222 of 232 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Same old thing, May 25, 2000
This review is from: Soap Book (Paperback)
Very pretty pictures. And some fun stuff of general interest on the intro to aromatherapy, history of soap, etc. Not sure some of that history is true, but neither does anyone else and that makes it rather romantic. ;)
There is only one recipe in the book, she just repeats it throughout the book changing the essential oils and fragrance oils for each recipe. Some she adds herbs to and some she doesn't.
Some of the herbs she uses turn brown and bleed, which is verified by her photos of her soaps.
The only way I can recommend the amounts of peppermint and lavender eo's that she's recommending is if you are buying VERY low quality EOs. Oddly enough, she has Frontier as one of the EO suppliers in one of her photos and I definately would not recommend that you use her recipe amounts for that brand.
Page 79: in this 8# batch of soap she says to add 1 oz of cinnamon essential oil. Please DON'T, you'll be sorry. Page 77, add 4 ounces to the same recipe. AAAHHH! Can we say, Red & Inflamed? Yeah, there are more... Page 57, 4 ounces of peppermint eo in an 8# batch of soap? Yikes, like taking a shower with an ice cube...
OK, ok, so you're buying your essential oils at one of these soap suppliers that buy low grade stuff and then dilute it with DPG? Okay, then pour that much, you'll probably be fine. Probably being an important word, because if they don't care about quality when they purchase,they might get the occassional good batch and then you'll be hurtin'.
Oh, and she says to add 1/2 cup dried peppermint leaf to the soap. Well, that is going to turn brown, bleed, and look yucky. There are much better ways to get an herb into a peppermint soap, say, put something in there that stays green, for instance.
As for the soap making method, it is exactly the same as your Ann Bramson book. Which is about $4.95, and this one costs $9.95. Well, except for Sandy Maine pours the lye INTO THE WATER! Hurray! First time I've seen the correct method in print. :) But she's saying to match temps at 95-98 F, put a blanket on it, etc. We know better now... There are MUCH easier ways. :)
She says to use a wooden spoon to stir. Don't ever do that. Those of us who have will tell you, the lye water eats the spoon and sooner rather than later your spoon will break apart in your soap. Wood splinter soap.
OK, here is my last complaint and then I'll shut up. Add 4 ounces of Rose oil, if you use 4 ounces of Rose essential oil and lets say you bought it wholesale. EACH BAR of soap will have about SIX DOLLARS of scenting material in it. And that's before you figure your costs of the fats, lye, etc. It'd be strong too, I'll tell ya that!
Don't even think of using that much Soapcrafters fragrance oils either.. oh yeah, I was going to shut up after that last comment....
Recommended? No, unless you're a soap book collector, then buy it for the fun history stuff and the few pic's. I don't see anything particularly harmful in there, I mean, your skin will just be a little irritated by that cinnamon and for the next couple of hours people will be asking you if you have a sunburn. Aside from that it is okay. Just seems like something she dashed off on a lazy afternoon without much effort. But the photos are pretty. :) And it is interesting to see photos of her huge soap pot and her cutting press.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Inspired Scared Novice--But Use Only 1/2 Essential Oils!!!, December 22, 2004
This review is from: Soap Book (Paperback)
I bought this book several years ago--and just got around to making soap for Christmas presents this year. This book was inspiring since it was short, simple, straight-forward . . . recipe was same--just different blends of essential oils.
DON'T USE 4 OUNCES OF ESSENTIAL OILS per batch--WAY TOO MUCH: 1) pool of excess essential oils sits on top of soap, 2) soap never hardens up quite right (according to Cavitch's book), 3) Essential oils are EXPENSIVE, 4) Scent is TOO STRONG, 5) Some essential oils (like cinnamon) used in called-for amounts actually too concentrated for skin (read other reviews!)
This book is a great starter for novices if you do the following: 1) cut the recipes by 1/4 to learn on smaller batches since the ingredients can be costly--in case your batch does not turn out during your learning stage; 2) invest in a good digital scale that allows you to "zero out" after adding each successive ingredient to the same container (accurate to 1/4 ounce and much faster--many initial mistakes attributed to measuring errors); 3) buy coconut oil at Walmart (under $3 for 31.5 oz); 4) obtain reasonably priced essential oils via internet at A Garden Eastward (http://addy.com/brinkley/); 5) Buy one of Susan Cavitch's soapmaking books next to learn from your mistakes and/or take your soapmaking to the next level--by then, you'll be motivated to absorb more complex information that seemed overwhelming/initimidating at first--which will make so much more sense once you've made a couple of batches.
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