Playing around with lard

[Saponista]

I make lard olive and sunflower bars as I am not keen on coconut either. They lather and clean perfectly well without the coconut. I use them with a shower sponge.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Hmmm... I have sunflower oil...

 

[zolveria]

Oh the SUGAR yes

SUGAR SUGAR OOOOOOH BUBBLY BUBBLY YOU ARE MY BUBBLY GIRL AND I WANT YOU SUDSING ME

LOL

 

[Susie]

So I have been using the following for a while and really like it after a 6 month cure:

Lard 75%
Olive oil 10%
Coconut oil 10%
Castor oil 5%
Superfat at 7%

But, I find that I can't tolerate even 10% CO long term. I'm fine for a few days, but after a week or so I start to get itchy again, especially if I have to take an extra shower one or two days (yeah, it happens). :sad:
So I'm thinking about dropping the CO out all together, something like:

80% Lard
15%OO
5% Castor

Is it even worth adding the Castor without any CO for it to work with? I might try adding a Tblsp of sugar PPO just for giggles.
Thoughts?

I am going to have to ask what other ingredients are in that soap that makes you itchy, just to be able to answer the question about the second recipe(which should be fine, I would add the sugar, though).

 

[Arthur Dent]

Thanks for the sugar reminder. Is 1Tbsp PPO enough?

 

[Arthur Dent]

No other ingredients Susie, no scents or colors, just the oils, water, and lye.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Is it even worth adding the Castor without any CO for it to work with?..."

Castor enhances any lather made by the other soaps. If lard soap and olive oil soap can make lather (and of course they do!) then castor can enhance that lather. I'd sure use it -- and Susie is right the sugar will help too.

 

[OliveOil2]

You can get PKO at Wholesale Supplies Plus, I make a soap for my brother-in-law just using lard, olive oil ,Palm Kernel, and castor. He can't use soaps with coconut, but the PKO doesn't bother him.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Thanks everyone for all the input. It's in the mold now:

80% Lard
15%OO
5% Castor
SF 7%
1 Tblsp sugar PPO
No scent or colors

I'll save the sunflower oil for another time.
This is my first time using sugar, it will be interesting to see how this works out.

 

[Arthur Dent]

I cut this soap tonight. It's a little hard to see in this photo, but it looks like it only partially gelled unless I am mistaken. I'm a little surprised, considering the added sugar and the wooden mold. Oh well, I don't really care as long as it turns out to be nice soap. It sure smells good. I didn't add any scent, I just like the smell of fresh cut high lard soap.

 

[Saponomancer]

That is a nice creamy white bar, and yeah thats partial gel!

 

[Arthur Dent]

By the way, I was out of lard when I wanted to make this batch and didn't want to drive the 30 miles to Wal-Mart. I went to the local grocery store, it's only 17 miles away. The lard there was almost $11 for 4 pounds whereas Wal-Mart's is under $6. Yikes!
So this was a pricy batch of soap.

 

[Jstar]

Yup, it can get expensive

I render my own lard and tallow from suet I get from my grocery butcher

 

[DeeAnna]

"...I just like the smell of fresh cut high lard soap. ..."

Me too, Arthur. It reminds me of my childhood when my grandmother made her lye and lard soap -- a warm, pleasant scent evocative of golden summer days spent with my grandparents as they did their daily routine on their farm.

I've never thought a lard soap had the objectionable "piggy" odor that some people love to hate so much. Maybe because I helped my grandfather with chores on his hog farm when I was a teen. Also both of my brothers are hog farmers today. I know all too well what real piggy odor is like!

 

[TeresaT]

"...I just like the smell of fresh cut high lard soap. ..."

Me too, Arthur. It reminds me of my childhood when my grandmother made her lye and lard soap -- a warm, pleasant scent evocative of golden summer days spent with my grandparents as they did their daily routine on their farm.

I've never thought a lard soap had the objectionable "piggy" odor that some people love to hate so much. Maybe because I helped my grandfather with chores on his hog farm when I was a teen. Also both of my brothers are hog farmers today. I know all too well what real piggy odor is like!

This is a great post. Scents are amazing in that they can trigger intense emotions, bring back fond memories or terrible times. I remember a friend lived south east of a pig farm when I was a kid growing up. Summers were horrible if the wind was blowing wrong! Some people in the neighborhood complained, but the hogs were there for 20 years before the fancy houses showed up. Two of my favorite scents are sweaty horses and a horse barn. It just brings back wonderful memories and, even though they can stink to high heaven, I always think of it as a "clean" smell. Maybe "genuine" would be more accurate.

 

[DeeAnna]

Mmmmmmm.... Warm horse smell ...yes!!!!

 

[Jstar]

Oh! I LOVE horse smell..that has to be one of my all time fave smells..my family, mainly my sister thinks they stink but I love it

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Another vote for horse smell, mixed with some hay and leather.

 

[nogud247]

I agree fully with the horse, hay, and leather. Reminds me of my uncles farm. Worked our butts off but I've never had more fun.

 

[Arthur Dent]

I'm the same way with the smell of horses and cows. My wife has learned to accept my reaction over the years and just let me stand there and smell for a few moments.
I also have the same reaction to the posts here about the "piggy" smell as DeeAnna. There is a smell imparted to soaps by a high lard content, but I do not find it objectionable, and it certainly smells nothing like pigs .