Ultra-Basic Soap Making Recipe Needed

[Piedmont]

Ultra-Basic soap making recipe with instructions for first ever excursion into making soap.

I have lard shortening from pork and just ordered lye. Don't want fragrances nor coloring.

Figure starting with about 5 pounds of lard, than whatever lye/water is needed. I want to use the technique that uses heat so I don't have to wait so long before soap is usable.

I have an inexpensive scale to measure with and a digital thermometer. I plan on buying an electric stir stick.

Also, any help to calculate a mold box that will be sized for this recipe of 5 pounds of lard so that I can get nice rectangular bars about 4 oz. would be great!
Thanks! Piedmont

Thanks everyone! This seems to be a major gray area and I will try the all pork lard recipes. I will report back with results. One other question, I was on a web site and it said soap made with all pork fat did not clean well which threw me.
http://www.soap-making-resource.com/lar ... aking.html

 

[Val]

Is lard all you want to use for your soap?

If not what other oils would you like to use.

Here is a link to the soap calc where you can enter the oil amounts and it will give you the lye and water amounts you will need.

http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcwp.asp

I suggest using a 2 pound batch. It is addicting and you will want to make more :wink:

I hope you have read some information on how to do the type of soap your wanting to make. Cold process = CP, Crock Pot Hot Process = CPHP etc.



Val

 

[heartsong]

x

hi there!

www.soap-making-essentials.com has a wealth of info and recipes.

this will give you an overview of soapmaking.

in our soap recipe and tutorials forum you'll find many recipes, including soapmaker man's WALMART SOAP. everything you need can be bought at walmart or any large grocery outlet.

 

[Piedmont]

Has to be pork lard.

Is lard all you want to use for your soap?

SNIP
Val[/quote

Pork lard is the only fat I want to use. I have Googled many soap making sites and as of yet cannot find a step by step recipe for pork lard which is why I'm here.

 

[heartsong]

x

you probably wont find an "all lard" recipe, because it will produce a soft, sometimes smelly inferior bar of soap with negligable slimey lather.

using lard as a component of a recipe-like 20-30% can produce excellent results.

if you just want lards, here are some lye/water calcuators-just fill in the blanks:

www.thesage.com
www.brambleberry.com
www.soapcalc.com

any cold process basic recipe instructions should apply-like the PREVIOUS SITES listed above.

good luck to you.

 

[mamaT]

Since I live in Hillbilly country, some people only know the old fashioned lard and lye soap, so I've made a couple of batches so far and they have turned out very well. Hard as a rock and very white.

Run your amount of lard thru a lye calculator, and proceed with the standard cold process(standard lye calculator numbers, 5% superfat and such). It will take some time to trace, I cut about 24 hours later and within a week or so it was hard.

This is the recipe that I use: 35 oz lard=4.7 oz lye=9 to 13 oz liquid.

I wouldn't start with 5 lbs of lard to begin with, use a smaller amount, like 1-2 lbs. Some say that they get a piggy smell from lard, but I haven't had it. I melt my lard in a pot sitting in another pot to prevent it from getting too hot, you just want to melt it.

Hope this helps answer some of your questions.

 

[xraygrl]

Actually a 100% lard soap is very gentle, and equal in quality to a 100% castille soap and there won't be any piggy smell in the final bar either. I never had.

You can use the hot process method.

32 oz lard
4.2 lye
10 oz water

With the stick blender it will take a few minutes to trace, and with Hp you want to mix it till it gets to a thick pudding consistency. Either cook in the crockpot or oven (do google searches for Oven hot process and crockpot hot process instructions) It will most likely take an hour or longer to cook.

ETA: heres a good OHP tutorial:
http://thesoapbar.blogspot.com/2007/12/ ... orial.html

And for the crockpot method:

http://gracefruit.blogspot.com/2006/01/ ... orial.html

Good luck!

 

[heartsong]

my first soap was an all lard soap made according to an old recipe i found in the local library. i used lard from the grocery store.

it smelled awful about 3 months after i made them and was soft and slimey in water. i was so disappointed and almost thru in my spoon- until i discovered the new generation soapers, including susan miller cavitch!

maybe the recipe was a little unscientific-i've heard coconut and lard makes good laundry soap.

mama t-you've given me hope regarding lard!

 

[JeepNsoap]

Basic Lard Recipe

I am finding out what many folks are stating--that an all lard bar is slimey and doesn't last very long both in the shower and in a shelf-life.

I currently use lard up to about the 50% of total oils depending on the properties I want my soap to have.

I also find that using coconut, lard, olive and castor oil make a wonderful soap. It also is very consistent in the production process.

Good Luck!