First time using Lard

[Eyebeesoaping]

I'm a newbie and I went to Walmart to buy some affordable oils and lard was one of them. It smells funny, so will the smell disappear after sap? Which hard oils/butters do you prefer?

 

[Susie]

The smell needs to be covered with an EO or a FO if you have a sensitive nose. I have a sensitive nose, and still lard is my favorite soaping fat.

 

[earlene]

Eyebeesoaping, there are couple of things I've noticed about lard, which I don't use all that often because I don't like the smell and I am a vegetarian. (I use it in soap for some family members.)

Once I bought some with a really strong smell and soaped with it anyway because I didn't really know it was probably 'off'. The smell was awful strong even after the soap was a couple of days old and even made my DIL sick to her stomach. Eventually the odor did soften some, but never enough that my nose couldn't smell it.

However, I have purchased other lard that did not smell anywhere near as strong and the subsequent odor in soap was much milder. Admittedly, I can still smell it if I don't use a nice fragrance to help with that. But as Susie said, a sensitive nose will smell it. Not everyone will have the same experience.

If you have never used lard in cooking, you may not realize if the lard is 'good' or 'off' but if you soap with it a few times, buying other lard a few times, you will get to know how it should smell. If the smell seems very strong to you, perhaps you would consider taking it back to WalMart and asking for a refund or a newer (check the sell-by date on the container) package.

 

[Eyebeesoaping]

Thanks Susie

It smells like animal fat. My nose is kind of sensitive but I just dont want my soap to smell like pigs feet...lol

 

[Arimara]

Eyebeesoaping, there are couple of things I've noticed about lard, which I don't use all that often because I don't like the smell and I am a vegetarian. (I use it in soap for some family members.)

Once I bought some with a really strong smell and soaped with it anyway because I didn't really know it was probably 'off'. The smell was awful strong even after the soap was a couple of days old and even made my DIL sick to her stomach. Eventually the odor did soften some, but never enough that my nose couldn't smell it.

However, I have purchased other lard that did not smell anywhere near as strong and the subsequent odor in soap was much milder. Admittedly, I can still smell it if I don't use a nice fragrance to help with that. But as Susie said, a sensitive nose will smell it. Not everyone will have the same experience.

If you have never used lard in cooking, you may not realize if the lard is 'good' or 'off' but if you soap with it a few times, buying other lard a few times, you will get to know how it should smell. If the smell seems very strong to you, perhaps you would consider taking it back to WalMart and asking for a refund or a newer (check the sell-by date on the container) package.

Oddly enough, I have two batches of lard soap made with the same brick of lard and the scented one is actually a little more piggy smelling to me. The other one is a lardy coffee soap though, if that matters.

 

[Obsidian]

It smells like animal fat. My nose is kind of sensitive but I just dont want my soap to smell like pigs feet...lol

Make sure when you melt the lard, it doesn't get too hot. Just warm enough for it to be a clear liquid. If it overheats, it can get smelly.

When I first started using lard, I always could smell the piggy, turns out it was getting too hot. Now I never smell it and even my unscented soap with 50% lard doesn't have a smell.

 

[earlene]

Oddly enough, I have two batches of lard soap made with the same brick of lard and the scented one is actually a little more piggy smelling to me. The other one is a lardy coffee soap though, if that matters.

Arimara, I occasionally wonder how much fragrance will hold up in coffee soap since the coffee is known for absorbing odors. I know it does absorb odors because I have used coffee grounds just for that purpose and it does work. But I also have coffee soap with good lasting scent (someone else made it, so I can't be sure of the percentage of FO used, though.) So the bottom line for me here, is next time I want to make my husband's coffee soap using lard, I don't have to worry about smelling the lard. Good to know!

 

[Arimara]

Arimara, I occasionally wonder how much fragrance will hold up in coffee soap since the coffee is known for absorbing odors. I know it does absorb odors because I have used coffee grounds just for that purpose and it does work. But I also have coffee soap with good lasting scent (someone else made it, so I can't be sure of the percentage of FO used, though.) So the bottom line for me here, is next time I want to make my husband's coffee soap using lard, I don't have to worry about smelling the lard. Good to know!

I guess I might have stumbled on to something there. Great to know. Thanks. :mrgreen:

 

[debratant]

I use Lard all the time and to be honest, I never noticed if there was a piggy smell.
Are you all smelling it in solid form when you open the container/brick? Or just when heated. I buy the Armour Containers from
Walmart and I just never noticed a smell. I smoke though, so maybe my nose is just shot and I can't pick
up those odors.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I use oakmoss absolute to offset the odor of lard in soap. It surprises me that more SMF lardinators aren't aware of this tip. Off to post a separate thread.

 

[Arimara]

I use Lard all the time and to be honest, I never noticed if there was a piggy smell.
Are you all smelling it in solid form when you open the container/brick? Or just when heated. I buy the Armour Containers from
Walmart and I just never noticed a smell. I smoke though, so maybe my nose is just shot and I can't pick
up those odors.

Some of us have sensitive sniffers, especially where certain ingredients come to play. I'm one of them. It doesn't matter whether or not my lard smells like pig or not (I've yet to have that issue with lard), somewhere during cure, I will smell it. Same with tallow- younger tallow soaps, I can smell the tallow.