Lard-ies...I need help

[Catastrophe]

I don't ever remember smelling pig when I was soaping. (And I've raised pigs, I know what they smell like.) But, the other day, I read a thread that talked about smelling piggy when using lard. I laughed it off.

Last night, when I made my first challenge attempt, I ran out of Armour lard and switched to Snow Cap. I've never used Snow Cap before. I melted my oils on the stove, and lo and behold I smelled pig

Tonight, I made a few pounds of soap for testing colors, and dang if I didn't smell pig again. (Again with Snow Cap)

I'm out of Armour, so I can't compare, and I bought like 40lbs of Snow Cap at Christmas because I got it cheap. I kept a few pounds in the fridge, and the rest is in the freezer.

My question is!!!! Those of you that smell piggy when you use lard...what BRAND of lard of you using? I guess I'm going to order some Armour to double check if I'm crazy and just suddenly smelling it because of reading that thread or if Snow Cap stinks :cry:

 

[CTAnton]

I can't speak as to the differences between those 2 suppliers but what comes to mind reading through a lot of threads over the years is that you really don't want to heat your lard to too high a temperature when melting. Seems all that does is bring out the "barnyard" smell in it. Just my 2 cents...

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Can't comment on those brands as I'm in Australia, but all lard will smell a bit when heated. It goes away in soap.
I tend to use home rendered lwrd when I can (my mum does it for me) and have no issues with smell. Shop bought has really bad smell, not as in being off, but possibly overheated, over processed or who knows really why. It might be up to a type of pigs used?
I personally don't find lard soaps piggy and if I did I wouldn't mind it. To me olive oil has more offensive smell lol, but that's just me.

 

[Susie]

I use Armour usually. But I have used Snow Cap in the past when it was cheaper. I got the same smell as when soaping with Armour. However, if I overheat even the Armour, I get more odor. But it is easily covered up by even small amount of EO or FO.

 

[Marshall]

I have been using Fischer's from a local grocery store. If I get the oils over 120 when warming them, I get the piggy smell or if I am cooking with it I can smell it.

That said, I have never smelled it in a finished soap product, even very lightly scented ones.

 

[leilaninoel]

I just picked up a 50lb box of lard from Soapers Choice ($0.90/lb? How could I not?!), and noticed even without heating that this smells much more like pig than the grocery-store bought lard I had previously worked with. I definitely don't notice the smell on the bars that I've used FO or EO with, I'll have to double check if I've made an unscented bar with that lard yet to see if that is also piggy-free.

 

[Catastrophe]

(I got my Snow Cap for $0.80/lb, that's why I bought all they had! It was cheaper than SC, which is where I was planning to order it)

Based on the responses here, I think it's a combination of two things. 1. I probably overheated and 2. Because of reading that thread, I noticed the smell. It's probably been there all along haha. 3. I DO have unscented bars, I saved one from the HP batch I made the little boy with eczema, and the bars I've been testing the mica in are unscented, and they do not have a smell (not even the ones I made less than 12 hours ago. Well, they smell like soap, not piggie.) The castile I made for the little boy, OTOH, DOES have a distinct smell, and I wouldn't call it a good smell.

Thank you, friends!

 

[Obsidian]

I've used both brands and I can smell piggy in snow cap, not bad and it never shows through in the finished soap. I use armour due to it being easy to find, snow cap and others brands are rare around here.

 

[BlackDog]

I've used Armour and Snowcap. I don't get a piggy smell from either (and I've asked friends who use my unscented soaps if the smell of it reminds them of anything - no one said "pig"). However now I use exclusively Snowcap because every. single. soap. I ever made with Armour got DOS after a few months' cure.

 

[lenarenee]

The smell isn't caused by what brand the lard is. There will be neutral smelling lard, and stinky lye from any company. It's the age of the pig, diet, position of fat on the body, etc that matters.

I've used many kinds of lard and all have had the good and the bad smell.

 

[reinbeau]

I render my own lard over low heat and never have smelled a piggy smell.