Your Guide to Making Luxurious Lard Soap

Learning to make soap has been on my “To Do” List for quite some time.

Last fall, I tried and utterly failed. So, if this is your first time, have patience with yourself. It may not turn out. And that’s okay!

Now, if you’ve decided you want to make a brilliantly creative bar of soap with all kinds of beautiful colors and patterns, you’ll have to seek out my friend. LOL! I am not to that caliber, nor do I aspire to do so.

Her soap is truly amazing. Smells absolutely wonderful and are works of art. I stash them in my sock drawer and put them around the house because I can’t bear to use them.

BUT, if you are looking for a utilitarian bar of soap that smells great and does wonders on keeping your hands moisturized, I’ve got you covered!

And don’t worry, even if your lard smells a bit like bacon, the aroma will not carry over into your soap. There are people who even make their soap from the grease they saved from frying bacon. I haven’t tried it yet.

When making soap, please make sure you read all the safety precautions first. I know they make it seem extremely dangerous, it’s not, you just gotta use common sense and take some precautions. Our ancestors have been making soap with lye for over a 100 years.

Why would you want to make soap from lard?

While the idea of rubbing lard on your body may not sound very appealing, think about this:

• Almost all commercial skincare products are made with some sort of animal fat.
• Lard locks in the moisture, but it is also high in the vitamins that help keep your skin healthy.
• Lard is also incredibly gentle on skin.

Why Should I Use only Pastured Pork Fat?

Ever heard the phrase, you are what you eat? Your animal is what it eats and the fat stores the worst of it. Toxins such as antibiotics are stored in the fat that are fed to factory-farmed pigs.

If you don’t have any lard on the pantry shelf, plan a day for rendering your lard. It’s a simple process and doesn’t take a lot of concentration, so put on your favorite mystery series you’ve been dying to catch up on and get started.

Or check out my blog HERE that will teach you how to render your lard.

It’s also perfectly okay to buy your lard. And though a little difficult, not impossible to find pasture-raised pig lard.

Please read over the Safety Precautions first!

Soap Making Safety Precautions

• Lye or caustic soda is an alkaline chemical that can cause chemical burns on any exposed part of the human body. Its reaction with water also generates chemical vapors that MUST NOT not be breathed
• Always use protective goggles, protective gloves and a mask.
• Wear clothing and shoes that completely cover the skin.
• Mix the water with lye in a ventilated place, preferably near an open window, under your stove fan or in the outdoors. Always use your mask.
• Always pour the lye (granules) into the water and NEVER the opposite. It can cause the lye to erupt – a volcano effect. NEVER use hot water – the volcano effect will be even worse.
• Handle soap always with gloves, even in solid state, for at least 48 hours. Lye is present in soap for the most part of it until saponification finishes.
• If a little bit of soap or lye involuntarily reaches a portion of the skin, wash the affected area immediately with lots of cold water.
• Keep pets and children out of reach of soap batter and dirty equipment during soap production.
• Never use utensils in aluminium or metal. They can react with lye, destroy your equipment, and contaminate/spoil the soap. Stainless steel is the only exception.
• About plastics, many are ok as long as they are heat-resistant, but use silicone when possible.

So Let’s get started!

EQUIPMENT

• Soap mold(s)
• Immersion blender 
• Small Pyrex/Stainless steel bowls
• Large Pyrex/Stainless steel bowls
• Stainless steel saucepan for melting lard
• Digital scale
• Thermometer (digital, infrared, or candy thermometer) 
• Spoons for measuring
• 2 Rubber spatulas
• Sharp Knife or Soap Cutter
• Plate or cup to place spatulas
• Safety Mask, Gloves, and Goggles

INGREDIENTS

Lye Water

• 9.32 oz distilled water 
• 4.16 oz lye (100% sodium hydroxide) 

Oils/Fat

• 32 oz lard 

Add After Trace

• 1 oz essential or fragrance oil  (optional)

Set aside about an hour to make your soap. This recipe will create about 10-12 bars of soap. I ordered the lye, immersion blender, and soap mold off of Amazon. The fragrance oil, sweet orange, is from Hobby Lobby. I also used water from my tap vs distilled water, as we do not have any added chemicals.

Get Ready!

1. Wear goggles and gloves! 
2. Gather all your supplies:  ingredients, equipment, safety equipment. Prepare your workstations.
3. Measure all the ingredients. Don’t start the recipe without having everything ready and reading through the instructions.
4. The essential or fragrance oil is optional. It adds scent to your soap. 

Prepare the lye solution.

1. Put on your gloves and eye gear.
2. Pour the distilled water into the small stainless steel bowl. Slowly add the lye to the water, mixing slowly with a rubber spatula. Never add the water to the lye or you’ll have a volcano! 
3. Allow the lye mixture to cool to around 110ºF.

Heat the Oils.

1. While the lye is cooling. Warm the lard over low heat in a stainless steel saucepan until melted, stirring occasionally. Pour the melted lard into the large stainless steel bowl.  Use a spatula to make sure you scrap out every bit.

Make the soap batter.

1. Once the lye mixture has cooled to 110ºF and is of similar temperature to the lard (within 10ºF), carefully and slowly add the lye to the oils, stirring gently.
2. Use an immersion blender (stick blender) to combine the soap batter until it thickens and turns opaque (reaches trace). It should look like a thin pudding and leave a trail when pulled out of the batter.

Add essential oils.

1. Once your soap batter has reached trace, add your essential oil or fragrance and stir to combine.

Molding and Curing

1. Pour the soap batter into your molds. Shape with a spoon or stick if you would like a dramatic appearance on the top.  Cover with a lid.
2. Let it set for 24 hours.  It is still caustic at this point.
3. As for all your equipment and utensils.  Gather them all together.  I put a DO NOT TOUCH sticky note on mine, and let them set for 2 or 3 days.  At this point you can safely wash them in your sink and they are really easy to clean up.
4. After 24 hours, unmold and cut into 1 inch bars.  Do not wait more than 48 hours or your soap may be too hardu to cut.
5. Place the soap on a tray or mat in a safe place to cure for 4 to 6 weeks. 

Have fun!