New Kind of Lava Soap - With Pumice

I thought I would make a soap and add pumice to it. The end product would be much like a Lava soap, but a different shape and color. I could add a scent to it as well. Well, in the fall, I tried my hand at this and I love the finished product. It is mildly abrasive, similar to the goat's milk-oatmeal soap. I feel so clean when I use it! I originally intended to make it for men. I always give Lava soap to the men in the household for Christmas. Now I get to make my own with my copy-cat recipe! I call it 'Volcano' soap. Here is a pic:

I did add too much color to this first batch, but once it cured, it wasn't so noticeable. The color was like a coral, but the next batch was more like salmon. I am selling these at $3 a bar if anyone is interested (or if I don't use them up first!).

Round, Rectangle, or Flowery?

    I find it interesting that a long time ago, I used to make shaped soaps. I used molds that were intended for making candles, so most of the soaps were huge. I made a cat one, a football one, an apple, and a little Nativity figure set all out of soap. Out of all of those, the only one I sold was one cat one!
   Years later, I have some friends that want me to make goat's milk-oatmeal soap. They want it to be in rectangle bars. So I have been making those and they seem to be in demand.
  I used to wonder why people preferred the rectangle soaps to the fancy shaped ones. One reason, I think, is because when a bar is pretty or looks like an object, it tends to not get used, except as a decoration. One person put an apple soap in their fruit bowl, I noticed!
   So now I am mainly concentrating on making rectangle bars. Some of them are plain, with a rough cut, and others will have a flowery picture on the front. Someone once suggested that perhaps it is because the rectangle bars are easiest to hold. That makes sense.
   So my next decision to make on the shapes, is whether people will buy round or oval soaps, or will they prefer the rectangle ones instead of the round ones?
   What do you think? Please post your opinions and thoughts here in the place for comments. Thanks.

Thank God for Rainwater

It is raining and I am very happy, for when I have lots of rainwater, I can make soap. Sure, I can use distilled water and will when I am in a pinch, but I prefer to use rainwater as it is in its most natural form. God has answered my prayer for rain. And I will make soap tomorrow night!