Calling all lardinators! Why do you love lard-based soaps? 🐖

[user 56151]

Good to know. It's expensive here too. 100% Pure Emu Oil
I use it to make MSM Emu Oil Cream for arthritis.

What about camel hump fat? My understanding is that Australia has camels running wild like we have wild mustangs (horses) here in the wild, wlld west. From my research, it is similar to tallow and lard. Is that readily available?

I

I wouldn’t know where to source emu oil or camel fat. I might have to do a Google search. We can purchase beef tallow at a reasonable price.

 

[K.C.]

The timing of this thread is perfect. I just purchased a few pounds of lard to test some batches of 100% and some lard plus additional oils. So glad to see so many enthusiasts. Quick question, does anyone do a water discount on their 100% lard recipes? just wondering as I'm looking around at recipes and videos online. thanks!

 

[Marsi]

I wouldn’t know where to source emu oil or camel fat. I might have to do a Google search. We can purchase beef tallow at a reasonable price.

Here are some still around today (there used to be more, before the emu oil trade took a nosedive):
1lt Emu Oil Bulk (they also have smaller amounts)
Pharmaceutical Grade Pure Emu Oil Bulk 19Kg (in 20L drums)
Emu Oil | Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery & Online Store (various sizes)

What about camel hump fat? My understanding is that Australia has camels running wild like we have wild mustangs (horses) here in the wild, wlld west. From my research, it is similar to tallow and lard. Is that readily available?

We have Brumbies roaming around the High Country (Victorian Alps) and up into the Great Dividing Range (the worlds 3rd longest mountain range).
Brumby soap wouldn't be too popular

Camels ... the camel "industry" is fairly new and includes camel rides and milk suppliers, but no camel fat suppliers so far.

Lard is not so cheap in Australia. To buy it from the supermarket I pay $4.50 for 250 grams. If you have a source through a butcher it would be cheap but then you would have to render it. What I buy from the supermarket has very little smell and reminds me of the smell of Shea butter. I’ve never noticed the smell come through in the soap. I nearly always use it between 10% and 20%. I find it gives a creamy lather.

Lard is surprisingly easy to render
(a few soapers here render their own lard, help with the process is also plentiful if you find you need it )

The timing of this thread is perfect. I just purchased a few pounds of lard to test some batches of 100% and some lard plus additional oils. So glad to see so many enthusiasts. Quick question, does anyone do a water discount on their 100% lard recipes? just wondering as I'm looking around at recipes and videos online. thanks!

I find it easier to work with lye percentages (a measure of lye solution strength), so I can't comment on water discounting (I dont' have the lye concentration to work out what you are discounting from )

Lard is very easy to work with at 33% (this is in the current "normal" lye concentration soaping range of 30%-33%).
Lard can be soaped at a higher concentration without too much trouble (recipe dependant).

 

[AliOop]

@K.C. I agree with @Marsi that it's easier to talk in terms of lye concentration, instead of water discount. A lye concentration of 33% is a fairly average number for most CP recipes. My high-lard recipes do very well with at 33%, but I never use that much water unless I know I need more swirling time. Typically I use a 45% lye concentration, which is a pretty steep water reduction. Soaping with low water means the soap can be unmolded sooner, and there is much less soda ash, too.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Camels ... the camel "industry" is fairly new and includes camel rides and milk suppliers, but no camel fat suppliers so far.

I believe @cmzaha used camel's milk to make soap.

As for the fat, I believe the oil is used for cooking. May be on that shelf at the grocers, next to the canola or whatever.

 

[K.C.]

@K.C. I agree with @Marsi that it's easier to talk in terms of lye concentration, instead of water discount. A lye concentration of 33% is a fairly average number for most CP recipes. My high-lard recipes do very well with at 33%, but I never use that much water unless I know I need more swirling time. Typically I use a 45% lye concentration, which is a pretty steep water reduction. Soaping with low water means the soap can be unmolded sooner, and there is much less soda ash, too.

Sorry guys, I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday lol! My brain is always searching for words/phrases and posting on the run doesn't make it any better. Looking forward to lots of fun results!

 

[Marsi]

As for the fat, I believe the oil is used for cooking. May be on that shelf at the grocers, next to the canola or whatever.

Sorry ... but that one made me laugh out loud.
If there's no camel fat industry (in any big way) in Australia, why on earth would there be camel fat in the supermarket/grocers?
(To be really clear ... there's no camel fat at the grocers lol)

 

[Relle]

I believe @cmzaha used camel's milk to make soap.

As for the fat, I believe the oil is used for cooking. May be on that shelf at the grocers, next to the canola or whatever.

Never had camel meat at our butcher shop, so not likely to have camel fat at the supermarket. Even though we have lots of camels in Oz, they are usually in remote places, and would have to get them to an abattoir, it's a niche industry, the milk selling at $30 litre. I know because I enquired at the local health food shop that sells the milk.

 

[Marsi]

Never had camel meat at our butcher shop, so not likely to have camel fat at the supermarket. Even though we have lots of camels in Oz, they are usually in remote places, and would have to get them to an abattoir, it's a niche industry, the milk selling at $30 litre. I know because I enquired at the local health food shop that sells the milk.

So niche ... there is one registered abattoir in all of Australia that handles camels, from what I can see (based in SA, they appear to only have export outlets).
One of the places they export to is America.
Which leads to a funny thought ... it is possible that camel fat used by US soapers could be our wild-harvested Aussie camel

 

[mx5inpenn]

I use it at 40-60% in most of my soaps. It creates a hard, white bar with a lovely creamy lather.

 

[meepocow]

Typically I use a 45% lye concentration, which is a pretty steep water reduction. Soaping with low water means the soap can be unmolded sooner, and there is much less soda ash, too.

Hi AliOop,

Do you edit the lye concentration based on %age of lard in the recipe? Do you find 45% still gives you time to swirl/ layer, and enough wiggle room for misbehaving essential oils? Would maybe 40% be an easier water reduction for me to start with to get a feel?

With my first few lard bars (anywhere from 40 - 60% lard), I've used 33% to be safe as a new soaper, and they turn out lovely; I usually unmold and cut around 24h. I do like the idea of less soda ash, and the bars perhaps drying faster - although I do know that it is recommended to still cure 4-6 weeks minimum to allow the crystalline structure to form.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

it's a niche industry, the milk selling at $30 litre.

Good grief!

 

[AliOop]

Hi AliOop,

Do you edit the lye concentration based on %age of lard in the recipe? Do you find 45% still gives you time to swirl/ layer, and enough wiggle room for misbehaving essential oils? Would maybe 40% be an easier water reduction for me to start with to get a feel?

With my first few lard bars (anywhere from 40 - 60% lard), I've used 33% to be safe as a new soaper, and they turn out lovely; I usually unmold and cut around 24h. I do like the idea of less soda ash, and the bars perhaps drying faster - although I do know that it is recommended to still cure 4-6 weeks minimum to allow the crystalline structure to form.

Hi @meepocow,

I masterbatch my oils, so my recipe always has ~60% lard in it, unless I'm making a special recipe for someone. For instance, one of my friends dislikes lard soaps and only likes a ZNSC variation with 20% CO, 5% castor, goat milk, and her favorite FO. On the other end of the spectrum, my husband's shower soap is usually 75-80% lard + neem oil, with his favorite FO.

No matter what recipe I'm making, I always use 45% lye concentration unless I'm trying to do a special design where extra fluidity really matters - like this month's SMF challenge, for instance, where I used 33%. I start with a 50% MB lye solution; if I'm soaping with a 45% lye concentration, that leaves me with just enough additional liquid to pre-dissolve the sodium citrate (chelator to reduce soap scum) and the sorbitol (my favorite "sugar" for increasing bubbles) that are standard for my recipes.

Also, while a lye concentration from about 35% to about 42% will speed up my trace, for me and my recipe, trace slows down again above 42%. However, the batter is still thicker because there is less water. This is ideal for recipes that call for a medium trace and that don't require lots of colors or lots of little pours to make the design - which would be most of my soaps. I do a lot of drop swirls, ITP swirls, and a few hanger swirls. In addition, other components of my process slow down trace, like soaping at room temp, and barely stickblending to an emulsion (not even necessarily a stable one) before dividing the batter for colors.

The lower water really helps reduce soda ash, and allows me to unmold at 12-18 hours most of the time. I really noticed how much longer I had to wait to unmold my challenge soaps this month. After 24+ hours, they were still barely firm enough and still ended up with some bunged corners, because some of the soap stuck in the corners of the mold.

I do "CPOP" my soaps on a heating pad that is covered with an overturned styrofoam food delivery box, or an insulated cardboard food delivery box. Those two things take up a LOT of room in my soap cabinets but they work so well and were basically free. Added heat to force/speed up gel also helps with decreasing the time to unmold. Can you tell I'm impatient??

I realize that's a lot of info, and I'm still on my first cup of coffee. Hopefully it makes sense?

 

[cmzaha]

I believe @cmzaha used camel's milk to make soap.

As for the fat, I believe the oil is used for cooking. May be on that shelf at the grocers, next to the canola or whatever.

Yes, I did make Camel's milk and Camel's fat soap. I purchased it here, and they do ship internationally although I can only imagine it is very expensive since it was expensive to purchase in the States. But it did make very nice soap. In fact, I still have 3 jars of the fat, and milk in my freezer. Camel Milk Products | Desert Farms

 

[The_Phoenix]

I love lard in soap. Makes such a gentle bat of soap and soooo creamy. I cannot detect a pork smell in the finished soap.

On a side note, I also buy a big cube. I use the lard for baking. As an ingredient in pie crust, the results are outstanding. I also use lard when I make roasted potatoes.

 

[lenarenee]

Camel milk is one of the best substitutes to human milk there is; it's been a godsend for babies with certain genetic conditions, or whose mother's are either ill, deceased, or unable to produce milk and regular formula doesn't work for them. Camel's don't produce much milk, so it's super expensive.

I don't have anything unique to add to the reasons I use lard; it's cheap (in the US), it's a classic, time-honored soap ingredient, slow tracing and gives a ridiculous amount of working time in high lard recipes (I often have to sit and wait for it to thicken up for some designs!), high lard recipes also produce a thicker, more voluminous lather. Oh - the fatty acid profile also is very is very similar to that of human skin.

 

[Relle]

Yes, I did make Camel's milk and Camel's fat soap. I purchased it here, and they do ship internationally although I can only imagine it is very expensive since it was expensive to purchase in the States. But it did make very nice soap. In fact, I still have 3 jars of the fat, and milk in my freezer. Camel Milk Products | Desert Farms

Just had a look at the prices in your link Carolyn. Yep, expensive at $20 litre there and you have to buy 6 in one go to make it viable for them. Sounds like a nice product but too expensive for this soaper. I don't know how their $20 litre equates to $193 for 6, add the cost of the AUD at 63c to the USD and I'd have to sell my husband to buy some
https://desertfarms.com/collections/camelmilk/products/pasteurized-camel-milk-frozen

 

[KeepItSimpleSoap]

I use 100% home rendered LARD. I save only bacon drippings. I use the Cold Process. I made 240 bars this past late spring. It was at least 2.5 years of bacon drippings. below is a link to my 2022 effort.
KeepItSimpleSoap 2022 soap making effort
Keep it simple.....

 

[Gaisy59]

Where are you buying these large cubes of lard? And anyone from Canada want to jump in if they also buy these cubes? I wouldn’t mind trying to process the lard to see if i can.

 

[Trinbago27]

Hi All, I like using lard as well, but find that my soaps develop a white coating... Doesn't seem to be soda ash, and It is almost moist feeling. I have not gone over 50% lard in any recipe to date, and my norm is around 40%. Have you experienced this?