After 9yrs of soaping...

[Lilahblossom]

First soap I made twenty years ago was plain lard soap! It is as good today as it was then. Only thing is I don't have to wait six months to use it and I have soap calc now. Internet has just radically changed the whole soaping scene!

 

[Robert]

Robert, I just use a deep sided mix and pour bowl...you've seen them, the ones that kinda look like a fat pitcher with a handle...here's a link to a whippie soap I made recently...forgot how much fun these things were to make! you really need to force gel on this one to get it out of the mold. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=36524

Darn, I hate pretty stuff like that--too pretty to use, too useful to leave alone!

The subject of floating soap reminds me of something along that very line. When we were little, our parents had monogrammed towels hanging on a rack over the bathtub by the long side, and there was another towel rack by the end away from the faucet & drain. When I got soap in my eyes, I would just grab for whatever was closest, but was told many times the monogrammed towels were never to be used. What did we have them for, then? Just for show.

OK, so I have my dead parents' monogrammed towels in my closet because I never just throw anything out, but until fairly recently I still have that automatic reaction never to use them, and now on top of that they're a memento, but only when I see them in the linen closet. When I finally did use one, of course I use the washing machine on its heavy duty setting for towels, and in very short order the towel ripped along its stitching.

(The matching monogrammed toilet lid & tank covers my parents replaced much earlier.)

 

[sistrum]

That's always the ***** with making pretty things. No one wants to use them but the whole point IS to use them.

 

[Stinkydancer]

Only Dos soap I ever had was with Lard. Yuck...Tallow rocks though.

 

[heartsong]

Robert, the trick to getting over "fancy soaps" is to make tons of them...that way the "new" wears off, and they don't seem so special anymore-LOL! (I have some of those guest towels, too!)

 

[PinkCupcake]

I'd probably chicken out on the final whipping, though, going at too low a speed because I'd be afraid of splashing caustic all over.

There's an easy fix for that. You can wrap cling wrap around the mixer, using as many sheets as it takes to cover all the open area. It's what I do when I make whipped cream or homemade marshmallows. Keeps the mess all inside the bowl.

 

[Robert]

There's an easy fix for that. You can wrap cling wrap around the mixer, using as many sheets as it takes to cover all the open area. It's what I do when I make whipped cream or homemade marshmallows. Keeps the mess all inside the bowl.

Do you make a hole for the shaft? Or do you wrap the whole machine, leaving enough slack to work the controls?

 

[honeysuds]

That complexion bar sounds very nourishing! I also feel if the clay was replaced with say henna powder it would make a rockin' shampoo bar!

Robert, the whipped soap really isn't that scary...at least to me it wasn't. Definitely go slow when adding the lye water, don't add it while the mixer is on! Incorporate it by hand, then start mixing on slow and work up speed.

Cling wrap sounds like a neat idea, I just never keep any on hand.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

I made a 100% lard bar to see what all the buzz was about. It doesn't have very much lather, but it's an amazing facial soap. When I rub the bar all over my face, it feels like I'm running a bar of silk on my face. My new recipe is now curing: 80% lard 20% coconut. I'm hoping it will have the same feel, but with some bubbles.

 

[honeysuds]

I get bubbles, but small creamy bubbles. If I am extra greasy (summer time) I will lather & wash twice to get all the yuck off my face. I was thinking of trying to add some coconut oil or castor oil for a bit more cleansing, let me know how your soap comes out!

 

[user 12568]

I love Lard in my soaps... I use it all the time for my conditioning bars (lard, olive, canola, and castor). So easy to work with, and cheap, cheap, cheap!

 

[Missmoneypenny]

I also have eczema and think lard is under rated. Just wondering though, as i am a newbie, how do you whip the lard? What is the process? Many thanks

 

[Soapman Ryan]

I get bubbles, but small creamy bubbles. If I am extra greasy (summer time) I will lather & wash twice to get all the yuck off my face. I was thinking of trying to add some coconut oil or castor oil for a bit more cleansing, let me know how your soap comes out!

honeysuds,
It's been 4 weeks and my soap is finally ready. The coconut oil makes the soap preform much better with nice bubbles, but it doesn't have the same feeling. When I run the wet bar over my wet face it doesn't give me that silky feeling I liked. I has a rougher, more coarse feeling.

 

[Neve]

I must be extremely lucky. My face totally loved my first ever CP soap after years of reacting badly to commercial face cleaners (lots of them). And my hair took to my shampoo bars real quick, no more itchy bleeding scalp for me. My second batch of shampoo bars was even better. Every now and then it still gets flaky, last time that was the day I went swimming so I assume the chlorine was the culprit.

 

[honeysuds]

Thanks for the update Soapman. Guess I'll stick to plain old lard soap for my face since it is the only kind I've made that works on my face.