Teach Soap

So far all the soap I have made has been with oils and butters but now I would like to try using Lard. Can some one tell me the best ratio of Lard to use please. Thanks, Brenda

A typical recipe for me might include 30% coconut oil, 30% lard, 35% rice bran or olive oil and 5% Castor oil.

Thank you lsg, that's just what I wanted to know. Do you notice much of a difference with Lard and if so in what way?

I use lard most of the time - I have a few vegetarians friends and that is when I change my reciepe. My best bars seem to be 30-31% I have gone as high as 40% but I would recommend staying under 35%. As for a difference, it makes for a whiter bar, nice and firm but glides on the skin very well. It is also easy on the pocket book! Some how I think it takes us back to the roots of soaping, but that is the romantic in me! I have not been able to give up meat in my diet so it is nice to know that all of the animal is used - not wasted.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I agree with what Bubbles2 says. Lard makes a nice hard bar that is gentle to the skin and lathers well when combined with coconut and Castor oils. I have also found that most recipes including lard are easy to work with, in that the soap doesn't come to a thick trace too quickly. I try to include lard in most of my soap. My son sometimes sells my soap for me at the flea market, then I always try to include several soaps without animals fats, but my favorite bars usually contain lard.

I've never used lard, but I use beef tallow, which I render myself.

Pretty much what the others said - hard white bar with lovely lather. I always use a bit (about 5%) cocoa butter, and even if my tallow soap is unscented, it has a nice, kind of creamy smell to it, nothing "meaty" at all.

I use about 30% tallow in my recipes, so I imagine lard would be similar.

Anita

I also use lard in most of my soaps (or Walmart Great Value brand shortening with beef tallow and palm oil) and use it at 30-40% of my recipe. I took a recipe I liked that used palm oil and went on soapcalc.net and substituted lard for the palm in various percentages until I got a soap with the same qualities. My favorite recipe is 35% lard, 35% olive, 25% coconut, and 5% castor.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!