Customer Reviews

Natural Soapmaking

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For the person who wishes to start making his or her own soap, this method of soapmkaing will be easiest (no lye involved!). Marie Browning's method is to purchase a "basic" bar of soap, melt it down, then add in your own ingredients to personalize the soap. I love the idea of personalizing soaps; however, I found that locating a natural, "basic" soap was impossible. Virtually every brand has fragrance and additives that will effect the result of your soap (i.e., if you use a bar of Ivory soap, a thousand drops of aromatic essential oils won't disguise the Ivory soap scent). Browning does not make any brand suggestions of "basic" soaps, but I suggest to try an organic food store. Browning's molding method is questionnable as well: the soap does not release from its mold by simply dousing the mold with Vaseline. I enjoyed the additional information, such as how to make bath salts, facial cleansers and how to package your products. Those tips are creative and fun. If you are frightened of dealing with lye and want a simple, quick method of soapmaking, this book will be enjoyable for you. Tip: purchase an encyclopedia of cosmetic ingredients. It will aid you in selecting quality ingredients to use in your soaps, because this information is not provided in Browning's book. Lastly, don't expect your soaps to look as beautiful as Browning's until you've truly got the hang of it. Once you've mastered this method you can advance to making your own soaps from scratch!

I'm rather disturbed by a few negative and sometimes vitriolic reviews of this book. To be sure, this book does not teach soapmaking from scratch. However, several reviewers displayed their snobbery about "true" soapmaking in such a way that might cause others to avoid buying this book.

For those of us who work 8+ hours each weekday, then dash around taking care of family, errands, appointments, chores, and all other activities associated with a hectic life, this book is a dream.

It is well written, does NOT promote any particular brand of soap (contrary to some review comments), provides excellent step-by-step instructions, and presents many ideas and encouraging suggestions beyond making just bars of soap.

I ordered four other books at the same time I purchased this one. I've read them all, cover to cover. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. Three discuss making soap from scratch -- and one of those also discusses hand-milling the resultant batches -- while the other two (this one included) discuss hand-milling. Some contain technical information in depth, some talk about other more aesthetic aspects of soapmaking. Taken as a whole, the several books give a more complete picture of what can be done in the world of soap than any one book can possibly accomplish.

Just as it is no less my handwork when I use a pattern for cross-stitch that someone else designed, so too hand-milling pre-made batches of soap enables me to fit this enticing activity into my life.

I will someday find the time to create soap from scratch. Until then, I certainly will not deny myself the pleasure of making lovely soaps I've created in my own home using the ideas in this book.

I found this book to be exactly what I wanted. I'm a working wife who dabbles in many crafts and hobbies. I wanted to try my hand at crafting a few bars of soap without all the fuss needed for lye soaps. I grated castille soap to make mine and I was very pleased with the results. I made the Pet Soap and it works well on my Westie. I disagree with other reviews below. I purposely bought this book because it tells you up front that it is not a "from scratch" recipe book. I was not mislead into thinking I was making true (from lye) soap. The pictures were well done and the instructions are clear. I found most ingredients available in a local store dealing in all natural products. I still purchase handmade soaps from true soapmakers...but it's also fun to make these soaps for my family and friends.

I like this book, but instead of being a soapmaking book, it should be called a soapcrafting book. To use this book, one needs to already have a base soap to re-mill(rebatch) into the crafted soaps included in this book. The recipes are easy to follow, and once you have perfected the process of re-milling, the end products will make a nice expansion to any soap line of products.

Even though this book is entitled "Natural Soapmaking" it really refers using items such as herbs, etc in your soaps and not to the cold process you would doing when making soaps with lye (which can take a month to cure). These are easy receipes for someone just starting out and want to learn creative ways make soaps which gives you immediate results. It gives good instructions and information about aromatherapy, what different colors mean and what certain herbs to enhance your soaps. Although, she recommends putting Vaseline in the molds to assist with the releasing of the mold - you really do not need to do that! As long as you wait for the soap to harden completely that step is unnecessary! And for the cold process/lye makers you may want to pass on this one because you may be disappointed! It is a great addition to your Melt and Pour Soapmaking by the same author!

I have read and used Marie's "Natural Soapmaking" book in it's paperback version. As a nutritionist I would rather focus on the enhancements rather than the actual soap. If lye/fat homemade is what you want; but, you don't want to fuss with the danger - then order some. The internet is bursting with websites of soapmakers willing to sell you their unscented soap. Ms.Browing clearly states this on page 9. Not once did she recommend any brand. Under the title of "What is Soap?" (page 8) she warns against commercial detergent soap and beauty bars. My advice to all interested in soapmaking is to give this book a try. I don't need to extract essence oils to make fragrance! The only thing I'd like to request from Ms. Browning is that she please give a list of suppliers in her next book. I'll be looking foward to it!

Yeah - you aren't starting out w/ fats and lye from scratch...But if you work full time and have a couple other things going on as well - this book is probably a good one for you. And for all of you who can't find soap to grate - check ebay and look up soap making on hotbot - there's plenty of places on the 'net to buy the base.

This book is great for people that already make their own soap. She has wonderful recipes for hand-milled soap, bath salts, bath oils and massage oils. There are also some very descriptive and beautiful packaging ideas. If you do make your own soap, make a batch of unscented cold processed soap and grate it - then this book will really be helpful to you. Unscented vegetable soap is sometimes difficult to find.

I absolutely loved this book. I've looked at many soapmaking books and this was the easiest to understand. I made soaps for my friends for Christmas last year. I didn't have to have a degree in chemistry to make my own soap!!!

I am a professional soap maker and found this book to be most informative on making other bath products, such as bath oils, facial scrubs, massage oils, massage bars, etc. Marie Browning is extremely creative in her packaging. Her ideas are great for both personal and professional use. You won't be dissapointed.