inform them at times is priceless!!!!!! Guess it just sounds gross........Cow fat in ya soap :0)



Yep, a lot of people don't know that commercial soap has lard/tallow in it.  One of my co-workers is vegan and he was asking me if I use lard in my soap.  He cringed when I said yes, but he cringed even more when I told him his precious DOVE has lard as well...hehe…


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## Deda (Dec 15, 2010)

dubnica said:
			
		

> Lyn said:
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That was a major reason I started to make my own soap.  I used to use Ivory, but was sickened when I read that it had animal fats.


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## dubnica (Dec 15, 2010)

Deda said:
			
		

> dubnica said:
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Deda, are you vegan?


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## Deda (Dec 15, 2010)

Heaven NO!  I love a good steak, but I buy only humanely raised meat, chicken and eggs.


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## Stacey (Dec 15, 2010)

Recently someone posted a thread about using Palm Oil and how it's affecting wildlife somewhere (I couldn't read the whole thing...didn't have time).... But in that thread there was some discussion about the soaping properties/benefits of lard and palm oil being somewhat similar. 

That helped me decide on a convertion.  I'm gonna start using lard (and tallow) instead of palm.  I'm a farm girl from rural MN.  Cows and pigs help keep of our local economy going.  In buying palm oil, I'm sending money out of not only my area and state but country.  

I can render my own tallow and lard.  A messy and smelly job but not terribly difficult. And besides...I can get tallow and lard cheap. Really cheap by going to the local meat markets.  

But yeah, I do recognize some people will have an issue using it.  But ain't it wonderful that we have the ability to design/customize our recipes to meet so many needs and wishes?


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## Deda (Dec 15, 2010)

I've got a question about using lard in soap?  
I once bought a 3 gallon bucket of lard, I ended up giving to another soaper in MD because I couldn't bring myself to try it.  However, I remember that when I was considering using it the ingredients listed things like BHT,  BHA, citric acid and some other antioxidant.  
Do those of you who use lard include these ingredients on your label?


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## opalgirl (Dec 15, 2010)

Lyn said:
			
		

> Never used Lard in soap but have been tempted to give it a go :0) I am amazed by how many people are totally unaware that near all the soap bars sold in supermarket have beef tallow as an ingredient........and the look on most of their faces when you inform them at times is priceless!!!!!! Guess it just sounds gross........Cow fat in ya soap :0)



I LOVE telling people about tallow in commercial soaps.  Especially when they cast a doubtful eye on my products!


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## Tabitha (Dec 15, 2010)

Vegetarian = no dead animal parts.

Vegan = no dead animal parts  and no animal by-products such as silk, milk, eggs, feathers, beeswax, etc. 

I am vegetarian. No animals have to die to feed, cloth, wash, sustain me. I am not vegan, I do use milk, eggs, etc if it is cruelty free such as cage free chicken eggs.


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## Tabitha (Dec 15, 2010)

punkflash54 said:
			
		

> i agree its a personal preference. I do not mind lard soaps in fact i like them but my girlfriend is a vegetarian and she will not use them



That could put a damper on showering together :wink: .


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## Tabitha (Dec 15, 2010)

lsg said:
			
		

> Well you really wouldn't be rubbing animal fat on yourself.  When combined with lye, fats go though a chemical change so what you have is soap.  Lard combined with coconut oil and castor oil makes a great bar.



Ummm. Yes you would. Altered animal fat, but animal fat just the same.


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## Coop (Dec 15, 2010)

llineb said:
			
		

> Do you like the beef tallow soaps?  I read somewhere on here that it makes a hard bar and great lather.  I just ordered some before reading this post.  Maybe I should have bought some lard.
> 
> Can I substitute the amount in a recipe that calls for lard and use the beef tallow?
> 
> Thanks!



You could make a batch with both in it. Tallow, olive oil, lard make a great bar, very hard after the cure last a long time in the shower. Very nice small creamy bubbles.



			
				Deda said:
			
		

> I've got a question about using lard in soap?
> I once bought a 3 gallon bucket of lard, I ended up giving to another soaper in MD because I couldn't bring myself to try it.  However, I remember that when I was considering using it the ingredients listed things like BHT,  BHA, citric acid and some other antioxidant.
> Do those of you who use lard include these ingredients on your label?



Maybe that's how they have in on the shelf non refrigerated?? I always wondered. I've never even looked at a lard label in the stores, interesting.

Stacy- I render both, we raise beef and neighbor pigs, so I know how they're treated. I render in the garage with the door open in one of those turkey fryer set-ups.


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## SudsyKat (Dec 15, 2010)

agriffin said:
			
		

> I love love love LARD!  I hate that alot of people don't like but...it's their choice.
> 
> It makes doing all of the fancy soap easier because its much slower to trace.
> 
> ...



Agriffin - I was bummed out to read your post because I'm looking forward to trying some of your fun and creative designs - you're truly talented! Unfortunately, I'll have to take my chances with Palm oil since I prefer not to use "dead animal parts" as someone on this post so eloquently stated it. I have nothing against you for using lard - just a preference I have for myself. Hopefully, I'll have some success without it!


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## TessC (Dec 15, 2010)

You have the option of not using palm or lard in your soaps, my default recipe to share with family and friends uses neither and I make smaller lard batches for myself and my husband since neither of us are opposed to lard soaps.


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## agriffin (Dec 15, 2010)

SudsyKat said:
			
		

> agriffin said:
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Although I Prefer lard I use mostly palm because people are so against lard.  I think all of the tutorials I've done are with palm.  

I just notice once or twice while using palm at a very thin emulsion there were the bumps that formed.  One time it was when I was down to the bottom of a palm bucket which is going to have a bit more stearic than the top.  (you can only stir so well!)  I'm only assuming it was the palm.  Most of the time it works just fine. 

Good luck- can't wait to see what you come up with!


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## Lillisa3479 (Dec 15, 2010)

Tabitha,
 I love your picture of Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson. I just finished her book. Ok so here's a question for you all..I was reading one of the tutorials on here and it said something about having to use preservatives in your soap so bacteria won't form. I've never heard of this before. Do you all use preservatives and if so what kind and where would you get it? I've never seen a preservative on a label before. I thought preservatives were only in store bought soap and that's why we are all using and making homemade ones!!! Someone help.


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## Deda (Dec 15, 2010)

You know, it really is a matter of personal preference.  I use Fragrance Oils along with essential oils.  However, some people won't touch a soap made with a synthetic fragrance.  

For the record, agriffins soap is amazing.  I got one of her beautiful soaps in a swap last spring. I think it was made with avocado oil, it was one of the best.


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## BakingNana (Dec 15, 2010)

Lillisa3479 said:
			
		

> Tabitha,
> I love your picture of Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson. I just finished her book. Ok so here's a question for you all..I was reading one of the tutorials on here and it said something about having to use preservatives in your soap so bacteria won't form. I've never heard of this before. Do you all use preservatives and if so what kind and where would you get it? I've never seen a preservative on a label before. I thought preservatives were only in store bought soap and that's why we are all using and making homemade ones!!! Someone help.



Huh?  Which tutuorial?  Not for good old soap.  Maybe it was a liquid of some sort.  There's something out there about making a liquid soap by starting with shredded bar soap and adding distilled water, etc.  That would probably need a preservative if you were going to keep it around for a while.


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## soapbuddy (Dec 15, 2010)

BakingNana said:
			
		

> Lillisa3479 said:
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Shredded bar soap with added water will make soap snot. I would think that handmade liquid soap would have a high enough pH so you wouldn't need a preservative.


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## BakingNana (Dec 16, 2010)

soapbuddy said:
			
		

> BakingNana said:
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   I tried that years ago and that's exactly what it was!  If I remember correctly (and I probably don't) it had soap shreds, water, and glycerin.  Hilarious.  I ended up using it to wash out pantyhose, brushes, combs, that kind of stuff.


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## agriffin (Dec 16, 2010)

Lillisa3479 said:
			
		

> Tabitha,
> I love your picture of Alison Arngrim as Nellie Oleson. I just finished her book. Ok so here's a question for you all..I was reading one of the tutorials on here and it said something about having to use preservatives in your soap so bacteria won't form. I've never heard of this before. Do you all use preservatives and if so what kind and where would you get it? I've never seen a preservative on a label before. I thought preservatives were only in store bought soap and that's why we are all using and making homemade ones!!! Someone help.



Link please?


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## tespring (Dec 16, 2010)

BakingNana said:
			
		

> I tried that years ago and that's exactly what it was!  If I remember correctly (and I probably don't) it had soap shreds, water, and glycerin.  Hilarious.  I ended up using it to wash out pantyhose, brushes, combs, that kind of stuff.



I made some soap snot too and I used it for bubble bath (without the bubbles) aka presoak for my kids and then I watered it down some more and used it in my carpet cleaner.  My soap snot was better than Goop getting oil off my husband's hands and gel food coloring off of mine.  I decorate cakes and I get food coloring all over me by the time I am done. lol


I use lard in all of my soaps excluding the bastille/castile.  I like the texture of the soap that it makes and I do not have access to any other oils around here, it was hard for me to find coconut oil.  I have yet to find any palm oil, even small bottles for cooking.


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## Lillisa3479 (Dec 16, 2010)

*Link for preservatives*

http://www.smftutorials.com/faq.html#Wh ... ould_I_use

This is the link where I read you have to put a preservative in your batch so bacteria won't form. I'm really confused as I am new to soaping. I hope someone can figure this out. I was under the impression we didnt put preservatives!


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## krissy (Dec 16, 2010)

i understood that to be talking about bath and body products...


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## Tabitha (Dec 16, 2010)

*Desclaimer: *The tutorials are just a collection of other peoples recipes and techniques. They are there because people wanted to share their experiences with SMF. Recipes and techniques were not created by SMF owners/ mods/admin, nor have they been tested by SMF owners/mods/admin.


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## BakingNana (Dec 16, 2010)

*Re: Link for preservatives*



			
				Lillisa3479 said:
			
		

> http://www.smftutorials.com/faq.html#What_types_of_preservatives_should_I_use
> 
> This is the link where I read you have to put a preservative in your batch so bacteria won't form. I'm really confused as I am new to soaping. I hope someone can figure this out. I was under the impression we didnt put preservatives!



This does not say you need preservatives in soap.  It does say that preservatives are needed in any COSMETIC product that contains water.  Preservatives control the growth of molds, fungus, and bacteria.  Soap is not a cosmetic.  For soap, the tutorial discusses anti-oxidants such as ROE or Vitamin E.  Anti-oxidants are not preservatives.  They help extend the shelf life of an oil, slowing down the degredation that results in rancidity.  

HTH


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## Lillisa3479 (Dec 16, 2010)

Well that makes me feel much better! Thanks for clearing that up for me!


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## Deda (Dec 16, 2010)

It is a little confusing,  it's directly under questions about exfoliating and essential oils in soap.  If I was a newbie looking for information I'd think it was telling me to use a preservative in my soap.  


> What types of preservatives should I use?
> If water is present in a formulation, or if the product is exposed to water, bacterial growth is imminent. It is important to protect such products from the possibility of bacterial growth since this will ruin the product (and make customers very angry at having wasted their money). A bactericidal preservative should be used in order to inhibit the growth of bacteria in your products. These agents will act to create an environment in which bacteria cannot grow.


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## Jerry S (Dec 16, 2010)

*Making soap with Lard*

Ahhh Lard, nectar of the Soap Gods...':wink:'

I don’t want to risk beating this thread to death but I just want to say that I love making soap with lard, not a whole lot but 30 to 50 % anyway. When I think of Lard I think of White soap and I love White soap. (my Mom, a Minnesota farm girl made soap from Lard)…. I Loved it!!!

When discussing this in another thread IanT was good enough to offer a link which really gives a great breakdown on the properties that hard oils make in soap…ie…like Lard.  It’s http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm
Ok..ok..I’ll go away now…''

Jerry S


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## Fyrja (Dec 16, 2010)

Glad I found this topic.  I have lard in my cupboard right now, we use it for everything down here.  ((I live in the deep south, land of deep fried everything)).  I was considering using lard in my next batch.  

I have no problems with it, I spent my childhood doing farm work with my grandmother.  She butchered her own animals so I don't even flinch at this point, I was desensitized to the food chain at a fairly young age.

Though I do have to say rendering down your own lard smells like serious raunchy butt.  <-------  Those are the nicest adjectives I can think of to describe the odor.  

I remember spending hours above the huge vat of fat, and yes we did it outside because trust me you don't want to do it in your house.  I had the job of stirring and scooping out the crisp cracklins.  For those that don't know cracklins are the bits of skin that are attached to the fat that goes in the pot.  As the fat melts the skin fries up super crispy  (think pork rinds), we always used to use them in cornbread, which I might add is quite tasty.  The final rendered lard is actually quite nice and doesn't stink as you cook the nasty junk that causes the smell out.

These days I'm just happy to buy the lard, I could die happy never tending another rendering pot that's for sure.

Thanks for the ideas on usage!


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## Maria (Dec 16, 2010)

I don't use lard because of the smell when cooking the soap is unpleasant. Also, it doesn't have much label appeal. Most of my customers want all vegetable soaps.


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## Dennis (Feb 9, 2011)

Dang,, I'm hungry now.  All this lard talk.  Think I'll lay in a new supply of lard for my soap.  I used it a lot when I was making bread.


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## JackiK (Feb 9, 2011)

I made my first lard batch today.  I found it very slow to trace, which is fine.  The batch is also my first experiment with alkanet root.  Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

People would be amazed if they really knew the ingredients in a lot of things.  Not to mention what the FDA rules are regarding how many bug parts can be in a candy bar :cry: 

Hope all of you have had dinner!!

Jacki


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## AmyW (Feb 10, 2011)

JackiK said:
			
		

> I made my first lard batch today.  I found it very slow to trace, which is fine.  The batch is also my first experiment with alkanet root.  Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
> 
> People would be amazed if they really knew the ingredients in a lot of things.  Not to mention what the FDA rules are regarding how many bug parts can be in a candy bar :cry:
> 
> ...



Yay for your first lard batch!! I made a HP batch today with my basic recipe, using lard instead of palm for the first time (have used lard before though). Much slower trace. Let us know how you like it!

I'm going to forget I saw the bug thing. *covers eyes* lalalalalalala


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## debbs (Mar 4, 2011)

*Newbie  help with lard soap*

Hi i would like to make a batch of lard soap, can anyone help with goods oils to add, I will run it through the soapcalc. Also how much of a superfat/discount should i do, n should i add oils at the end of cook to supperfat. Iam a newbie to soapmaking only made 2 batches oh HP soap n seem to be on a very big learning curve lol. Appreciate any help


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## krissy (Mar 4, 2011)

*Re: Newbie  help with lard soap*



			
				debbs said:
			
		

> Hi i would like to make a batch of lard soap, can anyone help with goods oils to add, I will run it through the soapcalc. Also how much of a superfat/discount should i do, n should i add oils at the end of cook to supperfat. Iam a newbie to soapmaking only made 2 batches oh HP soap n seem to be on a very big learning curve lol. Appreciate any help



you can add any other oils you want. if you want more bubbles add coconut and/or castor.


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## shawnee1 (Mar 4, 2011)

Lillisa3479 said:
			
		

> Why would someone use Lard in making soap? Isn't this animal fat? Is Lard also what is called Tallow or Tallowate? Is the "Vegan" soap the one that is free of any animal fats? What would be the benefit of using lard?
> Thanks all!
> Lisa


My grandma used lard soap for 90 years.when she died at 91 she looked about 60 and she said it was the lard soap.


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## Thyri (Mar 4, 2011)

For the squeamish vegans and vegetarians. 

If you use Palm Oil to replace the lard in your soap. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use certified sustainable Palm Oil. 

Yes, its in every second product as the food industry just label it vegetable oil, but we should be aware of the devastation that the Palm Oil industry has on the environment in places like Borneo and Sumatra.

If you are using uncertified, unsustainable Palm Oil in your soap, you might as well wear leather, eat some bacon or eat a cage egg chicken omelette.

/ little rant.

I could go on about the conditions in which other ingredients we use are extracted, but thats for another thread another time.


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