The Soapmaker: Natural Handmade Soap from Your Kitchen [Paperback]

Janita Morris (Author), Juanita Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Unlike most books on soapmaking, which typically teach the cold-process technique, a method that requires working with lye and several weeks of curing time, The Soapmaker uses safe, simple, no-lye methods and ordinary kitchen equipment to make a variety of all-natural bath and grooming products. The book features an exciting collection of over sixty recipes, including whipped cream and transparent glycerine soaps, shower gels, bubble baths, shampoos, and conditioners. A delectable array of ingredients, from rich essential oils to tangy citrus juices to soothing herbs and flowers, can be modified to suit individual preferences for color, scent, and skin type. Ideas for wrapping and packaging are also included for readers who want to give their scent-sational handmade soaps and other products as gifts. This book makes it easy for crafters, natural-ingredients enthusiasts, and devotees of fine grooming products to enjoy the handmade luxury of natural soaps.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Janita Morris is a professional scentmaker who owns Ascent, a perfumery that uses only natural ingredients. She lives in Wales

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823048667
• ISBN-13: 978-0823048663
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for making easy decorative soaps, April 30, 2001

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Soapmaker: Natural Handmade Soap from Your Kitchen (Paperback)

This book teaches you the soap from soap method of soapmaking. Instead of actually making the soap, you take pre-made soap, shred it and make new soap out of it. This simplifies the process and allows you to create your own designer soaps without a lot of hassle. If you want to avoid the mess and complexity of making soap from scratch with lye, tallow and such this book allows you to make the basic soaps more decorative by adding colors, scents and additives.

The book starts out with step-by-step instructions, accompanied by photos, of the basic soapmaking processes. It then discusses the many ingredients of the soaps including scents, oils, colors and other additives. A basic list of essential oils and absolutes along with a description of their aroma, blending options and any warnings is also included.

The rest of the book is dedicated to making soap and bath products. Unfortunately, only about half are accompanied by pictures, so it can be hard to tell what it will and should look like when you're finished. There are sections on whipped cream and glycerin soap as well as soap balls, liquid soaps and other bath items such as shampoo and body powder. Some of my favorite recipes include mint and lavender slice, red sky crescent moon soap, liquid lime soap, milk bath and fantasy body dust.

There is a great list of suppliers in the back including websites. An index was helpful in finding things as well. Overall, I found this book to be helpful in creating decorative soap and bath items for friends, family and myself.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good starter book..something for everyone, January 8, 2003

By 

MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Soapmaker: Natural Handmade Soap from Your Kitchen (Paperback)

Having goats I was interested in finding a book that would teach simple soap making techniques including using milk. I also wanted a book that would show natural soaps or soaps that would be healthy for my family and my skin. If you are interested in or make healthy foods you will have the items needed readily at hand. And the book is helpful because it lists where to get some of the ingredients for some of the soaps if your area doesn't carry them. Although essential oils can be found via the Internet as well. There should be one or two soaps (at least) that a person can and will want to make.

Milk-Based Soaps: Making Natural, Skin-Nourishing Soap by Casey Makela is a book I also recommend for those who like myself make homemade soap using milk from my own goats. Milk soap is harder to make but is my favorite soap next to olive oil soap.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Soapmaking? No., February 27, 2004

By 

Matthew J L Kilger (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soapmaker: Natural Handmade Soap from Your Kitchen (Paperback)

This book is not about soapmaking.
If you are looking for a resource for learning to make soap, this book is not for you.
If, however, you are looking for a resource on learning how to melt, mold, scent, colour and package soap, this is a pretty decent book.
I was really looking for some good books on the ancient art of soapmaking: creating and controlling the chemical reactions between fats and alkali in order to create that wonderful handcrafted soap that my grandmother knew, made and used. Instead, when I picked up this book, I got an eyeful of information on using someone else's soaps to modify into whatever shape and colours that you want.
That's all well and good... learning to hand-mill soap (that is really what this book is about, hand-milling soap... the process of reshaping and modifying previously-created soap) it a nice art in and of itsself but it is not soapmaking.
If you don't want to really control what your soap is made from but just want to make something pretty, fragrant, or what-have-you, I would recommend this book for you. It has some wonderful ideas for scents, shapes, packaging and such.
If, on the other hand, you want to become an artisan in the realm of soap... learning how to mix different fats in the proper ratios with the proper amount of lye to saponify, scent, colour and shape, and turn out a truly hand-made product, I would recommend that you find some other book. This is not for you.