To those of you who have been using these "home made" detergents, are you experiencing any odor, mold or mildew issues? The reason I ask is because castile soap builds up into a gooopy, gel-like gunk if not properly rinsed. This could potentially cause problems in washers. Every home-made product I've tried - from detergent to fabric softener - has proven unsatisfactory. Either the products don't clean well, they risk building up in my machine or on my clothes or they just don't work. Price is not the only consideration, which is what appears to be driving this homemade laundry movement.

Just a bit of info I found on the internet regarding *Glycerine* soap -vs- Transparent soap Melt and Pour Soap:� Also known as solid Glycerin. Pure glycerin, animal or vegetable based, is always liquid and can only be solidified by the addition of plasticizer chemicals. To produce a foam, detergents are added. This method is simply making soap from soap and is more expensive than starting from scratch. Melt and pour soaps may have natural ingredients added to them but they are synthetically based. This type of soap can actually be drying to your skin! Transparent Soap:�This soap is made clear by adding solvents such as alcohol to prevent crystals from forming as the soap cools. Transparent soap is often referred to as Glycerin Soap. However, this is a fallacy as glycerin is not needed to produce a clear or transparent soap. This soap can be drying to the skin.

Making soap from fats and lye is a very rewarding, but very exacting, process, Zeke. There are hundreds of recipes, but you should start off with a very basic one. Read, read, read... the instructions and warnings about the lye and proper utensils before you start. You should understand every step BEFORE you start making your first batch. You need all the containers, thermometers, etc. gathered before you start. Don't allow any children or pets around you as the lye can badly burn! Allow yourself a whole afternoon (preferably a whole day!) for your first batch. Your public library will have books on basic soapmaking. Additionally, there are many, many sites on the Internet with recipes. There used to be (and probably still is) a basic recipe on the Red Devil Lye container! Here is a link to one basic recipe... Good luck and let us know how it goes! Here is a link that might be useful: Basic Recipe at the Luxury Lane Site

Sorry, already have 10 testers lined up, some people from across the country, a couple are my wholesale customers.....I usually just pick my scents by what I like, & by "instinct", but this time I decided to to some scent testing, just to see how close, or far off I REALLY am......then again, I may NOT want to know. I also thought it would be a good idea to let the wholesale folks preview upcoming things........ Depending on how this goes, I may just go back to the old way (me). It's been a borderline pain....I spent the weekend making tons of ½ size bars of soap, wrapping & labeling, now packing & getting ready to ship. I just hope these people get back to me with the results.....I've had to chase the soap base testers down, with the exception of Jill...she was the ONLY one who gave me detailed, scent by scent info, which I GREATLY appreciated! Anyway, off to pack the soap, & the ebay auctions....... Hazel