Where and how can I obtain fat for soap-making?

Question

I am trying to get into the whole soap making thing, and I don't know where to get fat. A butchers? A restaurant? I have all the other ingredients (Perfume, Lye, Glycerin, Coloring).

Answer 1

Ask your local butcher, I'm sure they have tons of it.

Answer 2

It depends on what kind of soap you are making. I have in the past made some Olive Oil soap that has been very nice and the main fat in that soap has been Olive Oil.

If you want to make a more traditional soap using Tallow (an animal product) then you need to obtain Suet. Suet is obtained fairly cheaply (I got it) from a  local slaughter house, it is fat. Then you have to render the suet into tallow by grinding it into small bits and boiling it. This process is EXTREMELY stinky so be forewarned. Once you get the oil to a liquid state you are going to strain it from the solids and then chill it to let it set up. What you are left with is fat on the top which is now called tallow and there maybe some liquid on bottom which, is tossed out. I have made this type of soap but, did not like it as much.

There are a whole host of other fats you can use, that are different oils which are great. Just make sure that you have a good recipe that gives you the right proportions of oil to lye, so, if you are making tallow soap then make sure your recipe calls for tallow. If you are making olive oil soap make sure that is what your recipe calls for.

**Edit - also keep in mind that often times the perfume is added after the basic soap is made with a process called French Milling. French milling makes a finer soap and also makes sure that there is no free lye left in your soap. Be very careful about the lye as it can cause bad burns if any is left in your soap.

Answer 3

If your going to make soap don't put Glycerin in it,  and you can use olive oil, Palm oil., Coconut oil caster oil..  You do not want to use fat from a butchers.   Don't add perfume, add essential oils,  Coloring I hope you have coloring for Soap..  You can buy the oils on line, however depends on how much you plan on making..  some places do offer wholesale, but you need a tax id.  Also add vitamin E to the soap so its preserved.  It can and will go rancid.

Answer 4

You can get the fats, lard or tallow, at the butchershops or at the grocery stores. Lard is found in the baking aisles.

this site will give you lots of other ideas as well for soap making:

http://www.eaudrey.com/