Lard Recipe

[TashaBird]

Thank you all. I just ran all of these through SoapCalc w/33% Lye Concentration...hope that is what you are all using; if not, let me know.

I'm going to start with Obsidian's recipe, then I'll have to make a trip to the store to get more Lard.

@cmzaha - Not ready to try Tallow just yet...not sure where to purchase it and the current global pandemic isn't at a point where I need to start rendering my own. Kind of like learning to shear a sheep, clean the wool, card the wool, and spin it into yarn. In case of an apocalypse, I have two local yarn stores that I can clear out.

Tallow is my jam! I use it as the main fat in all my soaps and skin care, including a %100 tallow. I use lard, but only what I triple render from making bacon.

 

[Claudette Carignan]

I just cut (2 minutes ago) my first batch of soap I have ever made.

Lard 30%
Olive 35
Coconut 25
Avocado 5
Caster 5

My first soap please be kind. The white (TD) is loaded with glycerin rivers. Ill have to figure out what I did wrong.

It looks very pretty

 

[michael732]

It looks very pretty

Thank you.

 

[earlene]

Well, sort of.... More water, as I said previously makes the soap heat up quicker and stay hot longer. With excessive water, you need not CPOP, which actually could be a mess, because the soap can volcano. I do a steep water discount and in order to achieve full gel, I have to CPOP. This article explains water discounting well.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...DDUp72c2PtXRSgvKu4LmUCt8-shNOb85xeiSaQRJUKqC4

That link you have in 2 of your posts takes me to facebook. I don't think that's what you intended.

 

[Arimara]

That link you have in 2 of your posts takes me to facebook. I don't think that's what you intended.
View attachment 49281

Click the link and press "Follow Link". She bookedmarked the Article on to FB.

 

[Tasha]

I have been using Lard but I wouldn't say I have a lard soap ....What do you think it adds to the soap?
I know it is said to have a stable lather but I wanted to know if you guys see any major benefits aside from that?

 

[AliOop]

I have been using Lard but I wouldn't say I have a lard soap ....What do you think it adds to the soap?
I know it is said to have a stable lather but I wanted to know if you guys see any major benefits aside from that?

Lard is very gentle, and few people have negative reactions to it (as compared to OO or CO, for instance), so it's excellent for people with sensitive skin.

 

[DeeAnna]

Lard is an inexpensive source of stearic and palmitic acids -- these fatty acids are the reasons why a soap high in lard tends to be mild and long lasting with creamy lather.

 

[The_Phoenix]

I'm dipping my toes into making an animal fat/lard soap, starting toady. I've been hesitant because the FA profile hasn't wowed me (compared to other fats I use), but since everyone seems to love it in their soaps, what the heck, I'm game. And curious. Following this thread very closely. I'm excited to see how the resulting bar measures up to my other soaps. And I love how inexpensive it it.

Lard is very gentle, and few people have negative reactions to it (as compared to OO or CO, for instance), so it's excellent for people with sensitive skin.

This is a large reason why I want to try it. Some of my first soaps were high in CO and made my skin (and my testers' skin) itchy. The highest I go now in CO is 18% and keep "cleansing" around 14.

 

[TheGecko]

I'm dipping my toes into making an animal fat/lard soap, starting toady. I've been hesitant because the FA profile hasn't wowed me (compared to other fats I use), but since everyone seems to love it in their soaps, what the heck, I'm game. And curious. Following this thread very closely. I'm excited to see how the resulting bar measures up to my other soaps. And I love how inexpensive it it.

I made a batch...uncolored, unscented...and my testers loved it. One got upset after she found out that it contained Lard (ewwwwwwwwww), but she refused to give the bar back. LOL

 

[The_Phoenix]

I made a batch...uncolored, unscented...and my testers loved it. One got upset after she found out that it contained Lard (ewwwwwwwwww), but she refused to give the bar back. LOL

Since you didn't tell your testers beforehand about the lard, I'll not tell either. I generally don't tell them what the ingredients are (to prevent any sort of bias), though I do ask them if they are allergic to anything, just to be safe. And none of them are vegan.

I'm excited! From what I read, getting to emulsion with lard takes a bit longer. I'm expecting it so be slow moving like a Castille or Bastille. Did you find that to be the case?

 

[Tasha]

This is a large reason why I want to try it. Some of my first soaps were high in CO and made my skin (and my testers' skin) itchy. The highest I go now in CO is 18% and keep "cleansing" around 14.

Do you find you bars lack in bubbles or do you have a way to still get bubbles with the low CO and cleansing?

 

[The_Phoenix]

Do you find you bars lack in bubbles or do you have a way to still get bubbles with the low CO and cleansing?

I use honey in my soaps, which makes for lovely bubbles. I'll be testing sorbitol in my soaps this week. I also soap with beer, wine, fruit purees (and vegetable purees that contain natural sugars--pumpkin, carrots, etc.), and goat's milk, which helps create bubbles.

One reason coconut oil is so cleansing is because it is water soluble. Meaning, if you take solid coconut oil in your hands, rub it around to melt it, and rinse it off with water, the oil rinses away and does not leave an oily residue, and it takes with it any dirt you have on your hands. It is a fantastic makeup remover for that reason (even waterproof mascara). But, the trick with soap is that high CO removes natural oils in your skin, and that's generally what causes dryness. You want to cleanse away some of the natural oils to feel clean, but not too much.

If you tried the same experiment with olive oil, the oil does not rinse away. You'd actually have to use soap to get the olive oil off of your hands because the olive oil does not dissolve in water. That is why olive oil is such a wonderfully conditioning oil, though it can leave people feeling a little slimy.

Even with a low cleansing rating of your soap, the bubbles you create by incorporating additives is what breaks the surface tension between your skin, which ups the bubbles, thereby upping the cleansing properties. This is a very non-scientific way of explaining it. Hope that makes sense!

 

[AliOop]

Do you find you bars lack in bubbles or do you have a way to still get bubbles with the low CO and cleansing?

I use around 20% CO + 5% castor + 1 T sugar PPO with my lard soaps. As long as I cure them for at least 3 months, the lather is very good. However, I like them even better after 4, 5, and 6 months' cure.

 

[Dawni]

DOS happens to hot process soap too lol

I love my lard soap with 60% lard, 5% castor, 15% coconut and 20% RBO. It's my mom's favorite. It sells too. For some reason a lot of people here don't mind lard in their soaps - probably coz they love their fries cooked in it too haha

Incidentally, it's my cheapest soap to make as well lol as none of the above ingredients go beyond 5$ a kilo/liter where I am.

Another plus for me is it makes a very fluid HP soap you can design with. I did a couple of challenges meant for CP in HP with this recipe. And since it costs me so little, I don't mind so much if the swirls don't go as planned haha

 

[Becky1024]

Do you find you bars lack in bubbles or do you have a way to still get bubbles with the low CO and cleansing?

I add citric acid to my lye water as a chelator for soap scum. An added benefit is it increases bubbles in my 100% lard soap.

 

[Megan]

Do you find you bars lack in bubbles or do you have a way to still get bubbles with the low CO and cleansing?

My CO percentage and cleansing is about the same and bubbles are very good. I also don't have to use sugar to get a good lather.

 

[Tasha]

I add citric acid to my lye water as a chelator for soap scum. An added benefit is it increases bubbles in my 100% lard soap.

Interesting, I've never tried citric acid. I normally add dead sea salt for hardness and sugar for bubbles. I'll have to try the citric acid. What's the amount you put in ppo?

 

[SPowers]

I haven't done 100% lard but my go-to recipe is between 50-60%. I love it. All the benefits speak for themselves but working with it is a dream as well.

 

[Dawni]

Interesting, I've never tried citric acid. I normally add dead sea salt for hardness and sugar for bubbles. I'll have to try the citric acid. What's the amount you put in ppo?

Best place to learn about citric acid... And other soapy stuff
https://classicbells.com/soap/citricAcid.asp