Making Soap for Fun and Profit [Paperback]

Hidden Meadows (Author), Kathyrn Doll (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 1998

Learn how to make soap the old fashioned way using new fangled methods. Making Soap for Fun and Profit offers basic recipes using tallow, vegetable shortening and/or a wide variety of oils such as olive, coconut, avacodo etc.. to make soap which lasts like our ancestors.

The author describes how to incorporate addivitives, herbs and essential oils to vary the color and scent of the soap.

The author encourages the reader to design and create special blends - offering some blank pages for personal notes and recipes.

Resources for materials appear through out the book and are also listed in the Index and resource page. Enjoy the process - have some fun making soap!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Making soap is still a fun hobby for myself and now my two kids. We keep ourselves, our extended family and friends well supplied. I have made every type of soap in this book, but must admit Cinnamon, Dr. Mom, Rosemary Dill and Vegetarian II are still our favorites.

My hope in writing this book was to take the fear out of soap making and instill a spirit of adventure for the soap maker to experiment with essential oils and additives on his or her own.

I have enjoyed sharing my techniques and experiences through the written word and at book signings around the country and meeting the people who have used the book.

Thank you for your encouragement and support.

Happy soap making! Linda

From the Back Cover

Making Soap for Fun and Profit is a must have, full of creative ideas and easy to follow instructions for anyone desiring to learn the craft of soapmaking. Upon finishing the very first batch of soap, the soapmaker will be sure to feel inspired and accomplished by the delightful comments and requests formore homemade soap. Chris Lynn, soapmaker

Doubling as a practical tutorial and guide to a nearly forgotten craft, Making Soap for Fun and Profit serves as a delightful case study of how one idea - enacted upon by two aspiring entrepreneurs - became a successful and enjoyable business. While encouraging the reader to nurture our own ideas from the initial concept though the implementation of a business plan, Linda Inlow leads by example and helpful suggestion. Hank Sowerwine, investment advisor, Linsco/Private Ledger

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Kopacetic Ink; 1 edition (August 26, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961963425
• ISBN-13: 978-0961963422
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very limited content for beginners, December 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Soap for Fun and Profit (Paperback)

I have ordered several books on soap making to read, and after looking at the books offered on this website, I narrowed it down to three. This was the first book to arrive, and as a beginner, I was disappointed in the very little content the book offered considering the price. The book actually only has about 55 pages of content, and many of those are half-pages. The recipes make up a lot of the book's content, with only one recipe per page. There were no milk-based recipes. The book's title gives the impression that the book contains information re: making soap for profit, but actually only contains 6 pages (with lots of spacing) on the subject, giving really very little specific information, and primarily telling the reader her story of starting her own business. The book has so little content that I was actually able to read the whole book in less than 30 minutes. The book does make the process sound less intimidating, and does make soap making seem much more simple that other writers do. If you want a collection of recipes then this is a good book for your soap making library. But if you want more information on the process itself, including troubleshooting, and on soap making for profit, then look to other authors. If you are on a budget, and can only buy 1 or 2 books, then look elsewhere to get more content for your dollars.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Safety Hazards and MISinformation, December 31, 1999

By 

B. Tackitt (Granbury, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Soap for Fun and Profit (Paperback)

I'd really like to give this book NO starts, but I guess that's not an option. I am returning my copy. I can't believe the safety hazards this woman takes with LYE. It is a HIGHLY caustic material. (which Ms. Inlow does state) However, In her instructions she syas to pour your liquids into your lye... DO NOT DO THIS! Other than creating a volcano effect which could boil over and out of the container in which the mixing is taking place, due to Lye being considered a HAZMAT(Hazardous Material) it is actually illegal to do your mixing this way in some states.. PLEASE check with your local HAZMAT safety regulations before following her instructions.

Misinformation: After studying soapmaking for over two years, I have learned that CASTILLE soap must have at least 50% olive oil in it, or the name must be changed. Ms. Inlow lists a Castille soap that is barely 1/3 olive oil.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wanted to learn and Linda knows how to teach!, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Making Soap for Fun and Profit (Paperback)

I admit I was disappointed when Linda Inlow's book first arrived. During the last 3 months I have read 4 information packed soap books that have got me reading avidly about soap making, but didn't seem to give me the confidence to start making it myself. So how would Linda's slim, notebook type book (with no pictures!) do it? 24hours later, I'd made my first batch of soap. Each soap writer has their own style of making and writing about soap. You almost get too much information as a beginner and its becomes confusing. Linda is different in that she really is writing for the novice. She also knows how to teach soap making. Being able to teach a craft is a very different skill from just being able to write about it. This book is a user-friendly, and interesting tutorial. Each chapter gave me just the right amount of information and in the right order. Unlike other books, it didn't side-track me into other topics which left me confused. Why didn't anyone think of spiral bound, laminated covers before? Great. I love her sections on natural coloring and special scent blends. Her information for starting a business is just enough to send you in the right direction. The blank note pages at the back are useful too. I'm already hoping she'll write "Soap Making for Fun and Profit II." I'll be the first to buy it.