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Thanks very much for the HDPE idea. That looks worth checking out. Thank you all for your kind posts. I appreciate it. I don't eat processed food, so have no such packaging. The milk or cream cartons worked well for many years. VOC = Volatile Oil Compounds RE: VOC meters Here are a...

I have rendered back fat from grain-fed cattle, which has higher PUFA. High PUFA means softer fat. I usually render 100% grass-fed and grass-finished kidney fat, which is the highest in SAT fat. (That is for food, not for soap.) The difference in hardness in the tallow is extremely small. I...

No detectable smell of any kind, at all, as with borosilicate glass or stainless steel. :) Something made from a substance that would get a very negligible reading with a VOC meter. I might try using borosilicate loaf pans with freezer paper liner, so that I can lift out the soap. It would...

Thank you for that very interesting pdf! I appreciate it. :)

I have never had tallow be liquid at those temperatures. I've bought several brands, and rendered a fair amount myself. I wonder if the company will tell you if the tallow is actually kidney fat (suet), or other body cavity fat, or if it is various and sundry bits of fat from just any place on...

I would like to try using things I might have on hand, or could easily obtain, for soap molds, which have NO SMELL whatsoever. If you have used something which is easy to fill and easy to unmold, could you please post a suggestion? Thanks very much. I was using quart-sized milk cartons and...

@AliOop Thanks very much for your help. :)

I make soap because it costs less than buying the kind of soap I need. And I can avoid having fragrances, intended or otherwise, in the soaps. I can also control the superfatting. I buy gallon of olive oil when it is on sale at the supermarket. I buy lard in large tubs at a Mexican market. I...

Thanks! I don't need it at the moment, but I'm glad to have the reference. I appreciate you posting that. :)

If it is actually rancid, I don't think re-rendering would take out the smell. But, if you are not sure, it might be worth a try. I have only had tallow go bad when the people who made it did not use bone-dry jars, or have the lids sealed properly. I also keep my tallow in the freezer or the...

I use lard for making laundry soap. I add Borax and Washing Soda. Vinegar in the rinse cycle. Does not clean super well, but it does not give me health problems. I have made turpentine soap bars for spot removers. Sometimes they work. Somestimes they don't.

I was using quart-size milk cartons, too. I would line them with freezer paper, or smear petroleum jelly in them. Easy, and they worked fine for my needs. I have taken a break from using milk, and now I need some soap molds. I need something that has no residual smell, due to extreme...

I, too, am chemically sensitive. Have you found some molds you like, that have no smell? Thanks.

Thank you very much for your helpful posts. @justjacqui I appreciate the links. Looks like I have some studying to do. Thank you, all, for your kind help. :)

I've seen several recipes at blogs for making a whipped lotion/creme from aloe vera gel and various oils. Some scrape the gel from the aloe vera plant. Others use various brands. Some say to use a brand of aloe gel with an emulsifier and a preservative. There are more opinions about which...

If there are smells outside that I do not want in my house, such as someone's dryer sheets, or gas-powered leaf blower, or paint, or BBQ grill, I do not open my windows. Same goes for pollen.

In case this is of any use: I make soap bars according to a recipe I want for shampoo. Then I dissolve the bar in water and use it as shampoo. I rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar. Easy.

I've been buying an expensive cream from the health food store to try to lighten the sun spots I get. (I live in the desert and have a very fair complexion. The sun is brutal.). The cream has had a few recipe changes and does not work as well as it used to. (And the price has doubled since I...

Hi SM. I'll second the vote to wear gloves for dishwashing. The water is very hard where I am, and it really helps to wear gloves. I often use a bar right away. It just "melts" faster, as it hasn't cured as long. I always do cold process, and hand stir. I use lard as the basis of my...

If I run out of distilled water, I will try reverse osmosis water. There are water stores here which sell it in gallon jugs, and a health food store which has a reverse osmosis machine. They have a bring-your-own-jug system. Perhaps a quarter or fifty cents per gallon. I am very interested...