Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for a Beginner..., October 19, 2002
This review is from: Making Soaps & Scents : Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make At Home (Hardcover)
This was my first book that I bought on soap making and I really wished I had read the reviews first, before I purchased this book. I should have known something was not right when she didn't have any pictures of her finished soaps with her recipes. Could it be because they don't come out right, so she has none to show? I have attemtped to make two of her recipes so far. The Cinnamon Ginger,pg. 71; which came out a dark, ugly, smelley, mess. My second attempt was her Soothing Honey Vanilla Soap, pg. 73. What a fiasco that turned out to be. She neglects to tell you that when you add the 6 ounces of melted beeswax to the oils that are at 100F degrees(as instructed by her Basic Vegetable Soap), the beeswax will immediately solidify again and float on top. So, now I had to re-melt everything to a temperature around 150F to get the Beeswax to stay melted and blend into the oils. And of course, my Lye was already at 100F, waiting to be added to the oils. I see now why she has the section of water baths to regulate your Lye/Oil tempertures. You are going to need them. Anyhow, in order for the beeswax to stay liquid, I had to keep the temperature around 150F. And now I wasn't sure which temperature my lye should be. She also neglected to warn you that honey can cause your batch to separate, that happened to me also, when I added the warmed honey. I have serious doubts that my soap will turn out ok, it is in the mold now, but it did not look good when I poured it. And, I also just found out, after reading on the Internet, that you should not add more than 1.5% beeswax to a batch, otherwise you will have problems keeping the batch at a liquid state. The other reason is because of Beewax's hardening properties. Since it makes a soap hard, too much is not good, not unless you have a jack-hammer to slice it:). Well, her recipe called for 6oz of Beeswax, which is more than 13%, I am afraid I will end up with a brick in the morning. Again, this is the type of information she neglects to explain to you. Another important note is the use of Essential Oils in her reipes, e.g., again, her Soothing Vanilla Soap says to use 2 oz of Vanilla Essential Oil. I am not sure who her supplier is, but I couldn't find pure Vanilla Essential Oil for under $194.00, for 2 ozs, and that was for Vanilla Absolute. I am so glad now, that I used Fragrance Oil instead. I don't have 200.00 to throw away, while I try to figure her recipes out. Again, this is book is truly lacking in information. I am sure an experienced soaper would have known these things, but than, I think an experienced soaper would have read this recipe,laughed and tossed it aside. And yes, how much lye do you need for the Lemon Lime Coconut Hair Bar on pg. 91, anyway? That's right, somehow the editor neglected to add it. Hopefully, once I become more experienced, I can use some of her recipes, but for now, I think I will stay with the Internet, so I can learn. Buyers beware, is all I have left to say about this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to follow and fun to do!, July 27, 2000
This review is from: Making Soaps & Scents : Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make At Home (Hardcover)
I read this entire book in one evening! The book was well-layed out and easy to understand. I purchased another book on soap/liquid making and the other author explained everything in the chemical names! It was so frustrating to read. Catherine explains everything in simple, easy-to-understand words that a beginner can follow with out any help. Many of the soap ingredients are found right in your kitchen except for the Lye, which she tells you that you can purchase the Lye at your local hardware store, like Home Depot. She also includes wonderful recipes. I bought the book mainly for the soaps but ended up enjoying the perfume section even more. I made my first Rose Water (eau de toilette) batch last weekend following her easy directions. I have since found other recipes on the Internet, but have found Catherine's recipe to be one of best recipes for Rose Water! She even tells you where you can purchase your supplies and those hard to find (which weren't many--like the essential oils) items with the Internet addresses as resources. Its funny, but this is my bible now for working with perfumes. If you're a beginner or simply curious about starting or dabbling in soap/perfume making, I would definitely recommend reading this book FIRST!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty pictures but......., November 18, 2001
This review is from: Making Soaps & Scents : Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make At Home (Hardcover)
This is not a good book for making soap or anything else. It has more pictures than recipes and what recipes it does have are not very practical. This is NOT a book for beginners either, spend the money on something else like soap making for fun and profit, and the soap makers companion. I bought this book, and was very dissapointed, I resold it and not for very much I might add.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
