DIY Bear Fat Soap | The Mellon Patch | Wild Skills

Making your own soap from bear fat is a traditional, practical skill that’s still incredibly useful today. In this tutorial, we walk through the full process of rendering bear fat into a usable soap — from measuring ingredients to mixing, moulding, and curing. A rugged, hands-on project rooted in self-reliance and making the most of the harvest. @TheMellonPatchHomesteadingTV INGREDIENTS - 26 oz rendered bear fat (liquefied, ~100°F) - 9.2 oz non-chlorinated water - 3.4 oz lye - 0.8 oz fragrance oil (optional) EQUIPMENT - Mixing bowl - Digital scale - Thermometer - Immersion blender (or hand mixer) - Silicone soap mold - Protective gloves - Ventilated workspace or hood fan INSTRUCTIONS 1. Warm rendered bear fat to approximately 100°F until fully liquefied. 2. Measure water into a heat-safe container. 3. Slowly add lye to the water (never water to lye), stirring carefully. Allow mixture to heat and cool. 4. Once both the lye-water mixture and bear fat are near 100°F, slowly combine them. 5. Use an immersion blender to mix until the soap reaches a pudding-like consistency (“trace”). 6. Add fragrance oil and continue blending briefly. 7. Pour the mixture into the silicone mould and smooth the top. 8. Let soap sit undisturbed for 24 hours. 9. Remove from the mould and cut into bars. 10. Allow bars to cure further as needed before use. SAFETY NOTE - Always wear gloves when handling lye. - Work in a well-ventilated area. Watch more on Wild TV+! https://www.wildtvplus.ca/en/category/1034/Tips-&-tricks?utm_source=wild-youtube&utm_medium=social 00:00 Manly Soap-Making with Bear Fat 00:08 Ingredients & Measurements 00:25 Mixing Lye & Water Safely 00:32 Lye Safety & Chemical Reaction 00:56 Adding Bear Fat (Tallow) 01:07 Mixing to Trace & Fragrance 01:20 Moulding, Curing & Cutting the Soap #TheMellonPatch #bearfatsoap #tallowsoap #handmadesoap #traditionalskills #wildgame #selfreliance #offgridliving #homesteading #bushcraft #wildharvest #diysoap #fromharvesttobar #WildTV