# Lard Soap Recipe?



## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

Hi guys.  Does anyone on here have a good recipe for soap made with lard? I've found one recipe that might work, but I wanted to check with y'all first to see if anyone might have a better recipe. A family near me just asked if I could turn their 120 lbs. of lard into soap for them (Yeah, I know; that's a huge amount! :shocked: ), and I said I would give it a shot!


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## KentuckyGirl (Sep 21, 2011)

This link has a simple recipe. I've never made it though.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/soaprecipes.htm


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## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

Thank you! I like that recipe much better than the original one I found! But, I don't have any canola oil (have everything else, though), does anyone know if I can replace that with a different oil? Or just do more of one of the other oils? :shrug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Canola can be subbed with vegetable oil...but please, use a lye calculator when subbing oils. I use the one at Brambleberry.com

Heres a very simple tried and true recipe posted here at TGS I've tried it and it IS a good simple soap...you can sub water for the milk



K-Ro said:


> This is the simple recipe I use, so far it has been a 'no fail' soap recipe.
> 
> 2oz lye
> 3/4 cup goat milk
> ...


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

Fiascofarm.com has a very good recipe.


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## JessaLynn (Aug 30, 2009)

I have used the recipe above and it comes out pretty good


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## Mandara Farm (Sep 12, 2010)

Speaking of soap recipes... What is Lye for? I know it's pretty caustic stuff -- are there any recipes out there without it, and are they any good?


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## Frosty1 (Jul 12, 2011)

I'm not exactly sure what part the lye plays in soap making, but I have never heard of a recipe that doesn't use it. :shrug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Sodium Hydroxide...Lye, is what creates the "saponification" process...this process is what blends the fats into soap, all soap is made with lye and there are various forms of different chemicals that do what lye does...including those "gentle" expensive bars bought from the store.


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## Mandara Farm (Sep 12, 2010)

Thank for the info Liz! I just checked Google and came up with this info for those who might be interested in lye vs. non-lye soaps:

Why Use Lye for Soapmaking?
Lye is an essential ingredient for converting oils and fats in soap. Without it, the soap would not be able to break down when it comes into contact with water; it is commonly used in commercial soapmaking to bind all of the ingredients together; it is a very caustic agent, and can cause skin burns if too much is used in a particular mixture. Lye is traditionally used for lard-based soaps, and is often used to create the classic, ‘rugged’ style soap bars. When it is present in soap in the right quantities, lye soap can help relieve poison ivy rashes, reduce the symptoms of eczema, kill fleas and danger on bets, and may even work better than bleach to remove stains. 

However, lye can be a particularly abrasive ingredient; if you are interested in making light and delicate soaps using everyday ingredients, herbal ingredients and essential oils, you can make bars of soap without lye. This process is often called ‘rebatching’ or melt-and-pour method, because you will be melting glycerin and other products into molds, and do not need to undergo the traditional soapmaking process. Many people who make hand-milled soap or handcrafted soaps rely on this process.

Benefits of Making Soap Without Lye
Lye-free soap is generally much gentler on the skin and soap makers can use a variety of essential oils and herbal ingredients to make delicately scented soap products. Lye-free soap has other benefits; you can:

Use the ingredients to make very detailed soap designs 
Use a variety of colors 
Use freeze-dried fruits and vegetables in the soap 
Use dried petals and flowers 
Use intricate molds for the soap 
Enjoy the soap right after the molding process is complete!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

"Rebatch" is a process I do to make my Jewelweed soap.....it is done by taking the shavings from my GM soap bars and re-melting them with a Jewelweed Tea, it is then poured into molds and can be used as soon as it hardens.

The melt and pour type soaps that can be bought in craft stores and the blocks cut and melted..and all those herbs, etc. added to them and then molded are made with the same process that "homemade" soaps are made with....you just aren't the one handling the lye, the scientific/intricate part of the soap making process is already done and the block of melt and pour is ready to be used as is or melted and poured into other molds. 

Glycerin "soap" is made the same way.... all home made cold process soap has glycerin, with store bought soap the glycerin is removed as a "by product" and used in other products, it still take sodium hydroxide to remove glycerin from fats.
Glycerin is also a by product when making "bio-diesel" out of used cooking oil....sodium hydroxide is used to process the oil and to remove the glycerin.


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## Goat Song (May 4, 2011)

Thank you guys for all the recipes! Hehe, turns out that the guy has 160 lbs of lard, not 120 lbs. :doh: So I'm going to do a lot of experimenting between these recipes and see what turns out best! Should be fun!


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## Mandara Farm (Sep 12, 2010)

Wowza! Have fun and let us know what you come up with! :thumb:


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## cherylene (Mar 30, 2015)

liz said:


> Canola can be subbed with vegetable oil...but please, use a lye calculator when subbing oils. I use the one at Brambleberry.com
> 
> Heres a very simple tried and true recipe posted here at TGS I've tried it and it IS a good simple soap...you can sub water for the milk


So in this recipe...after bringing to trace do you leave it alone until it bubbles and stir or is it done?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

This was a really old post, don't know if those posters are still around!


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

After you reach trace, like thick pudding you pour into your molds, wait 24 hours or so and unmold. Let it cure 4 - 6 weeks before use, you can zap test it as it is curing to make sure it is not lye heavy, just give it a quick lick.


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