Lard recipes

[kmarvel]

I am sooo math challenged. Soapcalc is like a foreign language!! hahaha I get hung up on knowing how much oils to use for my molds. I have a 3 lb loaf mold, a 5 lb rectangle mold and my pringle can molds. I never know how much to put in which mold. ugh

 

[kmarvel]

I have used a recipe similar to Obsidian's (but a little less OO, and a little more lard) and I SF at 20%. I still got a nice, creamy lather, and my skin feels fantastic after a shower. I've only started using lard recently, but I love it!

I would like to start using lard in my soaps. Would you share your recipe please?? I would probably superfat at 20% also since I live in a dry area. (AZ).
Thank you.

Kathie

 

[kmarvel]

How much does this make?? What size mold?? And how would you add the sunflower oil and castor?? Reduce the amount of CCO?? Or OO?

 

[Seawolfe]

I've recently found a source of really nice quality inexpensive manteca, or lard. I used it as the main part of a recipe and got a lot of compliments on it. Its just 80% lard, 15% coconut oil, 5% castor oil and 5% superfat - its really mild and gentle on the skin.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

How much does this make?? What size mold?? And how would you add the sunflower oil and castor?? Reduce the amount of CCO?? Or OO?

As it is %, it can make what ever size batch that you want it to

There is a sticky at the top of each page on this particular forum that has a calculation for working out the amount of oil needed for a certain size (dimensions, not weight) mould.

When looking to change out some oil for another, you can always use soap calc to look at the properties and work out how much of which oil to reduce - then it will be there for working out the new lye amount, too.

 

[scotsman]

I use lard in all my non-vegan soaps. In my opinion, it makes the best bar if soap out of all the oils I've experimented with...animal or non. I use a fairly high % of lard as well as a high % of coconut oil. I have dry skin and even so the coconut oil does not bother my skin at all. Never noticed a 'porky' smell, even in the unscented bars I make. It makes one of the nicest bars of soap I've ever used and is fairly cheap to make. Here is my basic recipe:

40% Lard(Manteca)
30% Coconut Oil
25% Extra Virgin Olive Oil(regular OO is ok too)
5% Castor Oil
5% Super fat

Sometimes I will sub 5% Red palm butter or 5% cocoa butter for 5% of the OO for extra moisturizing. Be mindful that red palm butter will color your soap a pale yellow and anything above 8% and you run the risk of staining washcloths. At 5% I find that it provides wonderful moisturizing without fear of any staining issues. This recipe makes a very hard, long-lasting, mild bar of soap with wonderful lather. If CO bothers your skin you can reduce it and increase the lard and OO or replace it altogether with palm oil.

 

[kmarvel]

Thanks everyone for the recipes for lard. ahhhhhh.....the dreaded scary soapcalc again. lol Seawolfe, I will definitely go look for that sticky. Thanks again.

Kathie

 

[kmarvel]

So the lard actually takes the place of using Palm oil, correct??

 

[Susie]

Yes, lard and palm oil are often substituted for one another. But, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS run every recipe through SoapCalc every time the least thing is changed!

 

[Seawolfe]

Keep playing with soap calc (or any calculator) and pushing buttons and asking questions until it becomes your friend!

I actually used this calculator for my first few batches because I didnt understand Soap Calc, and it did help me figure out what was going on: http://naturalsoapboutique.com/soapcalculator/ The downside is it doesn't give you the options to work in percentages like Soap Calc, you have to figure those out on your own.

 

[kmarvel]

So, how would I incorporate shea butter into this recipe?? Reduce the lard?? Or the CCO?

 

[scotsman]

Depending upon what properties you are going for, either would be fine...or a little of both

 

[kmarvel]

Seawolfe.

Getting comfy with soapcalc. (Thank you)
Getting some fresh lard from a friend who raises pigs and goats.
Will be making a 3 lb loaf this weekend with your recipe.

Kathie

 

[Seawolfe]

Oh awesome!! I can spend hours fiddling with soap calc.
If you want to save your recipes to your computer, save them as a pdf. If your computer doesn't give you that option when you hit print, there's a few free pdf creator software that will.
I think you'll really like the lard soap. Mines getting used up fast so I made another 4 lb batch.

 

[kmarvel]

I have made an excel spreadsheet that almost mirrors the soapcalc recipe when complete. I am saving the recipes for future batches. Sure is helpful.

 

[scotsman]

I'm having the guys in my kitchen at work save all the bacon grease for me as there is always a lot and it would otherwise be thrown away. Once I get enough I'm going to fully render and deodorize it and play around with it in some soap recipes. I already have about 5 lbs saved but by the end of next week I should have close to 15...all free so I hope it works. Definitely would save me a lot of money since I use lard extensively.

 

[kmarvel]

dreamsoap, I felt the same way as you a couple of weeks ago. Seawolfe here on the forum kind of made it easier for me. I think the trick is up at the top check the oz's for the oils, 38% for water/lye and superfat to whatever you want.
If you know how many oz your mold holds you can play around with the numbers to get what you need.
Soapcalc isn't so scary anymore. haha

 

[kmarvel]

Obsidian,

I am curious. If you have dry skin, why would you superfat at 8%?? Does this make the bar of soap more drying or more moisturizing??

 

[cmzaha]

This is my basic lard recipe. I am not a big fan of high OO percentages. Lard, 40%, RBO (rice bran oil), 20%, Coconut or pko 18%, Palm 17% , castor 5% with a 3% superfat (also not a fan of high superfat). This has a cleansing of 13 on soapcalc scale. To high a superfat with this recipe will really deter lather

 

[Susie]

Obsidian,

I am curious. If you have dry skin, why would you superfat at 8%?? Does this make the bar of soap more drying or more moisturizing??

The amount of superfat is an individual decision. The higher the superfat, the more conditioning.(soap will not add moisture, so it is not "moisturizing") But, I think, for non-salt bar recipes, most of us superfat between 3-10%.