Pine Tar Soap made with Lard – this soap is great for supporting dry, problem skin and conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dryness and other minor skin irritations.
Pine Tar Soap is one of my favorite soaps to make and to use in my bathroom routine. Making your own handmade soap has been a wonderful way to help alleviate skin conditions that are present in your family – whether yourself, or your kids.
Reputed as a wonderful soother for supporting healthy skin, pine tar soap is helpful for anyone that struggles with skin issues – eczema, psoriasis, and even flaky scalp – this soap might just help in those areas.
This simple pine tar soap recipe is made with a high percentage of lard as opposed to my other Pine Tar soap recipe which you can find here.
Pine Tar soap is not a difficult soap to make. However… pine tar can be thick and very sticky, while also having a strong aroma. It may seem challenging to use pine tar but rest assured, it’s not challenging at all.
PINE TAR SOAP RECIPE
Please use a scale to weigh the ingredients and ensure they are accurate. This soap has a super fat of 6%.
- 12.54 oz distilled water
- 4.28 oz lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 1 tsp sodium lactate (optional)
PINE TAR AND OILS (33 oz)
- 3.3 oz Pine Tar (10%)
- 16.5 oz. lard (50%)
- 1.65 oz. castor oil (5%)
- 6.6 oz. coconut oil (20%)
- 4.95 oz. olive oil (15%)
*Essential oils are optional, and should you choose to use them, please use a fragrance calculator such as this one on Brambleberry.
Pine Tar has a very strong smell.. adding essential oils won’t mask the smell. If anything, the oils will get lost in the soap. But as the soap cures the smell will even out and be more tolerable.
OTHER INFORMATION:
This recipe fits perfectly in this Crafter’s Choice, rectangle silicone mold – available on Amazon or from Wholesale Soap Supplies.
This is the Pine Tar that I purchase from Amazon. There are several varieties on Amazon but this type is one of the few/only that is rated as safe in use for cosmetics/soapmaking.
Pine Tar is calculated in the soap recipe along with the oils. Not every lye calculator will include Pine Tar as an option, so it’s important to use a lye calculator that does. You should add your pine tar with the oils and stick blend well.
Then, allow the lye + water to come to room temperature, and once you add that lye water to your oils, you’ll forego the stick blender and mix with a long-handled spoon until it comes to trace (which will be very quickly). Make sure you have everything ready and organized before you start mixing. And ensure you lay a few sheets of newspaper down to protect your surfaces – pine tar can get messy!
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Slowly add the lye to the distilled water over a sink. Open up the windows behind the sink or place a fan behind you to dissipate the fumes. Make sure you are wearing safety goggles or gear, long sleeves and gloves. The mixture will get hot very quickly and the fumes will be strong until the mixture cools.
Step 2: Allow the lye + water mixture to cool for at least 45 minutes to one hour if not longer. Once cool, add the sodium lactate and stir to distribute.
Step 3: As the lye cools, prepare your oils by measuring them on the scale. Melt the tallow/coconut oil just until melted. Combine all of the oils and pine tar in your bowl and set them aside until you are ready to mix with the lye mixture. They should be at room temperature.
Step 4: Once you are ready to make your soap, add your lye + water to the oils, and stir with a heavy duty plastic spoon. The soap batter should thicken very quickly – within 3-4 minutes it should be a thick trace.
Step 5: Pour the thickened soap batter into the mold and push aside. You don’t need to insulate this soap, just push to the rear of the counter top or place in a closet for 24-48 hours. After that time, try to remove from the mold. If it is still too soft leave in the mold an additional day.
(I usually put mine in the freezer for an hour to harden, making it easier to remove from the mold.)
Step 6: Slice into bars and allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks.
Looking to change out the oils? Make sure you use a lye calculator to re-run the recipe and ensure you have the correct amount of lye.
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