Soap Questions

[seamstress52.livejournal.com]

Hey everyone.
I made soap for the first time the other day with my Mom. (The Melt and Pour way.)
See...

We had fun and like the way they turned out so we hope to make more in the future. Perhaps even make them from scratch.
But for now, I have a couple questions.
I've looked through the FAQ but couldn't find my answers. :(

I got a book from the lib that had a lot of good recipies. Most of the fruit/veggie soaps call for benzoin--a preservative. The recipes call for cucumbers or lemons and I don't want them to get all... yucky. How important is the benzoin? Can I get away with not using it? Or replace it with something else? If not, where could I buy some online?

I'd also like to get into making shampoo. The book has some recipes but they aren't animal friendly. Does anyone have any animal friendly shampoo recipes?


Thanks a bunch. :)