Help with a lard recipe

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I read somewhere, maybe here, not to heat the lard over 120% or it would smell funny, is there validity to this? Should it not be used in hp?

I do HP as in really hot, Hot lard do smell, but as soon it is soap the smell goes away, i have never had at soap that smelled like lard
 
My lye is almost always room temp. I masterbatch it most of the time. If not masterbatched then it's just slightly warm to the touch on the outside of the container.
Do you think this would end up being similar to the temperature in my method? That is to pour fresh mixed lye water over hard oils, stir till melted, add liquid oils and begin. I guess I can't get away from checking temps with the infra red and when I begin soaping it is between 104 and 108.
 
What temperature is your lye water when you add to your oils?
Whatever the room temp is because I masterbatch my lye as well. The ambient temperature of my lab (basement) is about 65-70(ish) in the winter, and about 75-80ish in the summer (I hate heat and AC so it's rare it's on and I have the vent blocked off down there so if it is on it doesn't reach down there)
So I soap with the room temp oils and the room temp lye.
The only exception to that is when I soap with either beer or milk, and then my lye is significantly cooler because I freeze both.
 
Do you think this would end up being similar to the temperature in my method? That is to pour fresh mixed lye water over hard oils, stir till melted, add liquid oils and begin. I guess I can't get away from checking temps with the infra red and when I begin soaping it is between 104 and 108.
That's what's called the heat transfer method. You are using the heat of the lye to melt your oils. A lot of soapers use that method.
 
Whatever the room temp is because I masterbatch my lye as well. The ambient temperature of my lab (basement) is about 65-70(ish) in the winter, and about 75-80ish in the summer (I hate heat and AC so it's rare it's on and I have the vent blocked off down there so if it is on it doesn't reach down there)
So I soap with the room temp oils and the room temp lye.
The only exception to that is when I soap with either beer or milk, and then my lye is significantly cooler because I freeze both.
Do you gel your soaps then? I don't gel.
 
Got it. Strange how each one does a little different. As I said I soap between 104 & 108, 34.5% lye solution, then just sit on the counter uncovered. No gel and rarely any ash.
 
Your recipe is fine but I'm with Obsidian- 50% Lard makes it the star of the soap (I took off today. I did not want to risk a bad drive home). Generally speaking, lard adds an air of luxury that really can't be replicated and while I do not go for 100% lard soaps, high amounts of lard in a soap is great for my body. As for avocado oil in soap, I find that avocado oil adds a slip or feel that is noticeably absent when I use straight olive oil. Pair that with rice bran oil and you have an interesting soap to work with.
 
Your recipe is fine but I'm with Obsidian- 50% Lard makes it the star of the soap (I took off today. I did not want to risk a bad drive home). Generally speaking, lard adds an air of luxury that really can't be replicated and while I do not go for 100% lard soaps, high amounts of lard in a soap is great for my body. As for avocado oil in soap, I find that avocado oil adds a slip or feel that is noticeably absent when I use straight olive oil. Pair that with rice bran oil and you have an interesting soap to work with.
Hmmm... I think I will go with 50% then, how much coconut would you recommend with that? I may do the remainder avocado and a little castor. How would that be, with no oo?
 
If this is your first lard soap, I'd keep the other elements as close to what you usually use as possible. That gives you a good look at what lard can do.

If you usually mix oo and ao together, if you didn't this time then how would you know what the lard was bringing to the party? If you usually use co at 20% and castor at 5, keep those the same, too.

Next time you can try another change to see how that works out. Changing more than one thing at a time means that you don't know what change caused which effect
 
If this is your first lard soap, I'd keep the other elements as close to what you usually use as possible. That gives you a good look at what lard can do.

If you usually mix oo and ao together, if you didn't this time then how would you know what the lard was bringing to the party? If you usually use co at 20% and castor at 5, keep those the same, too.

Next time you can try another change to see how that works out. Changing more than one thing at a time means that you don't know what change caused which effect
VERY good point!
 
I agree with Craig (TEG), keep everything else like your regular recipe just switching out lard for palm. See how you like it and then make changes from there.
Oh!! Ok, I get it!! I wasn't sure which oils to forgo in order to add lard. So I should replace the palm with it. I usually use about 30% palm or crisco, so that's what I will replace, thanx!!
 
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