Customer Reviews

Transparent Soapmaking: A complete guide to making natural see-through soap

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

 

 

As an experienced soapmaker who's read just about every soap book, I found this book excellent- straightforward, easy to understand, and well-written. The text itself is also well-designed, with great illustrations by the author. Includes diagrams and instructions for building a simple soap mixer and soap cutter. Good troubleshooting section and references.

This book is VERY detailed for the person who is going to get into serious soapmaking, supplies, ingredients and all. It provides all the information and illustration you'd need. Personally, I was looking for more of a hobbiest Melt & Pour kind of thing and I couldn't tell by the synopsis on the Amazon page whether or not this was. (it's not...) HOWEVER - I kept the book because it has excellent descriptions of ingredients for ANY soapmaker. It also has a super section on suppliers. That alone is worth the price as, again, whether a serious or hobbiest soap maker, you'll need soap supplies. Catherine Failor obviously knows soap and educates you with this detailed guide.

I have never made soap but wanted to try. I read several books and this was definitely the clearest and easiest to follow. I am thrilled with the results of the very first batch and I am inspired to keep doing more. Thank you so much, Catherine, for sharing all this information.

This is a fascinating book in many ways, the main one being that it opened my eyes to new possibilities for both recipes and techniques. It's not a beginner's book, but it is wonderful for those who have some cold-process experience and want to expand their horizons. I loved the pictures, and the recipes I tried turned out extremely well. They were a lot more work-intensive than a basic cold-process soap, but the results were worth it. My hat goes off to Ms. Failor.

However, as Ms. Failor points out, caution should be exercised with her method, especially when using alcohol as a solvent. Some readers are concerned with how 'natural' that is. Well, alcohols commonly occur in Nature as the decomposition products of many organic processes. They are as 'natural' as vinegar. However, 'natural' doesn't necessarily mean 'safe'. Think of lye.

Alcohol and open flames(as in a gas stove) are a dangerous combination. Also, most people aren't aware that the motors of standard home blenders and power drills generate electrical sparks, which theoretically can cause an explosion if the alcohol fumes get too concentrated in the air. This shouldn't be a problem for small batches in well-ventilated kitchens, but anyone thinking of adapting these recipes for large-batch commercial use had better get an explosion-proof industrial mixer. This is a potential OSHA issue.

I also had safety concerns with her coffee-can mounted power drill mixer - it was just too unstable and kept falling over. However, the description in the book got me to think out a more stable alternative. Likewise, I was able to use many of the clever tips and tricks in the book after minor modifications.

In short, this is one of my favorite books, and brings a whole new twist to soapmaking. It was also a springboard for some creative thinking, because the time-consuming nature of the hot-process /alcohol methods has led me to mechanically streamline them. It now takes me a lot less hand stirring and not much more time to make one of her gorgeous recipes than it did for a batch of cold-process soap. And best of all, I can use the soap right away instead of waiting for several weeks.

I bought this book because the title sounds like what I am looking for. I wanted to make transparent soap and I want it to be as "natural" as possible. I like the clear , concise explanations. It is very well-written book, obviously indicating that the author knows what she is talking about. I was especially pleased with the diagrams of the cutter and the drill holder. Her instructions are easy to follow and recipes are plentiful. She even includes how to blend the essential oils for different scents. All beginners like me can use this information.

The one way in which this book did not live up to my expectations was with the "natural" part. I expected to find out how to make transparent soap using the old fashioned non-alcoholic method. While Catherine Failor mentions why she does not use that method, I was, nontheless, disappointed. I expected natural not to include alcohol, dyes, or synthetic preservatives.

I do not recommend this book if one is truly looking for the "natural" method of making transparent soap.

Excellent book in all aspects! First I read the book then I tried the recipes and then I read the comments from other customers. I was pleased to see that most of them agreed that this book is really a treasure that every one interested in soapmaking (transparent or CP)should have. Her next book "Liquid Soap" is even better and also mentions the subject of alcohol and how to create an alcohol free soap paste.

If you are committed to making your own transparent (glycerin) soap, this is the book for you. Read the formulas and directions a minimum of two times before buying your raw materials, molds, colorants and essential oils.

I normally make CP soap and was told that this book had some great ideas for soap cutters ... which it does. At first I wasn't interested in the transparent soap recipes; however, after reading the entire book, I can see that this is yet another soap I will need to try in the future. The recipes are easy to follow and the book is well written making is a very nice resource.