Teach Soap

Hi I am a new cp soap maker, if the recipe calls for 110z beef tallow can I substitute with 11 oz pork lard.

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb

Hi Dee515!
Itotally agree with everything Lisa posted. Lard and tallow have very similar properties, but you do need to run the changes through a lye calculator. Have fun!

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

Thanks girls, I should be doing my Christmas shopping, but I just wanna make soap!!! I'm hooked

Making soap is FAR more fun than Christmas shopping! Enjoy!

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb

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

Yes you can use the lard and I agree with the above comments. Lard bars are just a bit softer than tallow. Both make excellent soap when cured. Lard bars will harden in the mold slower than the tallow. Also they can be cut a day or two later. Tallow needs to be cut as soon as cooled or it will become too hard. At least that is my experience.

Ok next ? Where can I get or buy beef tallow ready to use or do I have to render down on my own. This is a great site everyone is so helpful,thanks

You can get lard in buckets at wal-mart. Tallow you either get it at the meat market or order online. I would go with the lard idea to start with if you want to make your soap right away. Rendering tallow is time consuming.

You can get lard at most markets, but Walmart has a good supply in the baking aisle with the oils. You can also get coconut oil there. I personally will never make a bar of soap with lard because I am allergic to pork! (Okay, so I have a weird allergy--but it could kill me if I ate it and since skin is porous, I won't take a chance with lard.)

Lard is cheap and easier to find, for sure, but if you want beef tallow you can buy it online. Or rendering your own really isn't hard. I did it when I first started soaping...mostly because I just wanted the experience. It is a bit time consuming, but I didn't mind. I got the fat from the local meat market for free. I went in one day asked them if they'd mind holding the fat aside for me. After a few days I went and picked it up. If you have a lot to render you can freeze it for later, too. It made a nice bar of soap. There are a lot of tutorials online that tell you how to render it down. When I use any animal fats in my soap these days I use lard because of the convenience. But now I know how to render my own should I ever need to in the future.

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb

Thanks Lisa, soap is a new journey for me. Fiber has been my life for the last 30 years. I raise beef,hogs and goats with my family. My daughter wants to jump into making cheese,me soap. The beef fat would be available to me when we send to slaughter. It sounds like a process to render,so I think lard would be the best bet. To bad I have to work full time it gets in the way of everything lol. I love this forum!!!

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

Thank you!!!!

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb