Making Candles & Soaps For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)) (Paperback)

by Kelly Ewing (Author) "Making candles can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby..." (more)
Key Phrases: tabbed wick, melt your soap, melt your wax, Jazzing Up Your Candles, Fancying Up Your Soap, Soap-Making World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Make floating candles, herbal soaps, and even a home spa

Discover the secrets of color, shape, and scent the fun and easy way?

Whether you're a beginner or seasoned craftperson, this fun book offers everything you need to make beautiful, professional-looking candles and soaps at home. You get practical tips on dyeing and scenting wax, using unusual molds, adding embellishments to candles, working with soap ingredients, and even turning your hobby into a business!

Discover How To:
* Stock a safe & efficient work area
* Work with all types of wax
* Add color and scent to your projects
* Make melt-and-pour soaps
* Turn a hobby into a business

From the Back Cover
Make floating candles, herbal soaps, and even a home spa

Discover the secrets of color, shape, and scent the fun and easy way®

Whether you're a beginner or seasoned craftperson, this fun book offers everything you need to make beautiful, professional-looking candles and soaps at home. You get practical tips on dyeing and scenting wax, using unusual molds, adding embellishments to candles, working with soap ingredients, and even turning your hobby into a business!

Discover How To:

• Stock a safe & efficient work area
• Work with all types of wax
• Add color and scent to your projects
• Make melt-and-pour soaps
• Turn a hobby into a business

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (November 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764574086
• ISBN-13: 978-0764574085
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #306,254 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Candlemaking
  #31 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Soap Making

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For beginners only, February 10, 2006

By	C. Kroupa - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you've never made a candle, or done pour-and-mold soap, this book will tell you how. It will also warn you of every concievable mishap you could encounter. In today's litigious society, I suppose that's required, but it did detract from the rest of the work, in my opinion. Then again, I was looking for pointers and updates on materials, since I hadn't made any candles since the late 1980's. In that regard, it introduced me to soy wax and a few products I did not know existed.

However, the pictures offered were not all that helpful, and the instructions very basic. Any of this information could be gotten from a decent online search. The best part of this book was the part in the back which listed a lot of websites for supplies and further information.

I found the author's style to be rather pedantic, and overly "upbeat", as if she were trying too hard to make this a fun and enjoyable book by interjecting bits of humorous commentary that didn't quite "gel".

As a series, the "for Dummies" line seems to me to be stretching a bit thin. I have quite a few of them, and the originality of the first few made learning fun. Now it simply makes it tedious, and the attempts at fun and humor are becoming tiresome.

All in all, the series overall has become what the name implies: books for beginners and dilettantes. There is nothing wrong with that, by any means. But it wasn't what I was looking for in this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for melt and pour soap creations, December 27, 2007

By	J. Boeger "Grey Expectations" (Oakley, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I did not read the sections on candle making, so this review is strictly based on the soap sections. I found this book to be one of the most helpful ones I've read (I checked out a lot from the library). True, it does not cover the cold process, but as the more simple, melt and pour method is all that I'm interested in, this book is right on target for my needs.

In addition to the color and fragrance info, it discusses stenciled soap, soap on a rope, variegated soap, embedded soap, three-dimensional soap, imprinted soap, soap balls, customized shampoo, massage oil, bath salts liquid soap and more.

I also enjoyed Chapter 19 which is devoted entirely to aromatherapy. It lets you know what a particular scent is noted for (i.e. boosting memory, fighting infections, relieving congestion, calming effect, etc.), as well as whether it is photosensitizing (increases your chance for a sunburn), a possible irritant to sensitive skin, possesses antibacterial qualities, etc.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Weakest of Books, Better Available, October 4, 2008

By	CFH "chillnhill" (Blue Ridge Summit, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The Weakest of Books, Better Available

Being a professional candle maker (3rd generation) and an avid reader, I have a huge collection of candle and soap making books. After looking over "Making Candles & Soaps for Dummies" for perhaps the 3rd time, I can honestly say that there are many better books covering both subjects. This book covers only the very basic information and will leave you with more questions than answers.

For the candle side, I highly recommend Beginner's Guide to Candlemaking or the instructional video Introduction To Candle Making

On the soap side, try Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickl Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself.

These are both great hobbies that can become good sideline business and there are good resources available on the subject... this book is not one of them.