Grease smell

[Supermomx6]

Rendered fat down and attempted a lotion recipe but I can still smell the grease, even after adding lemongrass and cedar wood. Any suggestions?

 

[lsg]

I render lard and tallow for soap; but never for lotion. What kind of fat did you render? Was it fresh?

 

[AliOop]

I have used tallow at 100% in body butters, but only in small amounts in lotion. I have learned that if the tallow has any smell to it at all beforehand, that smell will definitely carry through to the finished product, no matter how much other scent you add.

For that reason, if I'm going to use my home-rendered tallow for either of those products, I try to use just the kidney fat, as it is less odiferous, and I also put it through extra rounds of cleaning with water, salt, and sometimes a pinch of bicarb.

 

[LizzardBlizzard]

Rendered fat down and attempted a lotion recipe but I can still smell the grease, even after adding lemongrass and cedar wood. Any suggestions?

I've had some moderate success rendering the tallow in a crockpot with water, salt, and a cut potato. I still found I had to go through the render 3-4 times before the grease smell really disappated. I know there were other people that go for even more renders than that to really get that scent out of there.

As far as your current batch goes, if lemongrass and cedar aren't enough, I'm not sure much else in my book could save it at this point. If it was mine, I'd scrap it.

 

[Supermomx6]

I am using pig fat. It is very fresh and clean.

 

[AliOop]

I am using pig fat. It is very fresh and clean.

I do have the same issue with lard as well as tallow. If I don't clean it enough times to eliminate all smell, it will carry through in lotions or balms. Never in soap tho.