I use lard in most of my recipes at 40-55%. The cured soap doesn't smell a bit like it. Keeping the temps low eliminates the smell.
Cold Process Soap Using Lard
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Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Thank you for sharing. That looks to be a great recipe!
I too use lard at 40-50% and have never smelled any piggy. Generally, if you are getting a piggy smell you've heated it too hot. I just melt mine until clear and it's just warm to the touch. I've used Armour, Snowcap and get the 50 lb from Soapers Choice and have gone through over 200 lbs with no issue.
This was the one that made a lard lover out of me. It was my first ever successful lard formula that got rave reviews from hubby and son (and me):
Olive Oil 34%
PKO flakes 31.5%
Lard 26.5%
Castor Oil 8%
For what it's worth, I've never smelled piggy in my soap, not even when I used lard as high as 65% and soaped it hot (we're talking near to 170F.....it was not intentional, but that's a story for another day, lol) Anyway, with all the differing/contrasting experiences out there in regard to the piggy smell/no piggy smell phenomenon, I've personally come to the conclusion that it comes down whatever scent receptors are active or inactive in our individual noses- kinda like how some folks can only smell cat pee when smelling jasmine. lol
IrishLass
Olive Oil 34%
PKO flakes 31.5%
Lard 26.5%
Castor Oil 8%
For what it's worth, I've never smelled piggy in my soap, not even when I used lard as high as 65% and soaped it hot (we're talking near to 170F.....it was not intentional, but that's a story for another day, lol) Anyway, with all the differing/contrasting experiences out there in regard to the piggy smell/no piggy smell phenomenon, I've personally come to the conclusion that it comes down whatever scent receptors are active or inactive in our individual noses- kinda like how some folks can only smell cat pee when smelling jasmine. lol
IrishLass
Here's the acronym and abbreviation thread. It is a sticky in the beginner's forum. There are lots of good bits of info in those stickies.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=51841
SunRiseArts
Well-Known Member
I tested a small batch the other day and included the sunflower oil, and OMG, I absolutely love it. Lard, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and a little castor oil.
wbocrafter
Well-Known Member
Wow! This is great information. Can't waut to try some of the recipes! I don't know which one to try first. You guys are great!!!
I add EDTA and Bht to my high lard soaps. Unlike general concensus I do have trouble with dos when using lard. A few yrs ago I did some test batches of 100% lard using several brands of lard. All my test soaps turned dossy and the very worst was with Farmer John Lard/Manteca. My dos problems ended when I started adding BHT. Many lard brands have BHT added, it is a food grade preservative.
I still use lard because I love lard with tallow soaps
I'm a beginner too, but I made the decision to go for lard soaps since it is economical and readily available.
My favourite recipe thus far :
15% hemp seed oil
10 % coconut oil
25 % olive
50 % lard
I have a few other bars that do not have that much soft oils (hemp/olive) and they lather more readily and are a lot harder, but they seem to be a tad more drying and draggy in the shower.
The first soap I made was like 90 % lard and I still find it to be a very good soap.
PS: If you check my join date, you'll see that all my soaps are quite young, but I soaped A LOT in the first few weeks.
My favourite recipe thus far :
15% hemp seed oil
10 % coconut oil
25 % olive
50 % lard
I have a few other bars that do not have that much soft oils (hemp/olive) and they lather more readily and are a lot harder, but they seem to be a tad more drying and draggy in the shower.
The first soap I made was like 90 % lard and I still find it to be a very good soap.
PS: If you check my join date, you'll see that all my soaps are quite young, but I soaped A LOT in the first few weeks.
Oh I love hemp oil in soap - is that enough to give it that nice green tint too? Try some sugar in your water before adding the lye next time for mo' bubbly.
That is similar to one of my favorites - and funny enough this one lathers like a champ even without castor oil. I have a fellow soaper compliment the lather even!
65% lard
20% sweet almond oil
15 % coconut oil
5% superfat
Sugar added to the water for bubbles (1 TBSP ppo) and citric acid (with the appropriate amount of lye added so as not to increase the superfat) for my hard water.
That is similar to one of my favorites - and funny enough this one lathers like a champ even without castor oil. I have a fellow soaper compliment the lather even!
65% lard
20% sweet almond oil
15 % coconut oil
5% superfat
Sugar added to the water for bubbles (1 TBSP ppo) and citric acid (with the appropriate amount of lye added so as not to increase the superfat) for my hard water.
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Mothermcree - No no no... your in the wrong group. This group not only soaps at high percentages of lard but we also sleep in it, smear it all over ourselves and would have an affair with it if we could! Ive been soaping lard for years and most of the time at more than 50% mostly 65! I have never smelt a thing! It will smell if its bad or if you heat it too much. But i dont ever do that. your recipe with 30% CO is just too much for my skin. I stay at around 15% max 20 and I have to have a good reason to do that.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
No since I have only used refined hemp seed oil. I will try non-refined next order and see if there are any differences apart from the colour/scent.
I have added sugar pretty much every batch now, but I have water hard enough that you don't need a glass, it just stands on its own, so lather is a problem.
Beardguy - you use tap water? No issues??
No I use distilled (I did use tap for the first batch), I was talking about the water when I shower,
Oh! lol I misunderstood!
BrewerGeorge
Well-Known Member
Been talking about water today, but you'll understand this... My water is SO hard that I can't make a stout without lactic acid. 600 ppm hardness, Baby.
I'm in the same boat. We have had to replace the faucets in the shower every 5 years due to soap scum even with weekly cleaning (we use cheap ones obviously).
BrewerGeorge
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't want to live without a softener again.
Take some plastic baggies, a bottle of vinegar, a rubber band into your shower/kitchen/bathroom. Then fill a baggy with straight vinegar, place it over your faucets/shower head/whatever water spews out of, then rubber band it tightly, so it the faucet is totally submerged in the vinegar and the baggy remains tightly secured to the faucet. Leave it for a couple of hours to eat away at all those mineral deposits that occlude the faucet. When you remove it a couple to a few hours later, the water will flow more freely.
It works like a dream. If you don't have a water softener, you can do this periodically to remove deposits, keep your aerators clean and free-flowing as well as to make the faucets shiny again.
