Blue1969
Well-Known Member
All the info I have found thus far on salt bars as well as soleseife uses coconut oil. Has anybody ever tried using only tallow?
Tallow salt bars
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Hi @Blue1969 Unfortunately, salt kills lather. That's why salt soap recipes always use a high-lathering oil like CO or PKO as the majority oil. If you were to use only tallow, your salt soap won't lather much, if at all. Which is sad, since I'm a tallow-lover myself. It does make really nice balms and salves. Have you tried making any of those yet?
Blue1969
Well-Known Member
No I haven't. Currently sticking to soap. In South Africa "Boerseep", a traditional Beef Tallow soap is very popular, so I am trying all kinds of twists on it. My normal 100% tallow lathers well, I do add sugar for lather. - think I must try 1 minature bar and see?
Your 100% tallow soap with sugar lathers well bc it has sugar - and no salt.
CO has lots of the fatty acids with strong lathering power that stand up against the salt’s anti-lather effect. Sadly, tallow doesn’t. You can see that when you compare their fatty acids in the soap calculator.
But I do encourage you try a micro-batch, and to us know how it goes. It is fun to experiment and compare!
Blue1969
Well-Known Member
Love the experimenting probably more than making batches of the same soap! 
Nope, take my word for it that it will not work and is a waste of ingredients and time. I have made salt bars almost since I started soapmaking, before they were really popular and I have tried almost everything. You need one of the bubbly oils such as PKO, CO, Babassu or a combo of such of at least 85%.
Blue1969
Well-Known Member
And using 100% tallow for soleseife?
Soleseife is also soap made with an excess of table salt. Just because the salt is initially dissolved in water doesn't change the chemistry.
You'll have the same problem with tallow soleseife soap (made with table-salt brine) as you would with tallow salt bars (made with solid salt).
The lauric and myristic fatty acids in coconut, babassu, palm kernel oils have the ability to make soap that remains fairly soluble in salty water. That's why salt-based soap recipes have a high percentage of one or more of these particular fats.
Soap made from fats higher in palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic fatty acids become almost completely insoluble in salty water. These fats include lard, tallow, palm, nut butters, olive oil, and other liquid oils.
You'll have the same problem with tallow soleseife soap (made with table-salt brine) as you would with tallow salt bars (made with solid salt).
The lauric and myristic fatty acids in coconut, babassu, palm kernel oils have the ability to make soap that remains fairly soluble in salty water. That's why salt-based soap recipes have a high percentage of one or more of these particular fats.
Soap made from fats higher in palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic fatty acids become almost completely insoluble in salty water. These fats include lard, tallow, palm, nut butters, olive oil, and other liquid oils.
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Blue1969
Well-Known Member
Thanx everybody! I really appreciate the advice!
DeeAnna is so much better at answering than me!! I give the nitty gritty answer, while DeeAnna gives the great explanation as to why! Although I do know the why.
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