Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

The absolute best book for a beginner soapmaker. Offers 70 tested recipes in a straightfoward easy to read format. Best of all the author made all the recipes using 1# of oils. Perfect size for the person just starting out. Loved the illustrations.....humorous

I was anxiously awaiting this book as I heard it was excellent for beginners and let me tell you...IT IS!!! One of the things I love about it are the recipes are SIMPLE YET CREATIVE and the recipes are for making SMALL batches, which is great for someone just starting out. Rather than messing up a 10 pound batch, you're messing up a 2 pound batch....if you mess up :) . I know I did the first time! But not with this book...the recipes are easy to follow and helps you get to know the basics of soap making.

This is a LITTLE book though....and is currently going for a lot of money USED. It was worth the $30 I paid for it, but I would recommend holding off if you see it for a lot more ($50 is a little ridiculous for such a small book...the sellers are obviously out to make a quick buck).

However, in the very short time I've owned this book, its become a treasure. If anyone even breathes on it I'm going to lock it up somewhere :)

BUY IT, but try to buy it for a descent price!

This was my first soapmaking book and after reading about a dozen books on the subject, I still think it is a great place to start. Small recipes mean that a beginner's mistakes won't cost a large volume of expensive oils and won't take a lot of special equipment. When you want larger batches just double or triple the recipes.

Recipes are included for any type of oils imaginable and instructions are kept to the basics. I don't worry about matching the recommended temperatures--that gets pretty exacting. The soaps turn out fine even if you ignore the exact temperature readings and just use a general range for temps. The recipes are well calculated and the instructions are clear.

Also, when I bought the book 15 years ago there was an insert with instructions for making the soap in a blender. It is quick and effective, but you are limited to the 1 lb. batch. I now use a stick blender and can whip up double and triple recipes quickly.

After trying literally dozens of soap recipes from books and websites my three favorites still come from this book. The books by Susan M. Cavitch give you much more technical information, but I think they can also overwhelm a beginner. If you just want the basics and a bunch of recipes, you'll find all that you need right here.

We're on shaky ground here! The author doesn't write enough about SAFETY! No translucent soap recipes, encourages cheating by buying pre-made bars and melting it down,etc.Troubleshooting index was okay.Did learn things from this book that I didn't from other soap books.Appendix K was very insightful. The vegteable based soap chapter was nice, but it's too expensive to be buying palm oil and the like! Basicly the book is boring. Author wasn't very creative on the whole preperation of the book. I recommend The Complete Soapmaker by Norma Coney instead.

I was very pleased with this book..gave small batches and instructions were very clear .

This was the first soap book I bought. It's still the one I refer to the most. Ms. White starts by saying,"Let's make soap!" Then she describes the process in simple language. The steps are clear and uncomplicated, and one can envision successfully making soap. The first recipe I made was "Beeswax Castile." It was a complete success, and everything happened just as the book said. I was hooked.

Each recipe in the book makes a 1-pound batch. There are so many recipes that you can find one for any sort of fat you want to use. If you have tallow or olive oil on hand, that will work fine. If you want to spend money on palm or wheat germ oil, that's fine too.

I have lots of soap books now. Some dampen the enthusiasm by going on and on about safety procedures, which is not necessary before making a 1-pound batch. Most recipes here use about 2.5 ounces of lye, which is nothing to get worked up over. Now that I make 10 pounds at a time, I am much more careful. But to start out, get some dishwashing gloves for your hands. That's about all you need to worry about now. Read this book and MAKE SOAP! Good luck!

The reviewer "Give me a break" has confessed "SOAP RECIPES" with some other book. There is nothing in the book about melting pre-made bars. The author has cartoons and humor while she shows you how to make bar soap at home. It was one of the first soap making books and probably still the best.