Delving into tallow/lard soaps

[dillsandwitch]

Okay so I have made heaps of batches of co, palm, oo soap and I think I have that down pat. Only had that one hickup where I added sugar and honey and they overheated and became a weeping mess.

So I think it is time for me to try my hand at tallow and or lard soap. The only place I can seem to find either is at woolworths (Newcastle, Australia) and both seem reasonably priced.

Now please forgive the possible stupid question here but I have been known to set water on fire before. Hahaha just kidding but close. I'm either a complete genius or a complete failure when it comes to cooking things. So do I just melt it in the saucepan like I would the coconut and palm oil or is there some other trick to using it in the soap process?

Also just looking for the general preference that you guys and gals have over one or the other and why. I plan on making a batch of each just curiosity at work here.

Also one last question so I dont make another topic. I have WAAAAYYYY to many soap fragrances right now and keep buying more but I am trying to rein it in a bit. What are your top 5 scents/EOs that you absolutely must have?


Thanks in advance

 

[Susie]

If it is warm in the house, I don't even heat my solid oils, just pour that hot lye water over it and stick blend. But any way you choose to take it from solid to liquid is fine. I use the microwave in the winter to just get it mostly melted. You don't have to worry about completely melting it and stirring like palm. It is good to go right out of the package, however much you need.

I have lots of allergies, so I have stuck with EOs that I knew for sure I have no problems with: lemongrass, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, citrus EOs, etc. Sounds more like a grocery list, right? I know I am not allergic to those because I eat the products with no problems. I have no problem with FOs, just erring on the side of caution.

 

[CTAnton]

I love Brambleberry's Energy FO..and so far it's been holding up rather well

 

[Dorymae]

If I could only have 5 scents I would pick:

Lavender
Lemongrass because many like it and it anchors citrus
A citrus - probably grapefruit
A manly fragrance - right now I'm partial to tabacco and bay leaf
A fresh clean scent - either a water or cotton like scent- I like fresh linen.

 

[Obsidian]

I melt it like I would any other hard oil but make sure to do it slowly and over low heat. The hotter it gets, the more piggy it can smell.

I don't know if I could pick only 5 scents, there are just too many. I suppose lemongrass EO, Lime EO, Lavender, Amber FO and rose would be my must haves.

 

[Dahila]

Lemon verbena, Lemon basil, lavender, I got monkey fart but having some problems with my sense of smell, I am scared to use it. Maybe someone tell me is Monkey fart nice?
I stopped using EO, I use them for my cream and lotions. For soap I use FO)
I love lard in soaps

 

[dixiedragon]

If you are only using 5 scents, they should be ones you and your family like.
My 5 would be:
Lavender EO
Mint EO
something citrus
Vanilla
BB's Black Raspberry Vanilla b/c it's my sister's absolute favorite
Applejack and peel b/c it's my mom's absolute favorite
tea tree EO

Obviously it's more than 5.

 

[Seawolfe]

If I were you I would buy both the lard and tallow, use each and see what you like best. And yes, just melt as usual, or use the lye water heat transfer method Suzie spoke of. I like to melt first and do all my prep while the lye water cools.

If I could pick only 5 smells?
Lavender EO
Rosemary EO
Peppermint EO
Citrus EO - but I like a mix - litsea cubeba / tangerine 10x / grapefruit
For the last either Patchouli EO or Cedar EO for base notes

 

[not_ally]

Dahila, I bought a couple of versions of monkey farts (despite the name) to make soaps for my nephew and niece. Both pretty much smell like straight banana to me. Although I think many of them have quite a bit of vanilla, you might want to check with the manufacturer's specs if you are concerned about discoloration.

 

[JBot]

"Monkey Farts." Ugh. I am SO turned off by that name. And I don't think it's cute, which I'm sure was the intent; I think it's revolting.

I can't speak much to the lard/tallow melting. I've used lard once, and I hated the smell. I want to try again with a different lard or a different approach (good to know that overheating can increase the smell!). I want to try tallow, but I haven't been able to find a source.

Regarding lard, heat, and odor: does that only apply to the melting phase, or does it also apply to the temperature of the soap, like during a good gel phase?

My favorite FOs. . .that's tough. If I absolutely had too, I'd say:

Bella (MMS)
Moonlight Pomegranate (BB)
Spellbound Woods (BB)
Amber (BB)
Sea Moss (BB)

I also like a lot of sweet, citrus-y scents, such as BB's Rise and Shine, and Sugar Plum Fairy.

 

[IrishLass]

I melt my lard and tallow along with my other hard fats. I'm one of those that have never detected a piggy smell in my finished soap from the lard, even when I heated my lard to 160F once by accident. Either my nasal scent receptors just aren't sensitive to it, or else I have really good lard, although, for what its worth, none of my family and friends have ever been able to smell the lard in my soap either.

As for scents, I agree with Dixiedragon- just go with whichever ones you and your family like.

It's tortuous for me to narrow things down to only 5 scents, but for what it's worth, here are at least 5 I just can't be without: (although there are so many more!)

Daystar's Salty Sailor
Peak's Black Raspberry Vanilla
Daystar's Paradise
SweetCakes Santa's Pipe
NG's The Perfect Man


IrishLass

 

[abc]

NG's The Perfect Man


IrishLass

Slightly o/t had to look this scent up. Is the black pepper noticeable? (My MiL has a perfume that is very heavy in black pepper and when I smell anything similar my chest gets tight and seems to trigger an anxiety type reaction.)

 

[not_ally]

JBot, it is a terrible name. Not sure why it is deemed to be the way to go with banana. I only get it for the babies b/c they like it, but surely there is a better way to sell it. Also, I really hope you are able overcome the lard smell issue, it is such a good oil. I do smell it in the raw oil/when heated, but not in my soaps after FO is added. I think this conundrum is worth trying to work out.

 

[IrishLass]

Slightly o/t had to look this scent up. Is the black pepper noticeable? (My MiL has a perfume that is very heavy in black pepper and when I smell anything similar my chest gets tight and seems to trigger an anxiety type reaction.)

I don't smell black pepper at all when I smell this scent, but that's just my nose. For what it's worth, the note that stands out the most to me when I smell this scent is grapefruit, with a bunch of more subtler stuff going on in the background to keep it from smelling girly, but my nose is not fine-tuned enough to be able to make out what each of those subtler notes are that make it smell so wonderfully manly. If all the scent notes didn't happen to be mentioned on NG's site, I would have never known it had pepper in it.

This scent has become my son's 'signature' scent. I make an aftershave/cologne for him with it and it's all he likes to wear, scent-wise.


IrishLass

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Kumquat (BB)
Aussie bamboo grass (NG)
OMH (NG)
Lotus blossom (NG)
Beach type (I'm not sure where is it from, but I get it from Bigtreesuppluies)

 

[dillsandwitch]

Thanks all for the advice and all your favorite EO/FOs. I have just counted how many different scents I have 38 right now :S. I just cant decide on just a few. And Family are no help right now. DH doesn't care what soap he gets as long as it doesn't make him smell like a flower. My brothers and dad are the same and I'm currently not on speaking terms with my mum and sister ( my sister is a nut-job that convinced my mum she was more important than my dad and mum left him ) so I get no help there either

I went to the store today and could only find tallow so im all set to give it a go over the easter long weekend. I was thinking of just swapping out my Palm % to tallow. That would make it
OO 35%
CO 20%
Grapeseed 10% ( I have it and need to use it and sofar no DOS )
Castor 5%
Tallow 30%

Aussie bamboo grass (NG)
OMH (NG)
Lotus blossom (NG)

NG? Can I please have the website for this?

 

[fuzz-juzz]

NG - Natures garden sorry!
I'm pretty sure Lotus blossom and Aussie bamboo grass stocked by Bigtreesupplies are Natures Garden. I'm not sure OHM. I bought it directly from Natures garden in US. It was cheaper to get 500ml of FOs from them (+postage) than same amount from Bigtreesupplies.
I like FOs from Bigtreesupplies but they stopped stocking 20ml ones and 50ml ones are a bit expensive especially if it turns out you hate the scent.