Palm/Tallow/Lard

[tlm884]

Would there be an advantage to using both palm and tallow/lard in a soap formula or are they interchangeable? To be honest, if I seen "saponified oils of lard" on a soap recipe I would be like... ewww pig fat. I know it makes great soap but the label appeal just isn't the same as palm oil but palm on the other hand is another can of works.

Plus lard/tallow is easier to come by!

 

[adoptapitbull]

Some store brand shortening contains both palm and tallow. It's what I use all the time. You could just add "shortening" to your ingredient list. If someone asks what kind, just say animal or vegetable. I love it for its price and availability!

 

[soapbuddy]

Some store brand shortening contains both palm and tallow. It's what I use all the time. You could just add "shortening" to your ingredient list. If someone asks what kind, just say animal or vegetable. I love it for its price and availability!

You need more then just "shortening" on your ingredient list. You need to list all the oils used.

 

[adoptapitbull]

But if you use shortening in your recipe, you don't list every ingredient of the shortening. I'm not saying to only write "shortening", I'm saying to write, "olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, shortening".

 

[soapbuddy]

But if you use shortening in your recipe, you don't list every ingredient of the shortening. I'm not saying to only write "shortening", I'm saying to write, "olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, shortening".

No. The word "shortening" is not considered an ingredient, since there are more then one type of shortenings available and it has more then one ingredient in it. ie: soybean/cottonseed. palm/tallow etc...

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I would be very upset to buy a soap that had animal ingredients in it that werent listed. I just assume shortening is vegetable. I personally wouldnt buy it because I know what to look for, but someone else might.

 

[BlondeSquirrel]

I think that saying "saponified" instead of listing "lye" as an ingredient is more deceptive than which type of shortening. But, hey, that's just me!

 

[tlm884]

In Canada the label has to state the Chemical name of the soap. For Example

Ingredients: Sodium Lardate, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Castorate, Mica, Iron Oxide, Parfum

 

[IrishLass]

I think that saying "saponified" instead of listing "lye" as an ingredient is more deceptive than which type of shortening. But, hey, that's just me!

If you are making soap just for yourself, that is perfectly fine 8) , but if you are in the market to sell your soap or even if you are just giving it away, these are the kinds of things one needs to be mightily careful and consciencious about when it comes to labeling. Most consumers don't grade you on whether you are more deceptive or less deceptive. They want to make sure that what they are buying was made with what is listed on the package. This is especially true if someone is allergic to a specific ingredient, or if someone belongs to a certain religion that avoids all pork products, such as Jewish and Muslim folk who would be be mightily offended at having used a lard soap that did not list lard on the label.

Some shortenings are made with soy and others are not. Many people are allergic to soy products and go out of their way to avoid them, so just listing 'shortening' instead of disclosing what the shortening was made of could on one end be potentially dangerous depending on the severity of a person's allergy, and on the other end, be upsetting enough so that they take their business elsewhere and warn all their friends, or even swear off handmade soap altogether.


IrishLass

 

[carebear]

I think that saying "saponified" instead of listing "lye" as an ingredient is more deceptive than which type of shortening. But, hey, that's just me!

deceptive - we can argue semantics all day - but absolutely inaccurate. remember, some of the fats are NOT saponified.

 

[tlm884]

If I ever went to market with my soaps I would exactly what oils were used in the soap. What I meant by are palm oil and lard/tallow interchangable I meant property wise. Can you use lard instead of palm and get the same properties of a palm soap and vice versa.

 

[carebear]

lard and palm are very similar in soap - essentially identical. I find tallow to make bars a bit harder, depending on how much is used in the soap.

 

[tlm884]

I just ordered some palm for the first time and it should be here Monday so I am going to use it and compare it to my bars made with lard. I like using lard because Its easy to get, the only problem is it contains BHA, BHT, and citric acid, which If I ever sold my soaps I woudln't want them in there but I could always render lard myself if needed

 

[JackiK]

If I ever went to market with my soaps I would exactly what oils were used in the soap. What I meant by are palm oil and lard/tallow interchangable I meant property wise. Can you use lard instead of palm and get the same properties of a palm soap and vice versa.

On soapcalc.com, the recipes for a lard or palm base are almost identical. I actually prefer the lard.

 

[PippiL]

I always label my soaps,but you are actually not required to do so, or am I wrong???? :roll:

 

[tlm884]

It depends on the country you live in. In Canada, homemade soap is considered a cosmetic and there is a document length of my arm on how to label products.

 

[Maythorn]

I never thought ewww about lard and never would. I grew up with lard used in cooking. For soap I don't regard it any differently than tallow or emu oil or the various milks. They are all just animal-derived ingredients. Things I've read about how palm is harvested do concern me though and makes me wonder if the kind used in any given bar of soap was environmentally considerate or not.

 

[soapbuddy]

I always label my soaps,but you are actually not required to do so, or am I wrong???? :roll:

In the US, just as long as it's a true soap, you don't have to list ingredients. Most of us are proud of the oils and butters that we use, so we list them. It's good to put all the ingredients on the label for those that have allergies.

 

[PippiL]

I feel more comfortable as well, to label my soaps.
I truly understand the importants of allergies,but sometimes you can't list every FO you are using,since I do love to make combinations.But I record everything I'm using.People who sue, are just gold diggers ( one word?)....my son got a horrible rash,when he was little from the Fructis shampoo,when it first came out. He had blisters all over his body,inside his mouth,eyes and lips were swollen,it's just unfortunate...you never know.But insurance is VERY IMPORTANT !!!

 

[Fyrja]

I would be very upset to buy a soap that had animal ingredients in it that werent listed. I just assume shortening is vegetable. I personally wouldnt buy it because I know what to look for, but someone else might.

Shortening is not always vegetable, you should always list the ingredients that are in the shortening instead of just saying shortening.

I buy great value shortening from Walmart. If you look at the label there are two kinds, just "shortening" which contains tallow, and then one that is labelled "vegetable shortening" which is palm, soybean etc.

I have quite a few vegan and vegetarian friends, so I make sure that I read all the ingredients and list them clearly. I love LOVE lard in soap, but I'd never ever trick them into using something that is against their beliefs.