Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes, Techniques & Know-How (Natural Body Series - The Natural Way to Enhance Your Life),   ISBN:9780882669656

Customer Rating: 

I began making my own soap about 15 years ago. I learned the basics from another soapmaker in her shop in Colorado. This was before all the many books and resources on soapmaking became readily available.
I bought this book as soon as it came out. It, along with several others, were great resources for expanding my knowledge and technique with soapmaking.
I see so many reviews that make these types of books "all or nothing" propositions. These books were never intended to present "the ONLY way" to do anything!
Build yourself a nice library about ANY topic you are passionate about. Read a variety of authors, enjoy the contradictions! Then GO...GO and create your own way, your own dream, your own method. Experiment. Learn from success and failure!
Stand on the shoulders of giants and the wee little people who gave you even a hint of help in achieving your goals and dreams. Write your own book and share what YOU'VE learned!

Customer Rating: 

I am very please that the book arrived promply, I would purchace from the seller again. Thank you very much and keep up the good work.

Customer Rating: 

This book has exactly what a new soapmaker needs: well written explanations of the chemistry of soapmaking, easy to understand, so anyone can successfully experiment to develop their own recipes. In addition, it also contains a large number of the authors' own recipes. These all have explanations of what the soap is designed to do. I am very happy with it, even though I haven't had time to try any recipes yet. I took the book on vacation with me and read it through.

Customer Rating: 

This book is filled with good information about making soap. But I would definitely not recommend it for a beginner! If I had bought this book first, I would never have made my first batch. Her instructions are not precise enough for folks who know nothing about making soap. She also uses terms that I wasn't familiar with a few weeks ago (before making my own soap). Her methodology is more complicated than it has to be.

I VERY MUCH prefer Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson. Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself

Now that I have made several batches of soap using Anne's methods, I can read "The Companion" without being instantly intimidated.

Customer Rating: 

There is a lot of helpful information within these pages. Every wanna-be-soapmaker should read this book. That doesn't mean that I think it's excellent for beginner's. I think it could be a bit overwhelming. Just make sure it isn't the only book you read. This book provides info on carrier oils, essential oils, technique. There is more than you will need to make your first batch. You will grow into this book. I enjoyed it and it is one of those type of books that you will read again and again.