# Lard Question



## Gaisy59 (Oct 18, 2016)

Here in Canada we have Tenderflake lard.  Can you confirm that this is what I can use please?  And what would be the percentage?  I am looking at a soap with  almond oil, coconut oil, lard, and avocado oil.  I'm trying to keep the soap simple but with conditioning and hardness.

Thanks folks


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## mx5inpenn (Oct 18, 2016)

Yes, that lard will work fine. 

The percentage of each oil is a personal preference. I would suggest
50% lard
20% coconut
15% avocado
10% almond
5% castor

I know castor isn't on your list, but it makes a big difference in a small amount. If you really don't want to use it, you can add that 5% to the almond.


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## Arimara (Oct 18, 2016)

If it has a little bit of BHT or whatever they use to preserve it (and if it doesn't stink to high heaven or smell like you literally brought home the bacon) you're fine. Mx6 gave you a solid recipe to start with and I second her suggestion for the castor oil. If you can't find it in a health food store or a co-op, you may be able to find it in a drug store where they keep laxatives.


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## Dahila (Oct 18, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> Here in Canada we have Tenderflake lard.  Can you confirm that this is what I can use please?  And what would be the percentage?  I am looking at a soap with  almond oil, coconut oil, lard, and avocado oil.  I'm trying to keep the soap simple but with conditioning and hardness.
> 
> Thanks folks


we also have "no name" pure lard Nofrills, Loblaws, pure lard in food basics , everywhere and it is much cheaper.  I buy 50 pounds of it in Cash and Carry stores, it comes a bit over a dollar for a pound
I use 30% lard and 25% tallow in my soaps, they are very good)

I would leave avocado and almond out so you will know the lard soap. I would use just OO Nofrills have 3 l for 14.99 and Costco 3 l for 18.99 much cheaper than avocado almond,  I use avocado only in my milk soaps and in body butters


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## Susie (Oct 19, 2016)

I will second the use of Olive Oil rather than the more expensive oils.  Lard is going to be plenty conditioning without the additional cost of the others.  Oh, and do get some castor oil!  It really does make that big of a difference, and you only use a little.

I would add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of sugar per pound of oils to boost that lather a bit. Just subtract 1 ounce of water from the total amount of water needed to dissolve the sugar, then toss that into the oils before the lye water.


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## jules92207 (Oct 19, 2016)

mx6inpenn said:


> Yes, that lard will work fine.
> 
> The percentage of each oil is a personal preference. I would suggest
> 50% lard
> ...




I  use almost this exact recipe all the time and love it. Highly recommend, and the castor is a great addition.


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## Gaisy59 (Oct 19, 2016)

This is great! I was going to use all of products in my next batch and the only thing I didn't have was the castor. I will get some. I am not sure if I asked this question before but is there a rule as to how much solid oil and how much liquid oil can be used? I would prefer a 10-15% coconut oil as I find more is drying. I also use sodium citrate in my recipes as my mom has hard water .


mx6inpenn said:


> Yes, that lard will work fine.
> 
> The percentage of each oil is a personal preference. I would suggest
> 50% lard
> ...


 
Thank Susie, I do use olive oil but here is something I read on the forum...what if the olive oil is not pure. As you know, there have been articles about distributors not selling 100% olive oil. Do you think that would make a difference in a recipe?


Susie said:


> I will second the use of Olive Oil rather than the more expensive oils. Lard is going to be plenty conditioning without the additional cost of the others. Oh, and do get some castor oil! It really does make that big of a difference, and you only use a little.
> 
> I would add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of sugar per pound of oils to boost that lather a bit. Just subtract 1 ounce of water from the total amount of water needed to dissolve the sugar, then toss that into the oils before the lye water.


 
This is very good to know because I like the KISS theory. I have tried the expensive butters in my soap but I find it doesn't really make that big of a difference. I know some people say it does for them, but I found that unless I threw in a big pat of shea butter for instance after the cook cycle having it in the soap didn't make a difference as far as conditioning. I can hardly wait to try this new batch out. Need to pick up castor oil. 


jules92207 said:


> I use almost this exact recipe all the time and love it. Highly recommend, and the castor is a great addition.


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## lsg (Oct 19, 2016)

I like high oleic rice bran oil.  I sometimes substitute it for olive oil.
Here is my take on a lard recipe:

Castor  5%
Coconut  25%
Lard  35%
Rice Bran  35%


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## mx5inpenn (Oct 19, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> This is great!  I was going to use all of products in my next batch and the only thing I didn't have was the castor.  I will get some.  I am not sure if I asked this question before but is there a rule as to how much solid oil and how much liquid oil can be used?  I would prefer a 10-15% coconut oil as I find more is drying.  I also use sodium citrate in my recipes as my mom has hard water .



There isn't a rule so far as solid and liquid oils go.  Castile is a popular soap and that is 100% olive oil.  It does make a difference in how long it takes to harden up nicely tho.  My favorite recipe is 55% lard, 15% coconut, 15% avocado, 10% olive, 5% castor.  I don't use sodium citrate, so I don't know that it would make any difference with the percentages of oils, but I doubt it would.


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## Susie (Oct 19, 2016)

I use the cheap yellow olive oil from Sam's.  I have found it to be a very consistent product, and I have never had DOS from it in 3 years.  I don't have any way of measuring the purity, but my opinion is that if you find one that works well every single time you use it, stick with it.  This one does not discolor my liquid soaps, either.


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## Gaisy59 (Oct 19, 2016)

Do you find it better than olive oil or just the same.  Is is more expensive or less? 


lsg said:


> I like high oleic rice bran oil.  I sometimes substitute it for olive oil.
> Here is my take on a lard recipe:
> 
> Castor  5%
> ...


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## Gaisy59 (Oct 19, 2016)

Also, one more quick question as I keep forgetting to ask:  what kind of thermometers do you use to check your lye/water and oil batches?  I bought the regular kind but it takes too long to get a reading and because it gets dipped in the lye/water mix or the oil blend it just means more washing up afterwards.


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## Steve85569 (Oct 19, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> Also, one more quick question as I keep forgetting to ask:  what kind of thermometers do you use to check your lye/water and oil batches?  I bought the regular kind but it takes too long to get a reading and because it gets dipped in the lye/water mix or the oil blend it just means more washing up afterwards.


Rice Bran is very similar in it's fatty acid profile to olive oil. I use it in place of olive because it is slightly lower in cost and have not seen any ill effects. I would not use it alone as in a castile type soap though.

I use a non contact infra red thermometer to get the approximate temperature of the lye water(liquid) and oils. It's really not as big a deal to me as it was a year ago to know precisely what the temperatures are. That and acceptable temperatures do tend to depend a bit on how much solid at room temperature oils I am using.


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## Arimara (Oct 19, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> Also, one more quick question as I keep forgetting to ask:  what kind of thermometers do you use to check your lye/water and oil batches?  I bought the regular kind but it takes too long to get a reading and because it gets dipped in the lye/water mix or the oil blend it just means more washing up afterwards.



Mine is like this Laser Infrared Thermometer seen here. I would NOT use this for cooking anything beyond some candies and soups but this is excellent for soaping and candle making.


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## lenarenee (Oct 19, 2016)

mx6inpenn said:


> There isn't a rule so far as solid and liquid oils go.  Castile is a popular soap and that is 100% olive oil.  It does make a difference in how long it takes to harden up nicely tho.  My favorite recipe is 55% lard, 15% coconut, 15% avocado, 10% olive, 5% castor.  I don't use sodium citrate, so I don't know that it would make any difference with the percentages of oils, but I doubt it would.



You're right; I use sodium citrate for every batch, and it doesn't change the lye or oil percentage.

It's citric acid that requires an adjustment for your lye amount.


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## Susie (Oct 20, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> Do you find it better than olive oil or just the same.  Is is more expensive or less?



It is olive oil.  It is cheapest at Sam's.


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## Dahila (Oct 20, 2016)

instead of Sodium Citrate you can use EDTA very effective and easier, just make the solution and substract from water.  Many people are against EDTA but it goes such small amount into soap and it lathers like crazy.  I also use sugar like Susie said


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## lsg (Oct 20, 2016)

Gaisy59 said:


> Do you find it better than olive oil or just the same.  Is is more expensive or less?



I find it about the same as olive oil.  It is cheaper than olive oil @ $45.65 for six gallons.  I order six gallons at a time from Riceland.  I can use their oil as cooking oil, also.


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## Angezzz (Oct 20, 2016)

I am in Canada and I have used that lard with success.


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## Dahila (Oct 20, 2016)

Angezzz said:


> I am in Canada and I have used that lard with success.


It is a lard but the price is high, this is a reason I gave her different places u can get here )


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## Angezzz (Oct 21, 2016)

I haven't used Lard in a long time so I apologize, I could not remember the price. However, being in Canada, I order quite a bit of stuff from Voyageur Soap and Candle and New Directions Aromatics. They are both great.  I also get some things from Saffire Blue


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## Gaisy59 (Oct 24, 2016)

Thank you for that info on where to buy lard. I just ordered supplies from new directions but they do not sell lard.  Voyager and sapphire blue do sell lard so yayyy. I will try to find in winnipeg first before ordering. And it is not expensive. Better to buy from one of these than to buy a one pound block in the grocery store.


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