80% Lard Soaps..OK, I Get it Now.

[Susie]

I finally tried my 80% lard, 20% CO soap this morning(4 weeks cure only, I couldn't wait). I get it now. Wow.

Thank you Obsidian, and everyone else who said to try it. I think I now have a new go-to recipe. I hate that I just bought a whole bunch of Olive Oil and Coconut Oil(2 gallons each!). I have to use at least the olive oil up before switching completely to this new recipe.

Have y'all tried Castor Oil 5% in this? If so, did it change it any?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Okay, now I have another planned soap. Enablers, I tell you!

 

[Susie]

Enablers, indeed!

You just won't believe it until you try it. Seriously! Even 2 weeks earlier than I normally try my soaps, it is just amazing.

I would even suggest you make this today, as The Admirable Lady may want to use it before the baby is born for that annoying itchy skin.

 

[ngian]

Is this recipe nice for the hair too?

 

[Seawolfe]

Ya Susie - thats what I did first time with lard: 5% castor, 15% coconut and 80% lard 5% SF - and sugar for bubbles cant hurt
its my lardy lard piggy soap

If youre not on the castille hating bandwagon, make up some proper castille soaps, they might be ready for Christmas gifts. I did some with rosemary EO that I am just loving.

 

[lsg]

I use Castor oil in most of my recipes including the ones containing lard. I think it adds to bubbly lather.

 

[Obsidian]

Welcome to to club lol I haven't made it with castor yet but I plan to soon. I do use citric acid in mine since I've noticed that lard makes more soap scum.
I have tried this in my hair and really didn't like it, it imply make too much soap scum and left my hair really gunky. It might be ok if you have soft water.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Would you take the castor out of the CO or the lard?

 

[Susie]

I was thinking the lard, but I am waiting for the experts to speak up.

ETA-Seawolfe, I just saw your post, so you vote the CO? I was thinking it was plenty creamy(wow, is it ever!), but am more than willing to try taking it out of the CO.

 

[Obsidian]

I will take it out of the lard.

 

[not_ally]

Obsidian, how do you add the citric acid? I'm being lazy, I know there are previous threads on this but when I have looked at them in the past I got nervous b/c it seemed it messed w/the lye amounts which is nervous-making for someone who is newish.

I have a huge problem w/hard water/soap scum - have been adding EDTA as per Irish Lass' posts (with great results, thanks, IL) but would like to try citric acid, am just nervous about the lye. If you have an easy-ish way to suggest that would be great, if not no worries.

 

[Seawolfe]

I've never made lard soap without castor oil. I find the percentages I posted above make a really nice soap.
I have a friend in China who had a surplus of lard and last year that's all he could get, so all his soaps were 100% lard, and they used them all last year quite happily. This year he is branching into coconut and sweet almond oil in his lard soaps.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Add maybe 1.5% (oil weight) CA to the lye water - I do mine before the lye.

To quote DeeAnna now -

10 g citric acid neutralizes 6.24 g NaOH, so add an extra 6.24 g of NaOH for every 10 grams of citric added to the recipe.

Do if you make a 1,000gram recipe, you need 15grams CA and you need to add in an additional 9.36g of lye to what is calculated

 

[lenarenee]

Enablers, indeed!

You just won't believe it until you try it. Seriously! Even 2 weeks earlier than I normally try my soaps, it is just amazing.

Yes! I had the reaction when trying my high lard soap and I start using it regularly at 3 weeks (although I like it a little more at 5). It's good to hear someone else thinks so.

I haven't made the 80/20, (yet) but I love 15%co, 5 castor, 10 ho safflower, 70 lard, although like you - I have some olive oil to use up so I'm using that instead. I don't think I'll ever use olive oil in soap again!

I've just started using a bar made with 70% tallow in place of lard, and I love it too. The lard bar is creamier, tallow adds bigger, quicker bubbles which I like slightly better than lard. Great feel and texture to the bar too.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

So I am looking at making -

75% Lard
20% CO
5% Castor

Looking forward to this and waiting is not an issue as I have the EU swap soaps to play with which will give these a long old cure.

 

[not_ally]

That is easy-ish and makes sense, EG, thanks. So basically add in the CA to the water at 1.5 % in proportion to oils. Then take the CA amt and add in an additional amount of lye at the rate of 6.24 to every 10 grams of CA added, mix that total lye amt with the water. Then proceed as usual?

I thank you, and my bathtub seconds.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Don't thank me - thank DeeAnaa

 

[not_ally]

I do (at least in my head when I read her posts) all the time!

 

[Sonya-m]

So I am looking at making -

75% Lard
20% CO
5% Castor

Looking forward to this and waiting is not an issue as I have the EU swap soaps to play with which will give these a long old cure.

This is exactly the recipe my EU soap swap was made to

Edit: I did use infused OO to colour though

 

[Sonya-m]

That is easy-ish and makes sense, EG, thanks. So basically add in the CA to the water at 1.5 % in proportion to oils. Then take the CA amt and add in an additional amount of lye at the rate of 6.24 to every 10 grams of CA added, mix that total lye amt with the water. Then proceed as usual?

I thank you, and my bathtub seconds.

Or you can use sodium citrate which has the same effect without needing to recalculate the lye since the citric acid has already been reacted with a base so won't eat any of your lye