Customer Reviews

Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I started to make CP soap I purchased several books and also drove all the way from Philadelphia to DC to take a class. Then I received a magazine that I subscribe to which featured an article by Anne L. Watson. In a nutshell it summerized her book and at the end of the article she listed a awsome recipe for soap.

This article encouraged me to purchase the book. I have read a lot of soap making books. This book is the fist book that I was able to read from cover to cover more than once.

I highly recommend this book, It is consice and to the point, it will get you through your first batch and several more. Ms. Watson's techniques in my opinion are full proof. I have made several batches of soap and never had a failed batch yet.

Not to mention, if you have a question you can always email the author and get a response back.

I love love love this book. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!

I make soaps, professionally, since about 19 years and tried a lot so far. I am curious and love to experiment. I use this book now to teach my new employees a thing or two about soap an to take the fear.

I particulary liked the part with "shortening the curing time" I did try it before, but it did not work out as wished. Thanks to this book I found my mistake, tried it and oh wonder: it works! Ok, for the size batches we make - about 800 lbs at a shot - the temperatues, etc, had to be changed, but the basics are still the same.

So if your have a small business, larger business, do it as a hobby or are just getting started, the bottom line is: Buy this book, it is worth every single cent and does not contain the usual nonsense other authors write.

Just keep one thing in mind when using the by Watson referred Soapmakers Guide from S. Miller-C.: those recipes are for KOH not NaOH! Kathy Miller's website can give you the conversions (her site is in the references/ resources of A.L. Watson's book)

So good luck and lots of fun making soap!
S. Marhanka - Body & Mind Natural Collection

I was inspired to make soap when my daughter shared some shea butter soap with me that she had bought at a farmer's market and because I was concerned about the chemicals in the products we were using.

I read a great deal about making cold process soap during the 2 years I was making melt and pour soap and gathering equipment. It seemed scary and complicated. Everyone said something different and there was lots about "rebatching" soap batches that didn't turn out well.

When I finally had all of my equipment and the only thing stopping me was clear directions and a bit of fear, I read reviews of soap making books on Amazon. This was the book that I was most impressed with from reading the reviews so I ordered it. I shall be eternally grateful that I did.

I have made 2 batches of soap from Anne's shea butter recipe, one of them a bug repellent soap, and they have both turned out perfect. Now I've created 2 of my own recipes using her information and instructions, to use up some extra oils I have, and feel completely confident that they will turn out well. Before reading her book I couldn't imagine creating my own recipes at all, much less this soon.

And like she says, you should never have to "rebatch" a batch of soap. I, too, have read the book several times and continue to reference the excellent information regarding creating your own recipes. I can't say enough good about this book, for either an aspiring or an experienced soap maker. I no longer fear making soap, but find it a totally awesome experience now and feel fantastic every day as I use the soap I've made.

If you're the least bit interested in making soap I would strongly suggest that this be the first book you purchase for your soap making library.

This book has everything you need to start making soap. The instructions and illustrations for the cold-process of soap making are easy to follow, the recipes are simple and produce great soap every time. Anne's Shea Butter Soap is a very versatile recipe, and her references to other sources are invaluable. Would love to see the author produce a volume of soap recipes!

I started making soap back in 2000 and Susan Miller Cavitch's "The Soapmaker's Companion" was my bible. So I was hesitant when people started ranting and raving about this book. After purchasing it I have to say it is all that is promised and more. While I still adore Cavtich's book, there are a couple of reasons I would recommend Watson's book for beginners:

1) It is completely up to date. Not only does she mention using modern stirring methods (stick blender), all of her resources are up to date and impressive. I am a fan of most of the suppliers she lists and was familiar with them.

2) Her recipes are SO accessible! Cavitch's recipes tend to require more "exotic" oils and have a bit of Julia-Child-laundry-list of ingredients. Anne Watson's recipes are bare bones and truly what they claim to be. Her Grocery Store soap ingredients can be bought at any national chain store. Love it! (my only minor complaint is that her recipes make such SMALL batches. I end up having to double most of them.)

3) She provides an excellent guide to making your own recipes. Most soap books (Cavitch's is a little guilty of this) just assume you'll figure it out on your own, or that you'll only make their recipes forever. Watson walks you through creating your own recipes step by step in crystal clear detail.

4) She expresses the correct amount of caution with lye. Some books bog you down with details on how dangerous it is and make you feel as though you should be wearing a hazmat suit while measuring it, while others have a lackadaisical attitude towards it and don't stress safety. Watson communicates that it needs to be treated carefully, but that you don't need to freak out over it.

5) Last, but not least, Watson is contactable. She has her own website and you can contact her with any questions on the book. That, in and of itself, is pretty darn nifty.

Overall I think this is the best soapmaking book for beginners and recommend it to people who are starting out.

I have read a number of books about soapmaking. Sometimes it just seemed overwhelmingly difficult and dangerous. This book gives very basic and understandable instructions. She mentions in the book how sometimes after teaching a class students will say "you mean that's all there is to it?," which shows how it has been made easy to understand and gives people the confidence to give it a shot. Soapmaking basically comes down to mixing fat, water and lye. That's all there is to it. You can pretty it up with color and fragrance and additives, but that's up to you - and that is also where it can get complicated, but like she says people can write volumes on making pancakes but it doesn't mean making pancakes is hard. So if you are thinking of making your own soap, I would recommend you read this book cover to cover before you start. Also, as an added bonus, the author is very accessible if you have questions via e-mail. I have sent several e-mails and she has been very helpful and responsive.

I purchased three books on soapmaking, and in my opinion, this one is by far the very best! The author's instructions are clear, concise, and the techniques are simplified and de-mystified over other soapmaking books. I made my first batch of "Anne's Shea Butter Supreme" today, and the soap turned out beautifully without a glitch. I also had a newbie question about a product I purchased, so I emailed the author. Anne responded back quickly and was very helpful, a fact that I greatly appreciated! I can't wait to use my soap and make more of the recipes from the book.

I just got done making my first batch of soap.... and it worked!! With Anne's method of making soap, you just "cannot" not make soap!! Her tips for blending and making soap take the mystery out of soap making. It's a must for the beginner and I would think an experienced soap maker would find some great tips. Also her reference section is excellent too!! Everything from soap making programs to whole sale outlets for your ingredients. And the one thing I can tell you, Anne is a soap making enthusiast!! She provides her email address in her book. I had a question on an ingredient so I emailed.... and I got an excellent reply the very same day!! Happy Soap Making!!!

Out of the books I have bought on soapmaking this one is the one I have found the most useful and the most informational. She definately takes the mysticism and fear out of some of the areas of soapmaking. Her resources are also fantastic as well. The lye calculators she links to in the back of her book are an invaluble resource especially if you are creating your own recipes. I highly suggest this book to anyone that is new or even intermediate in the soapmaking area. There are not tons of recipes but lots of great information.

At first I was disappointed to see how thin this book was, I neglected to look at the page count before I bought it, but after reading it I was happy to find it gave all the information I was looking for to get under way with first time soap making and directions for further investigation. I am a newbie to soap making and would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get a fundamental background in what it takes to make soap and some basic information on first recipe soap bases. The recipes in the book are stripped down, no scents or other ingredients to complicate matters, which is good to get a handle on your first batch of soap. There are several recipes each with different qualities so these can be used for future experimentation with other ingredients. I bought this along with 'Soapmaking for Fun and Profit' by Maria Given Nerius and would place Anne Watson's book higher on the first time soap maker's purchase list than Nerius's.

All in all, a great book for the first time soap maker.