How We Make Deer Tallow Soap (Plus experimenting with homemade lye from wood ash)

[@saraherber1887]

I have been making soap for 7 decades. Sometimes it just doesn't hold up in bars. Granny always used aged oak with no bark to make her lye ash. The reason I do not know. I have followed her ways with success. Your soap may be useful for waterproofing your boots or keeping rust off your garden tools. You take heart knowing you did a fine job. Goodness, you are young and you have years of soap making ahead of you. You will find your way with it.

[@RingyDingDing]

I was hoping to find a comment that mentioned this, my partner and I were just discussing that it may have been the type of wood used because oak has more tannins in it, which is what makes acorns so bitter. We were wondering why it may not have worked, cool to see we weren't far off!

[@thatguychris5654]

Hardwood contains more potassium than softwood. Also, it is more concentrated in the bark than the wood. I separately burn oak bark for a high-potasium lye and the calcium left over for cement.

[@debbiem2146]

Wood-ash lye is best made with de-barked hardwoods only. Also, vinegar is great to have on hand in case the lye splashes onto skin as it neutralizes it immediately, preventing a nasty burn. Thank you for the lovely video. Although I have experience in soap making, I have never used deer tallow; furthermore, your entire presentation was truly enjoyable as well as informative. Well done! :)

[@Mary-vf4yr]

How much vinegar on 1 kg tallow Can you please give the full ingredients

[@BlackKiller123441]

Please never neutralize splashes of lye into your eye wit acid. That will do more damage. Rinse the eye with plenty of water, that will help. Better to weare PPE to prevent splashes in the first place.

[@debbiem2146]

@@BlackKiller123441 Agreed! Only use on skin. If lye gets into the eye, follow your protocol AND get medical attention.

[@Renessa47]

There's an experimental archaeologist named Sally Pointer here on youtube and actually the first video I found of hers was part one of her making wood ash soap where she goes through how to build a lye hopper for cheap, how to test your alkaline solution for suitability to make soap (ph test strips actually don't tell you everything you need to know about the strength), and potential methods for concentrating it if necessary. It's really worth a watch for your next try to refine the process, and part two where she makes the soap with the solution from part one was also posted this year.

[@christineb8148]

That is a great video and resource! I think it clarified to me that I am not going to go to that level and can be happy with some pre-made shortcuts because it was a lot of work to get to the point she needed for success!

[@Renessa47]

@@christineb8148 Haha yeah, when I make my cold process soap it's like an afternoon of chemistry and then a couple days later unmolding/cutting/setting up for curing. The traditional way is like a few months of forethought, planning, and waiting. But as someone who also really enjoys making a big project out of doing something from 100% scratch like this, I still want to try it at least once one day. 😂

[@christineb8148]

@@Renessa47 i know, even though I like to feel like I'm not much of a "shortcut" person, I have to admit that whatever I'm doing is a *total* shortcut compared to traditional makers! Underlying my comment was a respect and appreciation for the time and effort that went into developing traditional skills, especially when you think about how much less precise measuring devices and tools were! I am awed (and honestly kind of humbled) how people came up with and mastered dyes and soaps and cheeses even a lot of recipes in the past before there were books and chemistry frameworks and scales and all of that. And I respect people who keep those long process skills alive!!

[@Renessa47]

@@christineb8148 Definitely! It's crazy all the things humans figured out so early on just by a combination of logic, intuition, trial, and error.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Thank you so much, we'll definitely look her up and give that video a watch!

[@zifieaorchid]

Long comment please ignore if not creator Hi there, I wanted to say thank you- for posting such cool, calming, informative videos about living off the land. I found your channel a year ago, and I'm currently binge watching every upload. Life is extremely dark for me right now, and your channel is really helping me find some sort of peace. I love the music, and how it perfectly allows you to feel the raw emotions of your every day life, while also highlighting your beautifully edited videos. Your garden(s) are incredible and seeing you harvest things takes me back to my childhood, when I was picking cucumbers and jalapeños with my mom. My dogs also love all the asmr noises you leave in, and I enjoy watching their little heads tilt- trying to understand exactly what you're doing. Thank you, for being empowering, and empowering others. 💙 Love from Sarah, Apollo and Osiris from texas!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Hi Sarah! I’m so sorry to hear that your in a dark chapter of your life, but glad our videos are bringing you some peace during a hard time. Just remember, it will pass (hopefully soon) and one day you’ll be looking back on it ❤️ p.s. love that your pups are enjoying our videos 😊 We always get a kick out of it when our dog notices something in what we’re watching and cocks her head

[@GardnSavvy]

I love these videos :) I make my own soap now for the past 3 years, and we get deer fat from local friends who hunt. I haven't used anything else as my base since that started coming in. I do add other fats to it, but its the main base. I love that you experiment too and aren't shy about being like welp, that didn't work! That's how you (and we because you share) learn.

[@Whythebutterfly]

To make soap with potassium hydroxide you need to cook it down (I use an old crockpot) until it gels up, about 1 hour, mixing every 15 minutes, with that you can dilute and make liquid soap or pour into molds, the color will definitely be much different than lye soap. The good thing about it is with the cooking process you eliminate the curing time and can use right away. I have never heard anyone using deer tallow, great way of not wasting anything!

[@overratedprogrammer]

I never heard of anyone cooking it down. Maybe the lye water until it's strong enough to float an egg. Then you just mix the 2

[@Whythebutterfly]

@@overratedprogrammer it’s basically 2 different products, the store bought is sodium hydroxide, commonly lye, made from sea salt, normally used for cold process soap, potassium hydroxide, known as potash is made from wood ashes, it’s normally used to make liquid soap, this requires the hot process method, cooked until gelled and then the gel is dissolved in water.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Okay good to know! Thank you for the advice

[@mugglesarecooltoo]

How did you add the link in there?

[@fcayhr]

​@@mugglesarecooltoo i think the link added to "potassium hydroxide" was added by youtube/google's AI. i've been seeing these links more and more in comment sections across youtube. i assume they're trying to detect words and phrases that aren't as common and would be subject to interest

[@AnAlbinoGiraffe]

You guys are my favorite KZbin channel 🥹 also I love hearing you be casual and goofy in the background!!!

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Aw thanks! Glad you're enjoying it :)

[@Inana_Beth]

Always looking forward to the new video. Love the calm music 🎶

[@outdoorloser4340]

Just the video I needed before hunting season 👍

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Good luck out there! You gonna save your tallow this year?

[@outdoorloser4340]

@@HomegrownHandgathered I usually do save my tallow and use it for boot grease and candles, but I can't wait to try some soap 😊

[@thatguychris5654]

- The most potassium is found in hardwood bark. - Wood ash is mostly calcium and potassium. When water is added, the potassium dissolves creating potassium hydroxide. The particles left at the bottom is mostly calcium and can be fired and used as cement. - Sodium hydroxide lathers up very well and is what we're used to. Potassium hydroxide barely bubbles, if at all, but cleans just as well.

[@fivetimesyo]

I just discovered your channel and I have never subscribed to anything faster. I love everything you do and I am so ready to learn from you.

[@ameliamg9549]

i'm sure you'll find a use for the non-soap bars, but just in case (for y'all or anyone else out there with soap that didn't turn out like they hoped) - there's a great organization called Eco Soap Bank that takes donations of soap scraps and failed soap batches of any kind, and turns it into usable soap for folks around the world who don't have access to hygiene supplies.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Oh, that's brilliant! Thank you for sharing.

[@amandamodin4912]

I make soap but use the glycerin left from making bio-diesel. I use store bought lye but generally have a usable bar. On occasion I will make liquid soap to use in dish washing.

[@laceras1611]

I love looking for natural and sustainable ways to make soap! Such a great idea for hunters or even sourced locally ❤ I'm going to experiment with citric Bioenzyme soaps for how easy it sounds but it seems only popular in India.

[@sofiaholmqvist1125]

as a nursing student, i am very interested in how your life style effects your health!! do you ever get your blood work done before and then after your eating off the land challenge?

[@Bellllllz]

Thats really cool that you can make a lotion bar and ill have to look more into that. Awesome video!

[@tinad6812]

Good job for your effort. Maybe you could have added more beeswax to harden it. You could possibly melt it down and add it in or at least a piece to see if it works. I was going to suggest heating the knife to cut through the beeswax and then you guys did. You just have to be careful not to get burned. Thank you.

[@BlackKiller123441]

Your idea with the wood ash works. The problem you encountered was that you didn't acually know the mass of your potassium hydroxide because the ash isn't all potassium hydroxide. With the store bought sodium hydroxide you could easily weigh out your desired mass because it was pure. What you have to do if purify your potassium hydrixide. 1. Burn wood and collect the fine ash. 2. Put the fine ash in water, let the solide particle settle to the bottom 3. Only take the liquide and filter it through a coffee filter 4. Now let the liquide evaporate and what you are left with is all water soluable. 5. With the dried mass you can proceed to follow your recipe. The dried mass has a much higher concentration of potassium hydroxide wich will yield better results Little notice on the side, only 20 % of the mass of your ash is actually potassium hydroxide. So will need 5x more ash than the recipe asks for pure potassium hydroxide.

[@TheFrugalMombot]

do you have a recipe and video on how to purify the deer tallow and do you also use it for cooking? as for the soap/lotion bars, i think you hit the nail on the head at the end there and that they’ll be great for those reasons. i also imagine that people would pay a pretty penny for something like that, hand-crafted from natural wild, pure, healthy, and beneficial ingredients. nothing is better for our own skin or hides. so whether accidental or not, i hope these end up being a joy and blessing to you in the coming months. i think you’ll really be glad it turned out this way.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Yea we have a video where we show how we render and purify deer tallow. I think we posted it like a year ago? You'll see it if you look in our videos

[@The_Ashling]

Would love to see some small-scale tests/experiments with wood ash for soap, to see if you can get the results you were aiming for with local materials.

[@alialg1621]

You can still cut the ash soap into small cubes and mix them with the soap mixture before transferring it to the molds to get soap with lotion cubes.😊❤

[@ash.lynn17]

I so enjoyed watching this video! Thank you for making it. I want to try making my own lye and soap someday.

[@elizabethedmonds6977]

For some reason my cat absolutely LOVES this video 😂 and I do too!!

[@lsheffield6205]

Sounds like your failed soap is now a luxurious shaving bar. I love using a shaving bar. It moisturizes so I don’t end up with dry skin. Let us know if it works for this. ❤

[@felicitysileas1051]

Maybe add a pinch of store bought lye mixed with hard wood ash would do the trick...my thoughts were (if it wasn't lotion) to make a DIY detergent with it. But perhaps instead you can remelt it and add more salt and beeswax and turn it into a waterproof boot conditioner?

[@Kiki-]

This is a really great video, have you tried grating the beeswax? Should help with the scary cutting job

[@cecilyerker]

Buy beeswax pellets

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Good idea!

[@ClearlyPixelated]

In the future, instead of cutting a bar of soap with a knife, you can use a cheese grater to get the amount you need.

[@taraedwards1892]

The "not" soap would be great for a shaving bar 💙💙

[@angelicahaennicke4994]

Love your videos, I watch every time they drop. You both teach me so much and I hope to one day purchase your courses! I remember you all mentioning a dream, or actual plan (?), of getting some land with friends to hand gather and home grow in a community. I love your reel about how sustainability is best in community and I would personally love if you went in depth. I nerd out about that stuff so hearing about your ethos, philosophy, and plans on how you all have built and are building a community through growing, foraging, and creating would be feverishly watched by me. Thanks again, keep doing what you're doing.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Thank you, glad you’re enjoying them! And as for the farm group we mentioned a while ago, we actually found a farm outside of town and we pulled our money and are closing on it this week 😁😁

[@angelicahaennicke4994]

@@HomegrownHandgathered congrats!! Can’t wait to see the journey of that new chapter!

[@thisismyname3328]

I've never seen your long-form content before, but this was a lovely watch! Have you heard of Sally Pointer? She has a video detailing her soap making process, using wood ash lye!

[@alicianneboyle2443]

Hey sweeties thank you for sharing your thoughts and video. I have psoriasis and would the moisturizer soap using the wood ash I wonder if that would help me? I was always skeptical on making soap from deer fat and wood ash idk maybe I will still make it 🤷 but I did enjoy watching yinz make soap 🧼 😁

[@cecilyerker]

The ugly non lathering not-soap would probably make a great leather conditioner! It looks very similar to Saddle Soap. Keep it in tins.

[@HomegrownHandgathered]

Yea, that's probably what we'll mostly use it for. Boot conditioner :)

[@fritz1990]

Good video. Watching this as i strain off some turkey bone broth.

[@overratedprogrammer]

I tried making soap but I don't think my lye was strong enough/didn't have enough of it. Like you, I decided to try it anyway. The end result was greasy, more like a moisturizer. My conclusion was that it takes a LOT of ashes.

[@robertcotrell9810]

I recently cut my finger badly (9 stitches), but just a flesh wound, thankfully. So that was EXTRA stressful. 😬

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

(Before watching the video) Ooh... Cookie !

[@vanessalujano7869]

Have you tried making hair pomade with the tallow? I've seen that using it with dry shampoo is a nice hair treatment and helps with cutting chemicals out of your hair routine.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

I am planning to do this soon!

[@MelBervaldi-ug9in]

Super interesting video thanks ☀

[@marinarichardson9113]

Love this video. Love this mould for soap making. Do you have a link for them?

[@rhiannonholden232]

Have you guys ever made a tallow balm? I think I'm going to try this year.

[@guthriemayfield8721]

Potassium hydroxide is also used for liquid soap and semi liquid soap, like in other parts of the world

[@stacylandis9806]

Wondering if you could take your soft soap and cut up, reheat and add more lye and water and make liquid hand soap?

[@shoppingbag6973]

Rebatch it in a crockpot. Cut it into smaller pieces, add a cup or so of water and cook it on low for about an hour.

[@revinaque1342]

What you got was soap scum 😅 If you've ever showered in hard water, that's the residue that gets left on the tub after you've soaped and rinsed off Wood ash has a lot of calcium and magnesium in it. The alkaline forms of these react with the fat to form a compound that doesn't dissolve in water. You need the soap to be able to dissolve for it to work/be actual soap, and that only happens with sodium and potassium Wood ash also contains potassium, but it has a lot more calcium than potassium. So you end up with a bar that's mostly soap scum, with a small amount of soft soap. I don't know how soapmakers back in the day got around this. My background is in chemistry, not the domestic sciences Another thing is that you want to work quickly with alkalis. As soon as the wood becomes ash, dissolve it in water. Don't give it time to cool, and don't sift it. You can always filter the chunky bits out of the solution later. Move quickly, because all of the hydroxides will immediately start sucking carbon dioxide from the air to try to neutralize the solution. Your hydroxides will become carbonates, which makes them useless for soapmaking. Keep the whole solution covered with an airtight lid until you're ready to use it. Then you can strain out the solid bits as you transfer the solution to the pot that you'll use to evaporate the excess water Good luck! But honestly, I think it's best to stick with commercial lye for soapmaking. You'll get a reliable result every time 😊

[@kk2e856]

Can you make whipped tallow balm with deer tallow?

[@ryerincho]

Do you guys do any inperson forage classes?

[@bruce9987]

What soap mold are you using ?

[@victorfromheart]

Pretty ingenious not gonna lye.

[@sungabriel3969]

Can y’all make shampoo?

[@Gardeningchristine]

I just rubbed deer tallow on my dry feet and hands. Barely any smell.

[@g143h]

Beautiful. But I don't believe you can buy pure sodium hydroxide from a store anymore. Soapcalc is awesome. 😊

[@BelugaSennah]

these guys really looked at dwarf fortress and went, yeah i could do that too

[@ofootyeabicc201]

There’s a joke here somewhere about our lord and savior, Mr. Durden.