kelleyaynn
Well-Known Member
People have asked about soaping books. I thought that it might be useful to start a thread that reviews soaping books out there. Maybe make it a sticky? I'd love to hear about books I don't have, to see which ones might be worth getting. Oh - and how about websites?
So I'm going to start. Here are my contributions:
Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson. This is the book that taught me how to make soap. I did look at another book lots of people on here like, but that one was so full of information I was overwhelmed at it all for a total newbie. This one dispels a lot of myths, stresses safety but reassures at the same time, and gives well-written, easy to follow step-by-step instructions. She lists equipment needed, and lays everything out in a very organized manner. She also has several recipes, including her suggested starter. I've made two of her recipes, and more or less combined them for my go-to shower soap. She also talks about creating recipes and explains INS. Those who want to make their own recipes will want more detailed information, but it's a good start. There are no photographs, just drawings, but that didn't bother me at all. Her descriptions are worth a good photo. I highly recommend it for people new to making CP soap. It gives enough information without being overwhelming.
Milk Soapmaking by Anne Watson. This was the book I went to to learn how to make milk soaps. Just like in her Smart Soapmaking, Anne dispels rumors and reassures that making milk soaps is not as difficult as people are led to believe. She details two methods, a cool method and warm method, which depends upon whether you use fluid or powdered milk. Again, she lists a starter recipe, then gives several others. She discusses plant milks as well as animal milks, controlling color with milk soaps, and addresses frequently asked questions. Again, highly recommended.
The Everything Soapmaking Book by Alicia Grosso. Not really detailed enough in describing CPfor the complete beginner, I found it useful when I made my first CPHP batch. I had no problems even with my first try. Rebatching is called “hand milling” in this book, and again, like the CPHP, it gives enough detail for at least an intermediate soap maker. The section on making cream soaps is okay, but I found much more useful information from the Yahoo cream soap group. It also gives a lot of detail on herbs and essential oils. The section on creating recipes is useful, if not exhaustive with information, but the section in deciding to sell is too short to be of any real use. I asked for this book for Christmas, and was glad I got it.
Soapmaking for Fun and Profit by Maria Given Nerius. Not great for a beginner learning to make soap. The recipes included are so-so. Where this book is valuable is the “for profit” part. While I'm sure it is not exhaustive, over half the book is dedicated to what you need to consider when selling your soap. It gives you lots to think about, and some good advice. The copy I have now is from my local library. I'm going to order one from Amazon. I may or may not decide to sell my soap in the future, but the information here is good for getting me thinking seriously about all the different things I need to consider.
Soap Maker's Workshop: The Art and Craft of Natural Handmade Soap by Dr. Robert S. and Katherine J. McDaniel. I SO wanted to love this book. I bought it from Amazon, and did the search through the book before buying. I thought it really had potential. Sadly, I don't think it was worth the money I paid. The pictures of nearly all the soaps in the book make them look REALLY homemade – they almost all seem to be grainy, chunky, and not at all professional looking. Most of the recipes include canola oil, which from searching on the forum, seems to be prone to DOS and goes rancid easily. There are some good pictures of soap going through gel, and a detailed guide to essential oils. Most of the other topics are not given enough detail to be really useful. And there is a chapter on using bison fat as a soap oil. Okay, interesting, but I'm not going to have access to bison fat any time soon. Not to mention it is time intensive because you have to render the fat like suet to be useful. There is a DVD included, but I didn't even watch it – can't imagine I'd learn much from it.
Websites:
Teachsoap: http://www.teachsoap.com/. Lots of recipes. Good for inspiration at least.
Soap Queen Blog: http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/ Fun to read.
Lovin; Soap: http://www.lovinsoap.com/ I really like the experiments she describes.
SwiftCraftyMonkey: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/ Okay, she really focuses mostly on bath and body creams and lotions rather than soap, but the information on oils, chemistry, etc. is helpful for CP soapers as well. You could spend days wandering through here.
So I'm going to start. Here are my contributions:
Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson. This is the book that taught me how to make soap. I did look at another book lots of people on here like, but that one was so full of information I was overwhelmed at it all for a total newbie. This one dispels a lot of myths, stresses safety but reassures at the same time, and gives well-written, easy to follow step-by-step instructions. She lists equipment needed, and lays everything out in a very organized manner. She also has several recipes, including her suggested starter. I've made two of her recipes, and more or less combined them for my go-to shower soap. She also talks about creating recipes and explains INS. Those who want to make their own recipes will want more detailed information, but it's a good start. There are no photographs, just drawings, but that didn't bother me at all. Her descriptions are worth a good photo. I highly recommend it for people new to making CP soap. It gives enough information without being overwhelming.
Milk Soapmaking by Anne Watson. This was the book I went to to learn how to make milk soaps. Just like in her Smart Soapmaking, Anne dispels rumors and reassures that making milk soaps is not as difficult as people are led to believe. She details two methods, a cool method and warm method, which depends upon whether you use fluid or powdered milk. Again, she lists a starter recipe, then gives several others. She discusses plant milks as well as animal milks, controlling color with milk soaps, and addresses frequently asked questions. Again, highly recommended.
The Everything Soapmaking Book by Alicia Grosso. Not really detailed enough in describing CPfor the complete beginner, I found it useful when I made my first CPHP batch. I had no problems even with my first try. Rebatching is called “hand milling” in this book, and again, like the CPHP, it gives enough detail for at least an intermediate soap maker. The section on making cream soaps is okay, but I found much more useful information from the Yahoo cream soap group. It also gives a lot of detail on herbs and essential oils. The section on creating recipes is useful, if not exhaustive with information, but the section in deciding to sell is too short to be of any real use. I asked for this book for Christmas, and was glad I got it.
Soapmaking for Fun and Profit by Maria Given Nerius. Not great for a beginner learning to make soap. The recipes included are so-so. Where this book is valuable is the “for profit” part. While I'm sure it is not exhaustive, over half the book is dedicated to what you need to consider when selling your soap. It gives you lots to think about, and some good advice. The copy I have now is from my local library. I'm going to order one from Amazon. I may or may not decide to sell my soap in the future, but the information here is good for getting me thinking seriously about all the different things I need to consider.
Soap Maker's Workshop: The Art and Craft of Natural Handmade Soap by Dr. Robert S. and Katherine J. McDaniel. I SO wanted to love this book. I bought it from Amazon, and did the search through the book before buying. I thought it really had potential. Sadly, I don't think it was worth the money I paid. The pictures of nearly all the soaps in the book make them look REALLY homemade – they almost all seem to be grainy, chunky, and not at all professional looking. Most of the recipes include canola oil, which from searching on the forum, seems to be prone to DOS and goes rancid easily. There are some good pictures of soap going through gel, and a detailed guide to essential oils. Most of the other topics are not given enough detail to be really useful. And there is a chapter on using bison fat as a soap oil. Okay, interesting, but I'm not going to have access to bison fat any time soon. Not to mention it is time intensive because you have to render the fat like suet to be useful. There is a DVD included, but I didn't even watch it – can't imagine I'd learn much from it.
Websites:
Teachsoap: http://www.teachsoap.com/. Lots of recipes. Good for inspiration at least.
Soap Queen Blog: http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/ Fun to read.
Lovin; Soap: http://www.lovinsoap.com/ I really like the experiments she describes.
SwiftCraftyMonkey: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/ Okay, she really focuses mostly on bath and body creams and lotions rather than soap, but the information on oils, chemistry, etc. is helpful for CP soapers as well. You could spend days wandering through here.
