Lard vs. Tallow

[Buckscent]

so I have a lot of people that ask me if my soap has lard, now this large group of people are Muslim and can’t use it with lard. So I’m trying to find an equal replacement for it. I thought about palm but a lot of environmentally conscious people don’t want palm. So I was thinking tallow, can’t find a group of people that would have a problem with tallow. Well I guess vegans but the other groups seem to have them outnumbered, at least where I am. So i think tallow is the best replacement for lard? I also want a slow trace and I get that with lard. Just need some ideas and feedback. Thanks

 

[lenarenee]

Yes, tallow, but not necessarily the same proportion as lard. I’ve rarely gone above 25%, so let’s hear what the more tallow experienced have to say. Tallow has a small bit of the fatty acids that make big bubbles, so I reduce the coconut oil just a little. It does not have the thick lather lard does. I love the look and crisp hardness of a high tallow bar!

Some people here are big fans of soy wax, so search for threads with soy wax. I haven’t tried it.

Also search for non palm vegan recipes on SMF, which use cocoa or Shea butter.

 

[Buckscent]

Yea I made a small loaf tonight and we’ll see how it does. It did trace slow but I didn’t do to much to it as it is just a test loaf. Here is the recipe I used

 

[Primrose]

I use both tallow and lard, separately and together

From my experience:

Tallow gives a slightly harder bar
Tallow is more cleansing (stripping) than lard
Tallow has a larger more open, fluffy lather compared to the dense creamy lather of lard
Tallow traces faster than lard

I have mostly been using beef tallow and now experimenting with goat tallow, I can say the goat tallow is significantly harder and more stripping than the beef tallow.

 

[lenarenee]

Intriguing recipe! I can't wait to hear how you like it. I haven't used apricot oil in a long time.

 

[Buckscent]

I soaped it today. Seemed very good, no issues at all I didn’t do anything detailed. Just a couple colors but it took a few minutes and tracing was still good. I could tell towards the end of my pour I was getting to a thick trace. Don’t think it will be a good slow recipe but have to find something. I’ll post a pic in a little while