I have no idea why and how it evolved in the history of handmade soap but nowadays soap made using animal fats seems to be degraded for it's actual value. More and more demand for vegan soap in the market these days makes me wonder if consumers really understand what they are insisting. It has become the rule of thumb that vegan = green and environment save. But, is it really green?!
Let's ask ourselves how many cow and pigs we slaughtered every year? And how many pounds of fat those dead animals produce because of our meat consumption? Where would the fat go if no one wants to use it? There are a lot of pastry made with lard and they taste so yummy. And I bet a lot of people don't know they are eating lard! But when they buy a bar of handmade soap they make sure it has no animal fat in it. Why?! If no one wants those animal fat it only ends up in the landfill, is it really better for the environment?
I believe in food chain and balanced consumption. I believe there's ying and yang (Chinese belief that everything has action and reaction, or, for everything that's on the bright side there's a dark side you can't see). I also believe this world is definitely grey, not black and white.
Anyway, let's talk about soap! A lot of people might not know that the fatty acid profile of animal fat is closer match to ours than any plant oil or butter out there. It makes perfect sense to use beef tallow or lard to make soap to use on our own skin. At least that's my train of thought. The only reason I don't use lard for soap is because I can smell the stink, like bacon or burned animal fat. I mean who wants to bath in smelly burned animal fat?! It defeats the point of "cleansing" right?! On the other hand I really fell in love with beef tallow in soap. It produces white hard soap that carries absolutely no smell whatsoever, and the suds are so creamy to the touch!
This is my salt bar which contains beef tallow in the formula and I love it! So are my customers, which I have no idea if they ever read my ingredient label...
I use long cured salt bar for my face, it makes my skin soft and smooth.
This is my first soap ever made with beef tallow.
If I don't tell you, would know these soaps were made with beef tallow?! They smell divine!
For soapers out there who have not tried beef tallow, tip is to melt the fat with the lowest temperature you can do in order to prevent from burning. Or you will smell the "bacon"!
