I give away all the soap I make, would be nice though if someone wanted to pay for extras. :) I use the 40% and 50% off coupons to buy supplies at Michaels so it doesn't cost me that much, compared to what I would spend buying a gift. I like the uniqueness of making your own soap, no one ever expects to get a gift like that. I used to bake cakes and cookies to give as gifts but more and more people whined that they don't want to get fat. I got so tired of hearing, "thanks for the sweet treat BUT I am trying to cut down on sugar". Their appreciation was always followed by a negative. That's when I decided to try the calorie alternative. I buy all of my molds from eBay. And because I want the soap to look extra special I splurge now on the single molds. They make a large bar so all you need is one per person, it makes a nice gift all on it's own especially with glitter sprinkled on top, bar wrapped up in a crisp celophan bag with pretty ribbon tied at the top. I've found you really get what you pay for when it comes to molds, the cheaper the price the thinner the silicone. But even the cheap silicon molds are better than the plastic ones at Michaels. A silicone mold will last forever, I'm sure my friends will tire of the fairy soaps long before the mold wears out. Soap pops out of a silicone mold in a second whereas you have to take quite a lot of time working the soap out of a plastic mold, trying not to crack the mold in the process...which will happen anyway after a few uses. btw, I have tried those silcone baking pans with the 6 mini muffin molds but they are clearly designed for cake not soap. The soap pops out tall and "fat", not the shape you expect to see soap. It reminds me of the little rose soaps my grandmother used to fill a glass jar in her bathroom with (they weren't flat on one end either). They're OK as novelty guest soap but a little too small for the bath. It's hard to wash your hands with something the size of a walnut.

depends on if you are doing melt & pour glycerin soap or if you are making cold proccess soap. If it's melt & pour, (M&P) it's easier to buy it already made into goatsmilk base....or you can ge plain & add your own goatsmilk powder to it. Then either fragrance/essential oil. This you can use immediately. If it's cold process you want to do, look on the web for recipies....it would involve palm, coconut, olive or vegetable oils (or a combination), lye, goatsmilk or goatsmilk poweder & fragrance/essential oil. THis has to age 4-6 weeks before using it. If you want to do cold process (CP) soap, it might be easier to start with a plain recpe first, then move to the more complicated ones. Good luck....both are fun to do. I'm just to impatient for the CP, so I went to the M&P. Plus the colors are brighter, & the scents can be made stronger in M&P...it's much more forgiving than CP. Hazel

I made a batch yesterday and this morning it has jelled up like the soap made with the Fels Naptha. I used half a bar for this batch. I have not washed any clothes with it yet but I imagine it will be fine. Thanks for your replies. Happy New Year. Sue

Years ago, when I had a top load washing machine, then the 32 gallons per load would have been good to recycle. Right now I have a front loader that scarcely uses 3 gallons per load. It is the shower water that interests me. We love long luxurious showers. I am fully aware of Grey Water converting to Black Water quickly. The use of a tank is a temporary storage and it will only regulate the flow to the gardens. My barrels collecting rain water from the roof act the same way. A hose connected to the bottom of the barrel feeds directly to the plants as soon as any water is being collected. Most of the time, they are empty. The tank for grey water will provide a continuous flow until it is empty and will not store water for more than an hour after it has any. Is sodium the major offender to my system? Anything else to be aware?