Replacing Lard with a Vegetable Oil

[danielle22033]

I currently use Lard in my recipe for soap. I wanted to replace it with a vegetable ingredient and was wondering what a low cost comparably oil/butter would be? I chose lard in the first place because of the low cost and it creates a pretty good stable lather.

I currently use:

Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Lard

I am thinking of adding 3% cocoa butter and maybe some shea butter too. However I will be increasing my coconut oil as these 2 new ingredients don't help with fluffy lather.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Palm oil is a substitute for lard - but you will notice a difference. Shea is also a replacement, but when used in high amounts it can hinder lather.

Why are you looking to replace the lard, out of interest?

 

[Greyhound352]

I'm still new to soap making and am further my readings before I start.

I believe you could use canola oil to replace the lard and add castor oil to help with the lather factor.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

...............I believe you could use canola oil to replace the lard ................

I'm interested to see how you got to this, as looking at soapcalc the two are not actually that similar. Lard adds some hardness, a bit of conditioning and some creamy, whereas Canola has very little hardness and creamy, but a lot more conditioning.

 

[Obsidian]

Canola is NOT a sub for lard. You will need a oil with higher steric to replace what the lard has. Palm is the best.

 

[DeeAnna]

What Obsidian said. The best non-animal substitute for lard, in terms of performance, is palm.

The "hard" fats like lard, palm, tallow, cocoa butter, and shea are high in palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids. Most of the liquid oils contain mostly linoleic and oleic acids in varying proportions. The only overlap between these two classes of fats is the oleic acid.

You cannot substitute a liquid oil for a "hard" fat and reasonably expect to get the same or similar performance, because you're eliminating the palmitic and stearic acids that give hardness, long life, and creamy lather to the soap.

 

[danielle22033]

Palm oil is a substitute for lard - but you will notice a difference. Shea is also a replacement, but when used in high amounts it can hinder lather.

Why are you looking to replace the lard, out of interest?

I don't really have a problem with the Lard, however I do have customers ask me "So why do you use Lard?" and I kind of have a difficult time answering this question as really it's just how I started making soap and never changed it. I personally like it because of it's affordability, and that's really it, I do have a few (not many) customers ask if everything is vegan or vegetable oils. I personally do not have any issues using animal fats. However a lot of people are VERY misinformed and there is a negative stigma on anything animal. Also, there are positive opinions on oils such as cocoa and shea and I think having them in my soap and on the label will have a positive impression on customers.

What do you think?

 

[dixiedragon]

I"m not a seller, really, but I've done a few tiny craft shows. When people ask me that, I tell them that I like lard because it creates a hard, long-lasting bar with good lather. Yes, lard is cheap, but it's also a quality ingredient. IMO, canola and soy are cheap "filler" oils that don't really add a lot to the bar.

 

[seven]

danielle,
I think you should explain to your customers the good qualities lard brings to your soaps. some ppl don't mind animal fats and love them in soaps. i personally love tallow.
perhaps you can make 2 types of soap, instead of totally changing your recipe. a veggie based and lard based one should cater to a wide audience.

 

[Dorymae]

I'm going to agree with the others. Lard or tallow make good soap. I wouldn't change a recipe because people ask you why you use it. Instead look at why lard would be in any soap recipe. Then you can tell your customers why lard is an excellent choice in soap.

That being said, there are people who look for vegan soaps and I don't see any reason why you shouldn't try out some recipes for a vegan soap. Play around a bit with different oils. Try adding small amounts of shea, or cocoa butter and make a few small loaves (about 2 lbs is a good trial loaf).

I also wanted to warn you that there are people out there that are dead set against palm oil as well. If you change your recipe because some people don't like it and then sub palm (which would be the best substitution) you may get some comments about that as well.

When all is said and done you can't satisfy all people with one soap recipe. If you are not a vegan its still ok to have some vegan soaps, and maybe one or two without palm. Just fiddle around a bit and soon you'll have 5-6 recipes that are your base, from there you can change them through color, scent, and texture.

 

[Ellacho]

I think it's all about perception. I don't eat red meat. I don't how exactly it happened but I remember I did not want to eat any red meat at age 4 or 5. Therefore it was only natural for me to use non animal fats when I started to making soaps. To tell the truth, I made my first lard soap three months ago after I joined this forum. And I do like it but every time I think about the "lard" in the soap, I still don't quite feel comfortable:sad:. At the same, I really cannot tell a big difference between lard and palm(only made one batch though...). I would definitely make vegan soap for people like me. Frankly, I would not mind paying extra for something I love or I value.

 

[Susie]

I understand that people who are not necessarily vegan may hesitate about using lard in soap. But let's remember that lard is a by-product of the pork(meat) industry. No one is raising pigs just for the lard. Makes better sense to me to use every possible part of the animals that are already being harvested for other purposes.

Lard brings a lot to the soap. Rich, creamy lather, good conditioning. The difference between lard and palm is a big one to me. I am just not willing to sacrifice that.

 

[danielle22033]

I understand that people who are not necessarily vegan may hesitate about using lard in soap. But let's remember that lard is a by-product of the pork(meat) industry. No one is raising pigs just for the lard. Makes better sense to me to use every possible part of the animals that are already being harvested for other purposes.

Lard brings a lot to the soap. Rich, creamy lather, good conditioning. The difference between lard and palm is a big one to me. I am just not willing to sacrifice that.

I always looked at it this way too... Lard is by-product and if the animal is going to be slaughtered to matter what, it's better to use all of it rather than waste it.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

.......When all is said and done you can't satisfy all people with one soap recipe. If you are not a vegan its still ok to have some vegan soaps, and maybe one or two without palm. Just fiddle around a bit and soon you'll have 5-6 recipes that are your base, from there you can change them through color, scent, and texture.

Totally agree. When people ask me if I have a soap with no palm, I'll show them lard soaps. If they want lard and palm free, I'll show them a salt bar and a Castile. After that, I'll have to show them the door, as there won't be anything else to show them

 

[danielle22033]

I have one more question concerning Lard. I am currently buying my lard from no frills because it's cheaper than any supplier I know of at around $1.99 for a pound and no tax because it's food. the only thing is, is on the ingredients list it has BHT, BHA and citric acid.... What is BHT and BHA?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I have one more question concerning Lard. I am currently buying my lard from no frills because it's cheaper than any supplier I know of at around $1.99 for a pound and no tax because it's food. the only thing is, is on the ingredients list it has BHT, BHA and citric acid.... What is BHT and BHA?

They are preservatives, used to keep it good longer. They seem to be both a little harmful and a little good, too -

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear...e-k-raspberry-gorging-and-veal/#axzz35ZsAxEIa

But I think that after saponification, you won't be looking at anything too bad left over. As I say, if it can survive saponification, then it deserves to live!

 

[Dorymae]

"As I say, if it can survive saponification, then it deserves to live!"


LMAO, that is the best line I've heard in a long time....I might "borrow" that from time to time!

 

[wetshavingproducts]

Just curious, but could we just recreate the fatty acid composition of tallow/lard? Or use palm oil and add in the fatty acids to get the same ratios?

Obviously it won't be 100% the same, but would it be close? Is it even possible? I've only seen stearic acid available on its own, but haven't actually looked for anything else.

 

[Dorymae]

I'm not sure if that would work or not but why not just render your own. It really is a easy process, tedious but easy. Tallow and lard are pretty easy to get free unrendered.

What I did was talk to a local farmer and asked him who to go to to have one or two animals slaughtered. Farmers know who does butchering in the area. Then go see them. To them the fat is waste and gets thrown away.

 

[Susie]

I'm not sure if that would work or not but why not just render your own. It really is a easy process, tedious but easy. Tallow and lard are pretty easy to get free unrendered.

If this were the only source of lard I could find, then yes, I would render it(outside my house). However, I will gladly pay for rendered lard as it is much cheaper than taking 3 days to render/remelt to get that nice white stuff I buy in the store.