# Lard and Tallow smell!!!?? Help.



## starrfeef (Apr 16, 2011)

Hi, I am a new soaper and I had tried to use lard to make my first batch because I figured...easy to find and cheap in case I mess up.... but OMGosh the smell of 100 stinky, wet, dogs is what it smelled like after heating it up and combining with the lye.  It made me almost nauseous (and I cook and eat meat). My lard wasn't rancid....was it just the brand I was using??..or is that just the smell you have to get used to??  Is it better to combine the lard with vegetable oils and fats to reduse the small?? and 1 more q...Does the finished product smell better *(I would hope)!!  Thanks for any info  

Does Tallow smell the same?


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## starrfeef (Apr 16, 2011)

oops sorry I meant 'reduce the smell'


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## PippiL (Apr 16, 2011)

I made four batches of soap thus far, my third one was with lard.
Lard itself is disgusting, it smells like you are in a poopy pig pen.
My soap is one week old and it smells heavenly .I store my soap in the laundry room and my entire downstairs smells like oakmoss amber....
The lard smell totally goes away.If the soap comes out great I will make more lard soap, because the soaps suppose to be very creamy.


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## ToniD (Apr 16, 2011)

The brand of lard you can find definitely makes a difference.   Some is almost scentless and some smells strongly of pig.


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## reallyrita (Apr 16, 2011)

Lard is one of my favorite oils for soap making.  The soaps are hard, white and kind to the skin.  It is really really important to melt the lard very gently without high heat.  Heat brings out the piggy smell.  I think that some brands of lard are smellier than others, for sure.  The lard should be white and have only the slightest odor when you open the bucket.  I keep mine in the fridge during the warmer months. If you melt the lard in a double boiler on low heat and remove it immediately when it is melted you should be ok.  The same goes for tallow.  Tallow can have a strong meaty smell in the bucket but the soap does not smell.  Lard soap does not smell piggy either. Good luck.


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## honor435 (Apr 16, 2011)

yuck, I tried it, still smelled in shower, even after long cure, I dont use it anymore, I like co, oo, po, castor.


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## kelleyaynn (Apr 16, 2011)

I made a lard soap batch about 4 weeks ago, so it is ready to use once the soap in the shower is done.   I found it stinky too when I made the soap, and it smelled until it saponified, even though I used a FO.  Once it was all soap, however, the soap smells terrific.  I used Nature's Garden Exotic Amazon Teakwood.  Awesome for a man's soap, but I'm looking forward to it as well.  I pick up a bar and smell it every time I walk by!


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## Tabitha (Apr 16, 2011)

It is, after all, a dead animal... dead animals tend to smell.


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## honor435 (Apr 16, 2011)

true


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## MizzBee (Apr 16, 2011)

I use Lard and Tallow, first made they have a slight smell but after curing you can only smell the fragrance. I love the creaminess they both have.


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## dcornett (Apr 16, 2011)

I agree with reallyrita, the main thing to remember when using lard or tallow is to not heat them too hot, or too quickly. I've never had a piggy smell in any of my soaps, not even the unscented ones. But you will most definetly want to use lard along with your other oils such as olive, palm, coconut and castor for a really nice bar.


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## lsg (Apr 17, 2011)

We reneder our own lard and tallow.  I have never noticed an off smell in any of the soap in which it was used.


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## Pepper (Apr 17, 2011)

Starrfeef, I used to work with a chap who reckoned he could tell whether his roast pork was from a male or female pig.   He said the males always have a bad piggy smell, so it's probably the same for the lard - depends which sex pig the lard came from.   Just a guess on my part.


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## starrfeef (Apr 17, 2011)

Wow thank you for all your answers!! I'm glad to know of other's experience on that one!!


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## starrfeef (Apr 17, 2011)

Tabitha said:
			
		

> It is, after all, a dead animal... dead animals tend to smell.



Hmmmm, I hadn't thought of that...


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## lovethyscent (Apr 17, 2011)

I can always tell if lard is in the bar it's just off and yuck. It's not just, because I'm a veg, but I've used it in the past and it just smelled something awful and change the way my fo's smelled in my soap.


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## kelleyaynn (Apr 17, 2011)

Pepper said:
			
		

> Starrfeef, I used to work with a chap who reckoned he could tell whether his roast pork was from a male or female pig.   He said the males always have a bad piggy smell, so it's probably the same for the lard - depends which sex pig the lard came from.   Just a guess on my part.



Males of many species are smellier than females (it's true of humans too  ) for a variety of evolutionary reasons. And in humans, at least, males generally have less sensitive olfactory senses. Could it be to protect themselves from their own stink?


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## lsg (Apr 17, 2011)

Pepper said:
			
		

> Starrfeef, I used to work with a chap who reckoned he could tell whether his roast pork was from a male or female pig.   He said the males always have a bad piggy smell, so it's probably the same for the lard - depends which sex pig the lard came from.   Just a guess on my part.


Pepper, that may hold true for boars, but not hogs that have been neutered.  We butcher barrows and never have a problem with smelly meat or lard.


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## starrfeef (Apr 17, 2011)

lovethyscent said:
			
		

> I can always tell if lard is in the bar it's just off and yuck. It's not just, because I'm a veg, but I've used it in the past and it just smelled something awful and change the way my fo's smelled in my soap.



Yes, I can remember I have smelled soap with that smell before and didn't know why...now that I have started making soap..I KNOW why!! A lot of people have said here they don't notice after sap and curing...but I was REALLY sensitive to it as well...I have made three batches since all with shortening, co and oo. They are still curing!! Does shortening turn out nice when used?? Or is it not that desireable?? (I have yet to try my soap)


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## lovethyscent (Apr 17, 2011)

starrfeef said:
			
		

> lovethyscent said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I hate being sensitive to smells, lately I taste all the fragrance oils I use It's getting to the point I can't use them anymore it really sucks.
Shortening is wonderful in soap. I esp like the new crisco in soap w/palm. I have had no complaints from it either


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## Tabitha (Apr 17, 2011)

My husband is super sensitive to animal smells. I handed hima bar of soap I got in a swap once, he sniffed it & turned up his nose. He said "There is a bird in there." I read the ingredients & sure enough:Emu oil.


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## applelogic (Nov 17, 2011)

Tabitha said:
			
		

> My husband is super sensitive to animal smells. I handed hima bar of soap I got in a swap once, he sniffed it & turned up his nose. He said "There is a bird in there." I read the ingredients & sure enough:Emu oil.



that is funny...


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## Stinkydancer (Nov 18, 2011)

honor435 said:
			
		

> yuck, I tried it, still smelled in shower, even after long cure, I dont use it anymore, I like co, oo, po, castor.



I have found this as well, no matter how gently I heated it. It's gross to me...my sniffer always smells the meat. Though I do love to eat- I definitely don't want to smell like it.


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## tlm884 (Nov 18, 2011)

I have never had any problems with smell with my lard soaps. 

One experiment you may want to try is this:

Heat the lard up until its melted, at that point add a couple handfuls of activated charcoal in it and give it a good stir for 5 minutes or so. Then using a coffee filter, cheese cloth, etc. Filter out the charcoal. This should remove any contaminants in the fat that aren't fats. 

You can buy a big thing of charcoal at pet stores for fairly cheap. Don't use the powdered stuff that is used for coloring using the charcoal used for aquarium filters, its bigger and easier to strain out.


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## Stinkydancer (Nov 18, 2011)

Wow Tim I would have never thought of that- and I happen to have some charcoal here for my fish. 

I do have to get up the nerve to soap lard again- it's always an epic smell fail for me.


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## tlm884 (Nov 18, 2011)

I love lard, its cheap and economical and can be used as a palm replacement. Granted some folks don't like lard because of its origin but it makes a nice hard bar, its moisturising, and its cheap.


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## Bubbles Galore (Nov 18, 2011)

I've got a super sensitive nose as well but if I heat the lard gently I don't smell anything nasty and can never smell dead piggy in the finished soap. Beef dripping is another matter altogether.  :roll:


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## ericllucas (Nov 19, 2011)

I saw a soap recipe using tallow that calls for a teaspoon of baking soda stirred in while rendering to minimize the smell.  I wondered if the baking soda would come back to interact undesirably with the lye/water mix.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2089083_render-tallow.html

In the thread below, a lady (Hillary, towards the bottom) suggests using common salt to reduce the smell.  I think NaCl does something to remove the proteins from the fat and leave it in the yucky liquid or gray jelly on the bottom of the rendered fat.  Is it the proteins retained in the fat causing the smell?

http://www.rambivilous.com/rendering-tallow-first-try


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## ericllucas (Nov 20, 2011)

You know, it just occurred to me.  If I take bacon grease, I mean a lot of it, and um, filter it imperfectly, then make soap, do you think I can have a soap that smells like Bacon?  Or...maybe add 1oz bacon grease PPO at trace to get a nice bacony scent?  THAT might just be the thing...


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## erinevans (Nov 14, 2014)

When using tallow, is it a given that one should use a fragrance calculator's strong measurement, as opposed to light or medium, to mask the smell?  Please answer soon, I've got my first customer asking for a light smell and I don't want to disappoint. 

Data needed. Thank you.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Nov 14, 2014)

erinevans said:


> When using tallow, is it a given that one should use a fragrance calculator's strong measurement, as opposed to light or medium, to mask the smell? Please answer soon, I've got my first customer asking for a light smell and I don't want to disappoint.
> 
> Data needed. Thank you.


 
When you have made this tallow recipe before, how does it smell?


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## shunt2011 (Nov 14, 2014)

erinevans said:


> When using tallow, is it a given that one should use a fragrance calculator's strong measurement, as opposed to light or medium, to mask the smell? Please answer soon, I've got my first customer asking for a light smell and I don't want to disappoint.
> 
> Data needed. Thank you.


 
Hello and welcome to the forum.  This thread it from 2011 so you might want to consider starting a new one going forward.  However, I've not used tallow but I do know that the piggy smell of lard does go away for the most part.  I do use the higher limit of usage for my fragrance in most cases when using lard.  Though, some fragrances are strong at even lower usage rates.   

Some people are more sensitive to smell than others too.


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## Susie (Nov 14, 2014)

My soap has 55% lard, and even 0.8 oz lemongrass EO in a 2 lb oil batch will easily control the lardy smell.  And I have an extremely sensitive nose.


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## new12soap (Nov 14, 2014)

erinevans said:


> When using tallow, is it a given that one should use a fragrance calculator's strong measurement, as opposed to light or medium, to mask the smell?  Please answer soon, I've got my first customer asking for a light smell and I don't want to disappoint.
> 
> Data needed. Thank you.



It's great that you used search, but I agree in the future you may want to start a new thread.

The answer to your question is no, in general you do not change your fragrance amount based on your ingredients. That particular fragrance calculator, the one I believe you are using, lists amounts based on how strong or light the particular fragrance itself is, not whether you are using certain oils.

If you have a request for a light scent, either use a very light fragrance, or use a stronger fragrance more sparingly.


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## dixiedragon (Nov 14, 2014)

My soap is usually 45% lard, or 22.5% lard and 22.5% tallow. I don't notice a smell in the bars.


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## IrishLass (Nov 14, 2014)

I've never noticed any animal smells in my lard or tallow soaps, but that's just me. I've even heated my lard to 160F/71C without it causing any piggy smell in my soap. The scent-receptors in people's noses (as well as the taste buds in people's tongues) are very individual things indeed. 


 IrishLass


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## SplendorSoaps (Nov 14, 2014)

The recipes I've used lard in were at about 25-30% lard.  There definitely wasn't a scent in the finished product, and I thought it made a really good, hard bar of soap.  To be honest, I kind of dislike using lard during the soapmaking process myself.  It really does make a nice soap, but the processing part kind of grosses me out a little bit.  Just a personal thing - probably from all of those years of health experts telling us not to eat the stuff!


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## Obsidian (Nov 14, 2014)

The only time I noticed any smell was in a 100% lard soap and it was very mild, a light scent covered it very well.


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## grumpy_owl (Nov 14, 2014)

I soap with only lard or tallow and have never noticed a dead-animal smell in the finished product. The worst I've gotten are no scent from underutilizing fragrance oils (meyer lemon in one case, blackberry sage in another) and a "soap" smell from an attempt at strawberry champagne.
Melt gently and be patient is the only advice I have.


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## Dahila (Nov 14, 2014)

I have already make 2 lard soaps and two lard, and tallow, all of them are awesome, and no animal smell.  not at all.   Maybe it was done with some meat in it....strange
Sometimes the knowledge what is in there, make us smell things.   Let's think about bacon,  I can smell it immediately, maybe depriving myself of bacon does not good to the mind)


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