Soap Recipes: Seventy Tried-And-True Ways to Make Modern Soap With Herbs, Beeswax and Vegetable Oils [Paperback]

Elaine C. White (Author), James Tollett (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The price tag on Soap Recipes is outrageous for a slim paperback but some might consider the information herein to be important and worth the price: for Soap Recipes is a guide to seventy tested methods of making modern soap with herbs, vegetable oils and beeswax. Soap Recipes is packed with intriguing methods of making different kinds of soap for many different tastes. A most unusual book. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Valley Hills Pr (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963753959
• ISBN-13: 978-0963753953
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elaine C. White (1952 - )
Elaine C. White is a beekeeper and handcrafted-soap maker. She strives to use a simple writing style and a touch of humor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but the price is too high., February 27, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soap Recipes: Seventy Tried-And-True Ways to Make Modern Soap With Herbs, Beeswax and Vegetable Oils (Paperback)

This book contains excellent soapmaking instructions, more recipes than any other book published, and it's all done in an entertaining and amusing style. The only thing wrong here is the price: for a small paperback done in black and white, the price seems a bit much. Even so, I bought it and would do so again. It's a wonderful book on cold process soapmaking. If I could only have two books on soapmaking, I'd get this one and one by Susan Miller Cavitch. Both are highly respected soapmakers, and each presents a very different view of the soapmaking process.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellant Starter Book, April 22, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Soap Recipes: Seventy Tried-And-True Ways to Make Modern Soap With Herbs, Beeswax and Vegetable Oils (Paperback)

I read this book from cover to cover and found it full of excellant info. The tips, techniques and interesting recipies were a great way for me to broaden my soapmaking experiencing. However, the price was a bit high for a book that I essentially no longer use. Once you get the hang of making soap, you find that developing your own recipies is more fun/interesting than following someone else's. If possible, review this book through your library before deciding if it is right for you

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent "do I wanna do more??" book, March 23, 2005

By 

Kirsten R "Mac user since '88" (Twin Cities, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soap Recipes: Seventy Tried-And-True Ways to Make Modern Soap With Herbs, Beeswax and Vegetable Oils (Paperback)

If you've never tried soapmaking, this is the best book to learn cold process soap making with. Here's why --

*Elaine's recipes use a total of 1 lb. of oils (that's about 7 to 8-4 oz. bars), so you're not investing a ton of money in a hobby you're not sure if you want to make more soap.

*Elaine's instructions are simple and straightforward with _illustrations_ throughout! Elaine's book is the only one I was able to find that has a picture of what "traced soap" looks like.

*Elaines' book includes a trouble-shooting section that can help you learn how to salvage batches of soap that might not be working right.

*Elaine's book includes very basic information about essential oils.

Once you master Elaine's soap techniques, you can learn more about the chemistry of soap making by reading Susan Miller Cavitch's "The Natural Soap Book : Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps". SMC's book also has larger batch soap bases for you to try.

But, if you want to try melt & pour (glycerin) soaps, Elaine's book is not for you.