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basti

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Hello y'all!

I've mentioned in the soapy thing thread that I recently got my hands on a tiny bit of lard that I rescued from the aftermath of a BLT night. I'm usually a little more "Mess Around and Find Out" (PG-13 version of the typical phrase ;)) with my recipes but since I have this tiny bit of lard and won't get more anytime soon, I'd like to use it in a pretty decent recipe.

I decided to use the "Holy Trinity" as a base and make something similar in values to the Tweak #1 soap:
Olive 30%
Coconut or PKO 22%
Palm, Lard or Shortening 40%
Shea Butter 5%
Castor Oil 3%

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However, I only have 12-15% of Lard (maybe as high as 17%, but I'd rather play it safe as the bottom of my jar might have some water in it still) and no palm/shortening.

Using IrishLass's veggie oil palm substitute as a base, I came up with this:

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Most of the numbers are actually rather similar except for Palmitic and Stearic, but they add up to similar numbers (27 v. 28).

Does this recipe look good?

If tweaks are necessary, just know I can't go over 15% Lard and the only other oils I have are RBO and Avocado.
 
I am no expert, but I'd definitely try it! Your numbers are very similar to my favorite bars. If it was me, I'd personally lower the CO to 20% and add the difference to the lard or shea butter. I have dry skin, so I prefer coconut oil at no higher than 20%.

Hope your batch turns out well! And hopefully someone with more formulating experience will chime in.
 
I would aim for a higher palmitic/stearic combo if it were me. But that is just me. I like to get to high 30s if poss for longevity. Try cutting the OO to 20% and adding 10% RBO and 5% avocado to replace it. Maybe reduce the superfat to 2 or 3% if using lard?
 
I am no expert, but I'd definitely try it! Your numbers are very similar to my favorite bars. If it was me, I'd personally lower the CO to 20% and add the difference to the lard or shea butter. I have dry skin, so I prefer coconut oil at no higher than 20%.

Hope your batch turns out well! And hopefully someone with more formulating experience will chime in.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! Maybe if I snag a more accurate measurement for the lard I can bump it up a little. But I'm okay with the CO % if not.

I would aim for a higher palmitic/stearic combo if it were me. But that is just me. I like to get to high 30s if poss for longevity. Try cutting the OO to 20% and adding 10% RBO and 5% avocado to replace it. Maybe reduce the superfat to 2 or 3% if using lard?
Now what could we call that? An Octinity? An Octet?🤣 I'll keep it in mind. I've only used RBO once, so I would be keen to use some more of it.
I'm totally down for reducing the SF. Is there a reason for having a lower SF with lard? Genuine question. A curious mind wishes to learn.
Lard is extra DOS prone? Higher SF reduces lard lather too much? Just straight up not necessary because it's a grievously lovely bar already?

Just gonna put these here for my reference based on your suggestions ☺️

CO -3, SB +2, 🥓+1
ff3a276be0d6a2480dd327cf914af0bc.png


Doc Ock (OO -15, RBO +10, 🥑 +5)
bf625c79b5a14bbb68074911479193db.png
 
I'm totally down for reducing the SF. Is there a reason for having a lower SF with lard? Genuine question. A curious mind wishes to learn.
Lard is extra DOS prone? Higher SF reduces lard lather too much? Just straight up not necessary because it's a grievously lovely bar already?
I've never used lard so don't really know - but I've noted that others seem to mention to lower superfat for fear of DOS. Stinky lard DOS. 🐷🐽
 
In my experience, the higher the oleic number, the shorter the shelf-life of soap.
Here is my revised version of your original recipe. It will give you better fluffy lather, a good creamy lather, and will be longer lasting.

Castor Oil 5%
Coconut Oil 25%
Lard 12%
Olive Oil 32%
Shea Butter 18%
Bees Wax or Stearic Acid 8%
 
@basti yes to all the reasons you suggested for keeping SF low on all my soaps (except salt bars): to reduce soap scum, maximize lather, and reduce risk of DOS.

I don’t get more DOS with lard bars, but some folks do.

My high-lard bars do produce more soap scum than other formations; lower SF and using a chelator really reduces that for me.

They also feel oily to the touch with higher SF, and take longer to build up lather. They are so conditioning on their own that you don’t need the SF for extra mildness.
 
I've never used lard so don't really know - but I've noted that others seem to mention to lower superfat for fear of DOS. Stinky lard DOS. 🐷🐽
@basti yes to all the reasons you suggested for keeping SF low on all my soaps (except salt bars): to reduce soap scum, maximize lather, and reduce risk of DOS.

I don’t get more DOS with lard bars, but some folks do.

My high-lard bars do produce more soap scum than other formations; lower SF and using a chelator really reduces that for me.

They also feel oily to the touch with higher SF, and take longer to build up lather. They are so conditioning on their own that you don’t need the SF for extra mildness.
Cool thanks for the info! I'll try a lower SF then ☺️

In my experience, the higher the oleic number, the shorter the shelf-life of soap.
Here is my revised version of your original recipe. It will give you better fluffy lather, a good creamy lather, and will be longer lasting.

Castor Oil 5%
Coconut Oil 25%
Lard 12%
Olive Oil 32%
Shea Butter 18%
Bees Wax or Stearic Acid 8%
I don't have beeswax or stearic on hand and I'm planning to make the soap today ;), but I will definitely keep those in mind for the future!
I did plug it in though, and I do see the lower oleic. So hmm... maybe an idea would be to blend the number tweaks here and KiwiMoose's OO changes?

Cas +2, CO +2, OO -3, KB -1
5d3a5220767fc9749245ef56062a1825.png


Doc Ock + Isg's Number Tweaks
098db8f2f9432ceb43106b9a6c11c082.png

913231e8d498e2be791c9b95f9a56b5e.png


Edit:
Made the last concoction this evening with a 3% SF. Can't wait to see how this goes 🔥
 
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