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Tallow Soaps (shave or body)?

Has anyone used animal-tallow soaps?

Any observations?

Soap-makers who frequent this board -- have you devised recipes using tallow. I'm curious what properties these soaps displayed.

I guess you could say I'm into soap and am curious / want to explore. Does the tallow leave a smell? Does it feel particularly soft or leave the skin with a particularly heavy-oil feel?

A few other soap curiousities -- Soap high in Jojoba, soap using a fair amount of Monoi, goats-milk soap...
 
I have a few tallow based soap sticks like Erasmic, Arko and Palmolive--all 3 of which are excellent. They lather very well, and have good skincare as well.

Jeff
 
Hi Henry,
I have made soaps from tallow. After saponification and cure it makes a nice bar of soap. The soap has no lingering odor and lathers nicely. I did not find them to be drying. This is not a added value for men but I find that cold process soaps easly remove make up without the need for a separate make up remover. Also, many ppl are opposed to using soap with animal fat

There are many recipes on the web. If you try this, be very respectful of the lye.
Sue
 
Has anyone used animal-tallow soaps?

Any observations?

Soap-makers who frequent this board -- have you devised recipes using tallow. I'm curious what properties these soaps displayed.

I guess you could say I'm into soap and am curious / want to explore. Does the tallow leave a smell? Does it feel particularly soft or leave the skin with a particularly heavy-oil feel?

A few other soap curiousities -- Soap high in Jojoba, soap using a fair amount of Monoi, goats-milk soap...


Hi
I make soap and by request am starting to experiment with tallow. I find it is easy to work with and has no odor before or after soaponification. It will make a hard bar of soap with good lather that is moisturizing without leaving a film.
You can do a google search to find what properties each oil will bring to soap.
Jojoba is not really an oil but a liquid wax. Large quantities in soap will make the bar soft and decrease the lather.
Manoi is just scented coconut. It will make a hard bar that has bubbly lather. If using it in large amounts you will need to super-fat to prevent the bar from being drying as it makes a very cleansing bar of soap. I don't use this one as it is very expensive in relation to most soapmaking oils
I have not used goats milk so I can't report on how it fairs but many do and I have heard very good reports.
HTH
J
 
I also think Jojoba oil (wax) is not that great in soap, wax will make a hard bar of soap but it decreases lather.. I don't see any real reason why you would make soap with it... but I love tallow soaps...you can use Palm oil instead of tallow tho and it is rumoured to clog pours, but will give you a moisturising bar with nice lather. Like Sue, a LOT of people have a problem using a product made with animal fat tho and I have never sold these. Goatsmilk makes a very mild soap from what I have heard, but I have only used cows milk for milk soaps. Monoi oil de Tahiti is one of my favorite oils in the world. There are two kinds.. although folks wont' tell you this. The real Monoi is made using the petals of the flower and packed into the coconut oil untill the fragrance has been leached and then the petals are removed and it is done again, over and over untill the scent is strong enough. There are some unscrupulous people who will just scent their coconut oil and call it Monoi.. be careful who you buy it from. It is expensive, but Wonderful!!! and this is my favorite go to oil in the bath tub, by far! It is expensive to make a soap with and it really is just coconut oil, so I would rather use the coconut in the soap and keep the monoi for the bath...

Bear Hugs!
 
Only product I've used yet that I know has tallow in it has been the cream from The Gentleman's Quarter(Colleen).

Now I won't feel so bad about going off topic :biggrin:

Do you soap makers list the ingredients in order of composition? Like the most prominent ingredient being first, next second, etc.? Just curious if it's done willynilly or if you have to follow guidelines.
 
Only product I've used yet that I know has tallow in it has been the cream from The Gentleman's Quarter(Colleen).

Now I won't feel so bad about going off topic :biggrin:

Do you soap makers list the ingredients in order of composition? Like the most prominent ingredient being first, next second, etc.? Just curious if it's done willynilly or if you have to follow guidelines.

Soap is not required to list ingredients for, but most soapers do anyway..because the products are usually wonderful and we are excersizing bragging rights... :biggrin: and yes, they would be listed in order, the first item listed being the one that you would use the most of.
 
After saponification fat is not fat nor is the lye a harsh chemical but soap.

I've only had good results using milk once. That was the use of coconut milk which is pretty thick and I placed it in the freezer prior to it meeting with the heat of lye. All other attempts using milks failed with curdled milk. After discarding a lot of would be soap, I stuck with water which is fine. The coconut milk soap was in my eyes not worth it in improved quality.

If you have a real interest in soap making, I would urge you to try it. There are many recipes on the web; choose a basic one. Some require a cure time of four to six weeks, some you apply heat and force fast saponification either in a crockpot or your oven.

You can use anything for a mold from a freezer wrap lined sturdy box or tupperwear type container. Turn it out onto freezer wrap the next day to cut into bars. With cold process the lye has not been saponified completely, so use rubber gloves. Your soap may silll feel warm.

It's not rocket science. It's fun to watch the process. Always respect lye and do not let it come into contact with anything including your skin or breathe the vapors.

Regarding the use of animal fats; it's my opinion that it is disliked because of it's origin, and not due to any issue of smell. Those individuals do not eat meat or wear/purchase anything with an animal origin.
Sue
 
All ingredients are listed in order of quantity just like a food ingredient list. The FDA has stringent guidelines in place including the size of the font used in the print.
Sue
 
The FDA has stringent guidelines in place including the size of the font used in the print.
Sue

Not for soap Sue... :smile:

US FDA/CFSAN - Cosmetic Labeling: An Overview

Ordinary soap is solely made up of fats and an alkali. In the past, people made their own soap from animal fats and wood ashes.

Today there are very few true soaps in the traditional sense on the market. You might recognize these soaps as products marketed with characteristics such as "pure". "True" soaps are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, not FDA, and do not require ingredient labeling.

Most body cleansers on the market today are actually synthetic detergent products and come under the jurisdiction of FDA. These detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don't form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as "soap" but are not true soap in the common and legal definition of the word.

If a cosmetic claim is made on the label of a "true" soap or cleanser, such as moisturizing or deodorizing, the product must meet all FDA requirements for a cosmetic, and the label must list all ingredients. If a drug claim is made on a cleanser or soap, such as antibacterial, antiperspirant, or anti acne, the product is a drug, and the label must list all active ingredients, as is required for all drug products.
 
After saponification fat is not fat nor is the lye a harsh chemical but soap.

I've only had good results using milk once. That was the use of coconut milk which is pretty thick and I placed it in the freezer prior to it meeting with the heat of lye. All other attempts using milks failed with curdled milk. After discarding a lot of would be soap, I stuck with water which is fine. The coconut milk soap was in my eyes not worth it in improved quality.

If you have a real interest in soap making, I would urge you to try it. There are many recipes on the web; choose a basic one. Some require a cure time of four to six weeks, some you apply heat and force fast saponification either in a crockpot or your oven.

You can use anything for a mold from a freezer wrap lined sturdy box or tupperwear type container. Turn it out onto freezer wrap the next day to cut into bars. With cold process the lye has not been saponified completely, so use rubber gloves. Your soap may silll feel warm.

It's not rocket science. It's fun to watch the process. Always respect lye and do not let it come into contact with anything including your skin or breathe the vapors.

Regarding the use of animal fats; it's my opinion that it is disliked because of it's origin, and not due to any issue of smell. Those individuals do not eat meat or wear/purchase anything with an animal origin.
Sue

I freeze the milk in zip lock bags and then use it frozen instead of the water.. it works really well this way, otherwise it will burn and turn brown. Milk soaps can be touchy till you get the hang of them. I also put the pot in the sink with a sink full of ice...

I miss those french fries too.... :biggrin:
 
I believe both Tabac and D.R. Harris are tallow-based soaps, and they easily rank as some the best shaving soap money can buy IMHO.
 
Yes, Sue. The key word here is 'soap'.
The FDA has established an exemption for soaps that are predominantly composed of fixed oils saponified with potassium or sodium hydroxide.
Sue
 
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