# Anne-Marie Faiola's new book...



## nframe (Jan 31, 2016)

...called Pure Soap Making.  Has anybody read it?  Is it worth buying?  I love soaping books but I have so many already!


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## Susie (Jan 31, 2016)

If you have so many soap books, and you are a member of this forum, what could you possibly hope to learn that is new from her book?  If you want to learn more, Scientific Soapmaking really did teach me volumes, once I understood that it is a textbook for a college course, so I sat down and studied it that way.


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## penelopejane (Jan 31, 2016)

Read the Amazon reviews before you buy it.


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## DeeAnna (Jan 31, 2016)

The book has ~just~ been released, so very few folks have the opportunity to read it. 

Storey Publishing and/or Brambleberry are trying to get a positive buzz going with a sprinkling of pre-release reviews. Not sure how they chose who got copies, however. Of the reviews I checked on Goodreads, the majority are not soap makers or are newbie soapers. The gist of what I'm reading is pretty much, "I've only got a batch or two under my belt, but this sure looks useful and interesting. Or I've never done this, probably never will, but I'd use this book to get started." In short, not overly helpful. 

Here's a review by an experienced soap maker who actually has something useful to say: http://www.haleymaxwellsoapmakingmysteries.com/2016/01/pure-soapmaking-by-anne-marie-faiola.html

Reviews at Amazon: www.amazon.com/Pure-Soapmaking-Create-Nourishing-Natural/dp/1612125336


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## Arimara (Jan 31, 2016)

I thought about it but I can be pretty cheap. That and there are only three peopls who got some money from me: Ann Watson, Alicia Grosso, and Geoffrey Lee White. I'm about to make a fourth but it won't be for the book in question (thanks Susie).


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## SplendorSoaps (Jan 31, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> Read the Amazon reviews before you buy it.



I haven't read the book, but I did read the Amazon reviews. It sounds like AMF may use some materials that not all would consider natural, as the title suggests. For example, a couple of reviewers mention that she uses iron oxides and TD for colorants, which don't exactly fall into the "all natural" category. I guess I thought the book would be more about using natural-natural colorants (turmeric, cocoa powder, woad, spinach powder, alkanet, indigo, etc.).


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## Wildcraft_Garden (Jan 31, 2016)

Get it from the library first and see if it's worth buying. ☺


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## KristaY (Jan 31, 2016)

I'd like to see it just for curiosity sake but I'm not going to buy it. If our local library ever gets a copy, I'll check it out. I have several soaping books too that I like to read through every now and again mostly to jump start my creativity or remind me of an ingredient I'd like to try. Other than that, I get WAY more good, solid advice and information right here. And it's FREE!


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## Seawolfe (Jan 31, 2016)

You can read quite a bit of the beginning of it on Amazon (which is what Im doing now). She is recommending Pyrex for the lye mixing and soap batter?!?!


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## MySoapyHeart (Jan 31, 2016)

Seawolfe said:


> You can read quite a bit of the beginning of it on Amazon (which is what Im doing now). She is recommending Pyrex for the lye mixing and soap batter?!?!



Before I even started soaping, I read so much about soapmaking I started to get crosseyed. The thing I really noticed coming up all the time during my research, was the advice *not *to use pyrex glass when diluting lye. At all. 

So the first thing I got starting up, was the proper plastic bowl for diluting the lye instead. 
But she seems to have a completely different opinion on what to use? Wonder why some say it is completely safe, and others say it is a big no-no.

I`ll stick to my plastic bowl, it is still as new after using it non-stop for almost a year. I don`t think I would feel safe it was a pyrex, expecting it to crack just when I had mixed up a bath of _hot lye_...:???::sick:


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 31, 2016)

I don't think that Pyrex goes wrong very often - would be surprised if it was 1 time in 1,000 usages. But when it does, imagine hot glass shattering everywhere with hot lye solution splashing over everything. 

Even it was one use in a million, I would still say that Pyrex is unsafe for soaping, especially when plastic and stainless are available. Otherwise it's just a risk that is not needed. 

But anyway, books - it depends what the book is giving. Recipes? Swirl techniques?  It has to be giving something worthwhile or it is just a stack of thinly sliced dead tree, printed with information that you already knew it could have easily found out here or elsewhere online?

My threshold for buying books is now really high


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## IrishLass (Jan 31, 2016)

I'm with Susie- I'll stick to the forums. :mrgreen:

Gent- the Pyrex sold over in Europe is different from the Pyrex sold in the USA. I believe you guys still use borosilicate in yours. Sadly, we do not. Ours is not as strong as it used to be, as evidenced by a good handful of soapers who have reported their Pyrex pitchers going kablooie on them. 

As an aside, I found new company in the USA making 100% borosilicate bakeware. They only offer a 9.5" pie plate and 9 x 13 rectangular baking dish at this time, though, bit still, this is great news to me...... Borolux 


IrishLass


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## Arimara (Jan 31, 2016)

IrishLass said:


> I'm with Susie- I'll stick to the forums. :mrgreen:
> 
> Gent- the Pyrex sold over in Europe is different from the Pyrex sold in the USA. I believe you guys still use borosilicate in yours. Sadly, we do not. Ours is not as strong as it used to be, as evidenced by a good handful of soapers who have reported their Pyrex pitchers going kablooie on them.
> 
> ...



Sounds good enough to me. For that pie plate to have over 100 reviews and be close enough to 5 stars is amazing.


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## LoveOscar (Jan 31, 2016)

nframe said:


> ...called Pure Soap Making.  Has anybody read it?  Is it worth buying?  I love soaping books but I have so many already!



I have it on order from B&N, but I won't be picking it up until Tuesday. I have her other soap making book, Soap Crafting, which isn't my favorite, but it did get me started. I have other natural soap making books too, so I'm looking forward to seeing this one and the recipes it may have.


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## nframe (Feb 1, 2016)

Wildcraft_Garden said:


> Get it from the library first and see if it's worth buying. ☺



What you wrote made me laugh: first, because the book will not be available in the UK (where I live) until mid-February and also because of the state of public libraries in this country.  Because of government cuts, the few that have remained opened have hardly any books in them.  Our alternative is to get it from Amazon, have a look at it and then return it if we don't like it.

Thank you all for your replies.


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## TheDragonGirl (Feb 1, 2016)

I'd be interested to hear opinions on it when someone does manage to get their hands on it to give it a look over, although I cant imagine it would have much in it that I dont already know

Scientific Soapmaking on the other hand...


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## kchaystack (Feb 1, 2016)

Kevin Devine just did a soap video where he uses a recipe from the book and a kit from Brambleberry.  He gives a little review of the book.  You might want to check it out.


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## Saponista (Feb 1, 2016)

Scientific soapmaking is the only book I have ever paid for. I feel like pretty much all the other information you need is freely available in blog posts and forums.


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