Lard

[ILVCANDLES]

Using lard in a soap recipe does it make soap go bad? i found an old stash today probably a few years old & most of my bars smell rancid...Should I be adding a preservative to keep this from happening?

[LovelyLathers]

I have soaps that are a few years old with lard that smell fine, I have never had that happen but I have had them smell rancid with using older Olive oil, rice bran or sunflower. They were are on the verge of the expiration date when used so I made a soap of all of them and a year later found them in a cabinet and wow, they went in the trash very quickly. I never add a preservative to soaps.

Edited March 4, 2012 by LovelyLathers
spelling

[ILVCANDLES]

It s the scents that I used smells off...does that mean the soap is bad or the scent went bad?

[Kitn]

I have had that happen with a cuc melon. I chucked them, they stank.. It was just the FO that went bad in my soap, my recipe is tried and true for 3 yrs now.

Edited March 4, 2012 by Kitn

[Scented]

I have some 3 year old bars with lard and they haven't gone rancid.

[Candybee]

Phew! Thats a relief. I have a few made with lard and love them! I use my oils as soon as I get them. But you know I should be checking the expiration dates-- thanks for the tip!!

[LovelyLathers]

I had a vanilla, can't remember which one or where I got it that smelled terrible after a year so It could be the FO.

[ILVCANDLES]

Thanks for the replys...This is driving me crazy...I thought if a soap went rancid the soap would have orange spots on it...I understand some fragrance oils can not smell so great in soaps...What I don't understand is that they smelled good at 1st now they dont???I let them cure for months then I put them in plastic cello bags do you think it has to do something w/ the bag?

[LovelyLathers]

Did the bag have any openings so the soap could breathe? Yes it could have something to do with it. I always leave mine in a cardboard box or paper bag. I still think it maybe the oil you used. Did it have a high Olive oil percent maybe it went bad. Oils do stink when they go rancid. Soap does not have to have dos (orange spots) to be rancid.

[ILVCANDLES]

Here is what i used:

Lard 4oz

Coconut Oil 4oz

Olive Oil 8oz

I was reading some bars can last for years & not go bad...I just got out a batch I made a few months ago & it s kind of off too? The plastic bag is just folded over & I use a piece of tape to hold the fold down.

[LovelyLathers]

I wouldn't put it in plastic. Is the 2nd batch the same scent as the first? I think it may be the plastic bag though or bad olive oil.

[ILVCANDLES]

different scents...Ok thanks for all your help =)

[Scented]

I would allow some air to get to it if they are in bags. That may be your problem. You hardly have any lard in your recipe.

[NNK]

I'm with LovelyLathers and Scented, CP soap shouldn't be stored in bags (it is not MP that needs to be wrapped), cardboard box is your best bet, and store the box in a dry place as well. This will make your bars even more lasting, the drier the soap, longer it takes for it to "melt" in the bath. I use shrink bands to wrap my soap, sometimes i have to do it 2 months after the cure... in about a year soap shrinks 10-15% more, wrapped with the band, 2 sides open. I'm guessing the shrinkage is even greater if there is no wrap. I have lard containig bars that are 6 years old, and they are still fine. so are the olive oil ones.

and the fragrance could devinitely be a problem as well.

Edited March 6, 2012 by NNK