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Soap Crafting: Step-by-Step Techniques for Making 31 Unique Cold-Process Soaps
The Soap Queen, Anne-Marie Faiola,Ìýshows you how to make perfect cold-process soap that is better than what you can buy at the store! Simple instructions and great photography walk you through every step of 31 exciting recipes, making it easy to master the techniques you need and produce the soaps you want. You'll find chapters on colors (neon, oxides, mica), molds (milk jugs, yogurt containers, pipes), food (pumpkin, coffee, beer, avocado, oatmeal), and building (embedding soap in soap, funnel pour, swirling). Faiola offers everything you need to make your own soap, safely and enjoyably.
587 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2013
113 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
July 27, 2015
This book spiral-bound book is FULL of gorgeous, colorful soaps YOU can make all on your own with these very descriptive instructions this author has included in this book for us! Don’t worry! The author has made these step-by-step directions so easy to follow!
These hand-crafted soaps are SO beautiful, and shortly now, YOU can be making them, and showing them off! Or, maybe you could even give them as gifts, too! You are going to have people oooh'ing, and ahhh'ing you over the beauty of these bars of soap! They people are going to be trying to friend you from everywhere once they see these gorgeously hand-crafted, colorful and beautifully creative, each one an original soap you hand-crafted because they are going to want them, and want them bad! They are either going to want them as a gift from you or to make it with you! The people who see these divine soaps will be falling in love with their beauty and want some for themselves, too! As holidays approach, they are going to be wondering if they might receive these as a gifts, or I even thought this might be a fun reason to get together and make new friends while making these together! This soap truly is beautiful to have, and are one of the PERFECT gifts to give! I’m positive people who have seen these have fallen in love with these soaps. How could you not fall in love with these? Look at their beauty of just the soaps on the cover alone on this book!
One word of caution. If you have children, making these soaps would surely appeal to them, but it is not recommended children help you make this soap because it is made with lye. Lye can burn your skin quite seriously and cause some extreme health problems if not worked with properly, so perhaps this is one craft that might be best left to the adults, and to have the kids spend the night elsewhere for their own safety so they don't want to get their hands into helping you make it. It would also be easier for you not to hear them begging to do it, too! (I was a Mom, once!)
With that being said, I would also suggest purchasing this book in the PRINT version, as it comes in a spiral-bound version, which is excellent! Your recipe will be able to stand right up requiring you not to have to use your hands! The ease of making these recipes using the spiral-bound version makes things so much simpler all around. (I happen to be reviewing this as an ebook from NetGalley) so given the fact you are working with lye, it only makes sense to purchase the spiral-bound book. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing the actual print book and NOT the ebook. The problem with the ebook is (at least my Kindle does this, as well as my computer), the screen eventually shuts down to preserve it’s energy; i.e., the battery. You don’t want to be in the middle of doing your recipe, needing the next part, but you can’t get it with your hands because your ereader or tablet has shut down and you don't have an extra hand at the moment. Sometimes different books just require to be a certain kind, and for the ease and safety of working with the lye this book calls for, this is why I suggest purchasing the spiral-bound copy over the electronic version. Not every book is a good fit for being an ebook. For review purposes on my end, it’s fine because I am just reviewing this book, and I'm not making the recipes from this book. See what I mean?
The other thing you need to know is this is not something you can just decide to make at the last minute and do it in a split second, like most crafts are done. This craft requires you to plan ahead and get your supplies. Most likely, you might need to order your supplies from the internet, unless you have an amazing store near you which caters to this craft, but I don’t think there are many stores around like this, but every now and then you’ll be surprised and you WILL find them!! (This part is not in the book, but I always state this - do not discredit your local hardware store! Yes! A lot of the time they just might carry ingredients like these, so just ask! You may be very happily surprised!)
Once you have your equipment, you are now ready to make your own, beautiful, one of a kind, cold-pressed soaps! It is SO simple and FUN to do, especially watching how the colors end up swirling together! You’ll have your own designer soaps in your own bathroom to show off to any visitors, relatives, and friends! You can even give these as gifts, too! You will end up being the most envied friend to have, and have very special gifts to give those very special people in your life!
Enjoy making these! These are truly FUN to make!
I want to thank Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook!
These hand-crafted soaps are SO beautiful, and shortly now, YOU can be making them, and showing them off! Or, maybe you could even give them as gifts, too! You are going to have people oooh'ing, and ahhh'ing you over the beauty of these bars of soap! They people are going to be trying to friend you from everywhere once they see these gorgeously hand-crafted, colorful and beautifully creative, each one an original soap you hand-crafted because they are going to want them, and want them bad! They are either going to want them as a gift from you or to make it with you! The people who see these divine soaps will be falling in love with their beauty and want some for themselves, too! As holidays approach, they are going to be wondering if they might receive these as a gifts, or I even thought this might be a fun reason to get together and make new friends while making these together! This soap truly is beautiful to have, and are one of the PERFECT gifts to give! I’m positive people who have seen these have fallen in love with these soaps. How could you not fall in love with these? Look at their beauty of just the soaps on the cover alone on this book!
One word of caution. If you have children, making these soaps would surely appeal to them, but it is not recommended children help you make this soap because it is made with lye. Lye can burn your skin quite seriously and cause some extreme health problems if not worked with properly, so perhaps this is one craft that might be best left to the adults, and to have the kids spend the night elsewhere for their own safety so they don't want to get their hands into helping you make it. It would also be easier for you not to hear them begging to do it, too! (I was a Mom, once!)
With that being said, I would also suggest purchasing this book in the PRINT version, as it comes in a spiral-bound version, which is excellent! Your recipe will be able to stand right up requiring you not to have to use your hands! The ease of making these recipes using the spiral-bound version makes things so much simpler all around. (I happen to be reviewing this as an ebook from NetGalley) so given the fact you are working with lye, it only makes sense to purchase the spiral-bound book. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing the actual print book and NOT the ebook. The problem with the ebook is (at least my Kindle does this, as well as my computer), the screen eventually shuts down to preserve it’s energy; i.e., the battery. You don’t want to be in the middle of doing your recipe, needing the next part, but you can’t get it with your hands because your ereader or tablet has shut down and you don't have an extra hand at the moment. Sometimes different books just require to be a certain kind, and for the ease and safety of working with the lye this book calls for, this is why I suggest purchasing the spiral-bound copy over the electronic version. Not every book is a good fit for being an ebook. For review purposes on my end, it’s fine because I am just reviewing this book, and I'm not making the recipes from this book. See what I mean?
The other thing you need to know is this is not something you can just decide to make at the last minute and do it in a split second, like most crafts are done. This craft requires you to plan ahead and get your supplies. Most likely, you might need to order your supplies from the internet, unless you have an amazing store near you which caters to this craft, but I don’t think there are many stores around like this, but every now and then you’ll be surprised and you WILL find them!! (This part is not in the book, but I always state this - do not discredit your local hardware store! Yes! A lot of the time they just might carry ingredients like these, so just ask! You may be very happily surprised!)
Once you have your equipment, you are now ready to make your own, beautiful, one of a kind, cold-pressed soaps! It is SO simple and FUN to do, especially watching how the colors end up swirling together! You’ll have your own designer soaps in your own bathroom to show off to any visitors, relatives, and friends! You can even give these as gifts, too! You will end up being the most envied friend to have, and have very special gifts to give those very special people in your life!
Enjoy making these! These are truly FUN to make!
I want to thank Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook!
February 21, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much. As a new soaper, I didn't realize at first it is for cold process soaps, but this gives me something to shoot for. All the soaps are beautifully photographed and the recipes are spot on. The author really does a great job at explaining the process, step by step instructions and constantly preaches caution and using protective gear--especially when using lye.
I enjoy her video's posted on YouTube and this book is a great companion to many of them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
I enjoy her video's posted on YouTube and this book is a great companion to many of them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
July 27, 2015
This book is FULL of gorgeous looking, colorful soaps YOU can make all on your own with these very descriptive instructions this author has included in this book for us! Don’t worry! The author has made these step-by-step directions so easy to follow!
These hand-crafted soaps are SO beautiful, and shortly now, YOU can be making them, and showing them off! Or, maybe you could even give them as gifts, too! You are going to have people trying to friend you from everywhere once they see these gorgeously hand-crafted, colorful and creative soaps you hand-craft because they are going to want them, and want them bad!
Maybe those people who see these divine soaps will fall in love with these and want them for themselves, too! As holidays approach, they are going to be wondering if they might receive these as a gifts, or I even thought this might be a fun reason to get together and make new friends while making these together! This soap truly is beautiful to have, and are one of the PERFECT gifts to give! I’m positive people who have seen these have fallen in love with these soaps, and how could you not fall in love with these? Look at their beauty of just the soaps on the cover of this book!
One word of caution. If you have children, making these soaps would surely appeal to them, but it is not recommended children help you make this soap because it is made with lye. Lye can burn your skin quite seriously, so perhaps this is one craft that might be best to have the kids spend the night elsewhere for their own safety, and it would just be easier for you not to hear them begging to do it, too! (I was a Mom, once!) With that being said, I would also suggest purchasing this book in the PRINT version, as it comes in a spiral-bound version, which is excellent! The ease of making these recipes using the spiral-bound version makes things so much simpler for the following reasons.
I happen to be reviewing this as an ebook from NetGalley, but given the fact you are working with lye, (lye can cause severe and disabling skin burns and more if not used properly) I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing the actual print book and NOT the ebook, and those reasons are many. I do not suggest purchasing the ebook because the screen shuts down to preserve it’s energy; i.e., the battery. You don’t want to be in the middle of doing your recipe, needing the next part, but you can’t get it with your hands because your ereader or tablet has shut down. Sometimes different books just require to be a certain kind, and for the ease and safety of working with the lye this book calls for, this is why I suggest purchasing the spiral-bound copy over the electronic version. Not every book is a good fit for being an ebook. For review purposes on my end, it’s fine because I am not going to be making the recipes from this book. See what I mean?
The other thing you need to know is this is not something you can just decide to make and do it in a split second, like most crafts. This craft requires you must plan ahead to be able to get your supplies. Most likely you will need to order your supplies from the internet, unless you have an amazing store near you which caters to this craft, but I don’t think there are many stores around like this, but every now and then you’ll be surprised and you WILL find them!! (This part is not in the book, but I always state this - do not discredit your local hardware store! Yes! A lot of the time they just might carry ingredients like these, so just ask! You may be very happily surprised!)
Once you have your equipment, you are now ready to make your own, beautiful, one of a kind, cold-pressed soaps! It is SO simple and FUN to do, especially watching how the colors end up swirling together! You’ll have your own designer soaps in your own bathroom to show off to any visitors, relatives, and friends! You can even give these as gifts, too! You will end up being the most envied friend to have, and have very special gifts to give those very special people in your life!
Enjoy making these! These are truly FUN to make!
I want to thank Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook!
These hand-crafted soaps are SO beautiful, and shortly now, YOU can be making them, and showing them off! Or, maybe you could even give them as gifts, too! You are going to have people trying to friend you from everywhere once they see these gorgeously hand-crafted, colorful and creative soaps you hand-craft because they are going to want them, and want them bad!
Maybe those people who see these divine soaps will fall in love with these and want them for themselves, too! As holidays approach, they are going to be wondering if they might receive these as a gifts, or I even thought this might be a fun reason to get together and make new friends while making these together! This soap truly is beautiful to have, and are one of the PERFECT gifts to give! I’m positive people who have seen these have fallen in love with these soaps, and how could you not fall in love with these? Look at their beauty of just the soaps on the cover of this book!
One word of caution. If you have children, making these soaps would surely appeal to them, but it is not recommended children help you make this soap because it is made with lye. Lye can burn your skin quite seriously, so perhaps this is one craft that might be best to have the kids spend the night elsewhere for their own safety, and it would just be easier for you not to hear them begging to do it, too! (I was a Mom, once!) With that being said, I would also suggest purchasing this book in the PRINT version, as it comes in a spiral-bound version, which is excellent! The ease of making these recipes using the spiral-bound version makes things so much simpler for the following reasons.
I happen to be reviewing this as an ebook from NetGalley, but given the fact you are working with lye, (lye can cause severe and disabling skin burns and more if not used properly) I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing the actual print book and NOT the ebook, and those reasons are many. I do not suggest purchasing the ebook because the screen shuts down to preserve it’s energy; i.e., the battery. You don’t want to be in the middle of doing your recipe, needing the next part, but you can’t get it with your hands because your ereader or tablet has shut down. Sometimes different books just require to be a certain kind, and for the ease and safety of working with the lye this book calls for, this is why I suggest purchasing the spiral-bound copy over the electronic version. Not every book is a good fit for being an ebook. For review purposes on my end, it’s fine because I am not going to be making the recipes from this book. See what I mean?
The other thing you need to know is this is not something you can just decide to make and do it in a split second, like most crafts. This craft requires you must plan ahead to be able to get your supplies. Most likely you will need to order your supplies from the internet, unless you have an amazing store near you which caters to this craft, but I don’t think there are many stores around like this, but every now and then you’ll be surprised and you WILL find them!! (This part is not in the book, but I always state this - do not discredit your local hardware store! Yes! A lot of the time they just might carry ingredients like these, so just ask! You may be very happily surprised!)
Once you have your equipment, you are now ready to make your own, beautiful, one of a kind, cold-pressed soaps! It is SO simple and FUN to do, especially watching how the colors end up swirling together! You’ll have your own designer soaps in your own bathroom to show off to any visitors, relatives, and friends! You can even give these as gifts, too! You will end up being the most envied friend to have, and have very special gifts to give those very special people in your life!
Enjoy making these! These are truly FUN to make!
I want to thank Storey Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook!
September 3, 2013
I just recently got this book for review from the publisher!
I have always been interested in making soap. I have done the melt and pour thing a few times, but have been a bit chicken to try the Lye thing.
This book came in the house, just as I am going through one of my "I should just go for it" phases! is that ever the right time, or what?
Tentatively I started reading. The beginning of the book is all about what you need in the way of equipment.
At first I thought: Oh, that's a lot!, but then I took a second look and found out that I have most of the things already here at home. Measuring cups (everybody has a few sets of those, no?), spatulas (I have a few I no longer use for cooking and baking, but can't throw out just yet), spoons and scrapers and whisks. I do not have the wooden soap mold -yet.The great thing is: You don't need the soap mold right away. You can experiment with milk cartons and yogurt cups! Chapter 8 tells you everything about it!I cannot believe the range of stuff that can be used! EUREKA! I love it when I can use household items, that would otherwise be thrown away for something. The kids have a few safety glasses (they think they are COOOOOL), so we are good on that front.
Except for the ingredients, everything is set. CHECK!
Ingredients! Who would have thought you can use avocado in home made soap? It's a MUST TRY!
As you read on, you will learn how to make a basic cold process soap.
I adore, that this book starts out with the basic, b are bones soap. It's important to have a solid foundation.
The book does not diminish the dangers, that come with working with lye, but it was a great confidence booster for me. I do believe, I could get it together and actually make my own soap.
The recipes in the book are clear to understand, even for someone that has never made soap from scratch before. The steps are very well explained. I loved the colourful pictures of the soaps in the book! The 31 recipes that come in the later part of the book are amazing to me (a novice) but seem to be a reachable goal. I LOVE that almost every page still has safety tips and a reminder to soap safely. It is easy to forget, when you get comfortable with something, that making soap is still a chemical reaction and one has to be careful not to get hurt. All in all, I think this book is a great companion for new soapers, like me. I feel like it's holding my hand and everything will be just fine, if I just follow the instructions and trust the book.
My daughter has read the book as well and we both are determined to give it a go. I do need a few soaps for hand-washing my hand knits.
On top of everything, I found out the author has an online supply shop for soapers! I am definitely going to check it out. Oh and did I mention she lives in my town?
I can hardly wait for next month, when we are going to get serious with this and start making soap!
I recommend this book to people that have played with the thought of making their own soaps, like I have, but just didn't get the gumption together to really try it.
I have always been interested in making soap. I have done the melt and pour thing a few times, but have been a bit chicken to try the Lye thing.
This book came in the house, just as I am going through one of my "I should just go for it" phases! is that ever the right time, or what?
Tentatively I started reading. The beginning of the book is all about what you need in the way of equipment.
At first I thought: Oh, that's a lot!, but then I took a second look and found out that I have most of the things already here at home. Measuring cups (everybody has a few sets of those, no?), spatulas (I have a few I no longer use for cooking and baking, but can't throw out just yet), spoons and scrapers and whisks. I do not have the wooden soap mold -yet.The great thing is: You don't need the soap mold right away. You can experiment with milk cartons and yogurt cups! Chapter 8 tells you everything about it!I cannot believe the range of stuff that can be used! EUREKA! I love it when I can use household items, that would otherwise be thrown away for something. The kids have a few safety glasses (they think they are COOOOOL), so we are good on that front.
Except for the ingredients, everything is set. CHECK!
Ingredients! Who would have thought you can use avocado in home made soap? It's a MUST TRY!
As you read on, you will learn how to make a basic cold process soap.
I adore, that this book starts out with the basic, b are bones soap. It's important to have a solid foundation.
The book does not diminish the dangers, that come with working with lye, but it was a great confidence booster for me. I do believe, I could get it together and actually make my own soap.
The recipes in the book are clear to understand, even for someone that has never made soap from scratch before. The steps are very well explained. I loved the colourful pictures of the soaps in the book! The 31 recipes that come in the later part of the book are amazing to me (a novice) but seem to be a reachable goal. I LOVE that almost every page still has safety tips and a reminder to soap safely. It is easy to forget, when you get comfortable with something, that making soap is still a chemical reaction and one has to be careful not to get hurt. All in all, I think this book is a great companion for new soapers, like me. I feel like it's holding my hand and everything will be just fine, if I just follow the instructions and trust the book.
My daughter has read the book as well and we both are determined to give it a go. I do need a few soaps for hand-washing my hand knits.
On top of everything, I found out the author has an online supply shop for soapers! I am definitely going to check it out. Oh and did I mention she lives in my town?
I can hardly wait for next month, when we are going to get serious with this and start making soap!
I recommend this book to people that have played with the thought of making their own soaps, like I have, but just didn't get the gumption together to really try it.
August 9, 2013
Years ago - before I knitted, before I designed, before I taught fiber arts, before weaving and spinning and dying, back when I did other crafts that didn't involve yarn, crafts like scrapbooking and latch hook and embroidery and cross stitching, I made homemade soap. I didn't make a ton of it, but I made soap, and it was fun.
When this book popped up on netgalley, I remembered how much fun it was to make soap. I didn't make anything fancy or honestly anything that even looked pretty, but it was fun. And reading this book made me remember how much fun it was to make soap and why I enjoyed making soap in the first place, and makes me long to make soap again (even though honestly, it won't happen because I'm a little too busy with the knitting, crocheting, hopeful weaving, sometimes spinning, always dying yarn and fiber, and oh yeah the designing and the occasional knitting class, too. Not to mention the reviews. And oh, seeing your husband every other Sunday).
Anyone's who's thought of trying a new craft or is looking for a new hobby or perhaps something different to sell at a craft show, should try this book. There's great details and lots of photos, besides amazing end products that you can actually make.
When this book popped up on netgalley, I remembered how much fun it was to make soap. I didn't make anything fancy or honestly anything that even looked pretty, but it was fun. And reading this book made me remember how much fun it was to make soap and why I enjoyed making soap in the first place, and makes me long to make soap again (even though honestly, it won't happen because I'm a little too busy with the knitting, crocheting, hopeful weaving, sometimes spinning, always dying yarn and fiber, and oh yeah the designing and the occasional knitting class, too. Not to mention the reviews. And oh, seeing your husband every other Sunday).
Anyone's who's thought of trying a new craft or is looking for a new hobby or perhaps something different to sell at a craft show, should try this book. There's great details and lots of photos, besides amazing end products that you can actually make.
October 7, 2013
This is a really great book, first batch of soap turned out perfectly. We skipped over the fancy-pants parts, not using colors and only vanilla fragrance, not swirling, just making a good batch of soap.
I love how it lays flat, has lots of pix and easy to follow instructions.
I do wish she had more basic soaps, as nearly everything in the book is very fancy-pants requiring extra skills, extra equipment, and extra purchases from her business (Brambleberry.com) but still, one can skip those bits if desired.
BWT Brambleberry has an excellent selection of soap supplies, responded very quickly to me and shipped my order so fast, I didn't have time to track it!
I love how it lays flat, has lots of pix and easy to follow instructions.
I do wish she had more basic soaps, as nearly everything in the book is very fancy-pants requiring extra skills, extra equipment, and extra purchases from her business (Brambleberry.com) but still, one can skip those bits if desired.
BWT Brambleberry has an excellent selection of soap supplies, responded very quickly to me and shipped my order so fast, I didn't have time to track it!
August 16, 2013
Totally loved this book. If you love making soap this book is a must have. It has great tips and techniques with colors and swirls. The book is filled with great colorful pictures and is as very detailed.
December 10, 2013
Enjoyed the pictures. More attention given to making artful, beautiful loking soap than to the soap itself. I usually make 8lb batches, augthor Faiola "The Soap Queen" demonstrated her craft on making about 8 bars. Too fussy for me, but did I say already beautiful looking soap?.
July 23, 2014
This is ideal for the beginner who needs visuals as a guide. This book also contains some helpful information for the beginner who needs suggestions, such as if to use food dye or herbs for the soap color for example.
September 2, 2013
Read my review of
September 17, 2017
The best book I’ve read on soap making. I’m buying a copy for my home library.
January 17, 2016
Thank you Netgalley and Storey Publishing!
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
September 3, 2013
A great reference book for the soap minded maker.
February 17, 2020
This is my absolute favorite soap crafting book! I got started with soap crafting the easy way, through purchased soap block (from craft stores) that you melt, add your scents to, and pour into molds. From this I wanted to transition to from scratch soap making and this book is the easiest and best one that I've ever used. It's easy to follow instructions, great pictures and thorough break-down of the parts and pieces make it a wonderful addition to the soap crafters book collection.
November 15, 2020
As a native French speaking, but familiar with english books, I was looking for a very good guide to start making soap (because I still can't find one in French).
This book is incredibly interesting for any beginner who wants to seriously understand how to make soap. If you are looking for a book that gives the answers to your questions and helps you to improve in this art, this book is exactly what you need.
This book is incredibly interesting for any beginner who wants to seriously understand how to make soap. If you are looking for a book that gives the answers to your questions and helps you to improve in this art, this book is exactly what you need.
Read
September 17, 2023Easy to read directions, with a lot of yummy new recipes I'm excited to try. (I realize it's soap, I'm not actually going to eat it.)
I also think it's probably pretty beginner friendly, but I have made cold process soap many times before, so it's a little hard for me to say. I do think though that I'd be equipped and want to try the process just after reading this book. (And my mom and I also don't take as many safety/chemical precautions as we should, whoops.)
I also think it's probably pretty beginner friendly, but I have made cold process soap many times before, so it's a little hard for me to say. I do think though that I'd be equipped and want to try the process just after reading this book. (And my mom and I also don't take as many safety/chemical precautions as we should, whoops.)
September 23, 2017
Informative
I liked how the book explained and instructed you on how to make soap, especially with Including the picturesof how the finished product would look. Also, liked that they give you resources to follow up with, so that you can farther understand and learn how to make soap of your own. Very happy with this book and it’s resources!!😊
I liked how the book explained and instructed you on how to make soap, especially with Including the picturesof how the finished product would look. Also, liked that they give you resources to follow up with, so that you can farther understand and learn how to make soap of your own. Very happy with this book and it’s resources!!😊
December 7, 2017
A beautiful instruction book for making your own soap. Anne-Marie Faiola, of Soap Queen fame, is a immensely talented artisan who mas chosen to share her talents and experiences via Blog, Storefront and Books (Her newer edition was released in 2016). If you are interested in creating soap or perfecting your soaping, her valuable information is a must.
February 24, 2019
I really appreciate the author's attention to detail, such as appropriate ingredients. Other author's commonly recommend things such as fabric dye for colorants, whereas this author is careful to recommend only ingredients approved for use in cosmetics. Clear instructions, including the properties of different oils, made my initial batch a success.
February 1, 2021
This book is quite beyond my current skill level, so read this review with a grain of salt.
This book is equivalent to an advanced class, with sections about the benefits and drawbacks of one oil over another.
Essentially a cookbook for soap. Good premier for someone looking to start a soap making side hustle.
This book is equivalent to an advanced class, with sections about the benefits and drawbacks of one oil over another.
Essentially a cookbook for soap. Good premier for someone looking to start a soap making side hustle.
July 17, 2017
Good overview for learning cold process soapmaking. I wish more of the recipes were palm free or at least there was more discussion about tweaking recipes by substituting oils. Lots of photos of the soapmaking process which was very helpful.
July 6, 2018
A good book for those beginning to dabble in CP soap. Image heavy and spiral bound.
January 23, 2019
Informative
May 12, 2019
Very educational!
This book is a great read for beginners at making soap. I would recommend this book to others for sure!
This book is a great read for beginners at making soap. I would recommend this book to others for sure!
November 24, 2019
a book to come back to if wanting to work on different colour combinations and techniques for soap making.
May 21, 2021
Anne-Marie's books are always insightful and well put together. I've never had a bad batch of soap following her instructions.
September 20, 2021
Lots of recipes and clear safety-conscious instructions for making colored, scented, cold-process soap from scratch.
March 2, 2024
The soap queen herself shares several great soap recipes and techniques.
August 10, 2013
Review At: Moments to Share
Review Date: 10 August 2013
Review URL:
Summary: -
My very first experience on handmade soap making was about 1 year ago. I got to know few mothers who shared with us on this beautiful art and since then, I have fallen in love with it. For a person who used to bake regularly, soap making to me is just as fun as baking. I can decide what kind of soap that I want to make, what shape, what kind of color, pattern etc. Just like decorating a cake, it's entirely up to your own creativity.
Soap making is actually difficult at all. It's a delightful hobby, and with the many benefits of the handmade soap, it's definitely worth making the soap for your own usage. Actually, handmade soap are getting more and more popular nowadays, especially with many home makers doing it as business selling handmade soap to families and friends. It's easy to make your own soap. I know few friends who making this at home through self learning.
Soap Crafting - Step-by-Step Techniques for Making 31 Unique Cold-Process Soaps by Anne-Marie Faiola, is a very good book especially for a newbie in soap making. It explains the soap making techniques and the safety guidelines (this is very important!), the equipment needed and tutorial on how to make a basic cold compressed soap. There are few soap making techniques but this book is more focus on the cold compressed method of the soap making technique. Besides soap making techniques and equipment, it also explains on the oil choices in soap making. Different kind of oils and its benefits are explained in details, allowing us to decide what oils to used in our soap depending on our purpose and needs for that particular batch of soap.
Making a cold compressed soap is actually very simple. It's just like baking, where you mix, cook and whip. This book provides detail steps, along with the picture to guide you from beginning until the end. It also has tips inserted in the right place. And most importantly, there is this Soap Safely section to remind you, on preserving the safety during the soap making process. As one of the main ingredients in cold-process soap is sodium hydroxide, also called as lye. Lye is a caustic material commonly used to clean drains, brine lutefisk. Dry lye, or lye water, and fresh soap is harmful to our skin, our eyes. Thus it is important for us to have the necessary safety precautions when dealing with lye. And throughout the whole book, the safety precautions are being reminded to the readers again and again.
When it comes to soap crafting, color and fragrances can't be excluded. There's a chapter explaining the colorants, and another chapter on using essential oils and fragrance oils. Included in the book is also 31 cold-process recipes, showing how the author plays with the colors, patterns and molds in soap crafting.
I like the way the author presented the recipes. The step-by-step guides is simple and easy to follow. For each of the recipe, the purpose and benefits of the soap are clearly stated. Any preparation that needed to be done prior to making the soap mixture are explained. Pictures along the step-by-step guide, and details explanation on how to pour and swirl to make the desired patterns.
Whether if you are looking for trying a new hobby on soap making, or wanted to learn more on creating different patterns and designs on soap making, this book is definitely for you.
Note: I receive the ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Review Date: 10 August 2013
Review URL:
Summary: -
My very first experience on handmade soap making was about 1 year ago. I got to know few mothers who shared with us on this beautiful art and since then, I have fallen in love with it. For a person who used to bake regularly, soap making to me is just as fun as baking. I can decide what kind of soap that I want to make, what shape, what kind of color, pattern etc. Just like decorating a cake, it's entirely up to your own creativity.
Soap making is actually difficult at all. It's a delightful hobby, and with the many benefits of the handmade soap, it's definitely worth making the soap for your own usage. Actually, handmade soap are getting more and more popular nowadays, especially with many home makers doing it as business selling handmade soap to families and friends. It's easy to make your own soap. I know few friends who making this at home through self learning.
Soap Crafting - Step-by-Step Techniques for Making 31 Unique Cold-Process Soaps by Anne-Marie Faiola, is a very good book especially for a newbie in soap making. It explains the soap making techniques and the safety guidelines (this is very important!), the equipment needed and tutorial on how to make a basic cold compressed soap. There are few soap making techniques but this book is more focus on the cold compressed method of the soap making technique. Besides soap making techniques and equipment, it also explains on the oil choices in soap making. Different kind of oils and its benefits are explained in details, allowing us to decide what oils to used in our soap depending on our purpose and needs for that particular batch of soap.
Making a cold compressed soap is actually very simple. It's just like baking, where you mix, cook and whip. This book provides detail steps, along with the picture to guide you from beginning until the end. It also has tips inserted in the right place. And most importantly, there is this Soap Safely section to remind you, on preserving the safety during the soap making process. As one of the main ingredients in cold-process soap is sodium hydroxide, also called as lye. Lye is a caustic material commonly used to clean drains, brine lutefisk. Dry lye, or lye water, and fresh soap is harmful to our skin, our eyes. Thus it is important for us to have the necessary safety precautions when dealing with lye. And throughout the whole book, the safety precautions are being reminded to the readers again and again.
When it comes to soap crafting, color and fragrances can't be excluded. There's a chapter explaining the colorants, and another chapter on using essential oils and fragrance oils. Included in the book is also 31 cold-process recipes, showing how the author plays with the colors, patterns and molds in soap crafting.
I like the way the author presented the recipes. The step-by-step guides is simple and easy to follow. For each of the recipe, the purpose and benefits of the soap are clearly stated. Any preparation that needed to be done prior to making the soap mixture are explained. Pictures along the step-by-step guide, and details explanation on how to pour and swirl to make the desired patterns.
Whether if you are looking for trying a new hobby on soap making, or wanted to learn more on creating different patterns and designs on soap making, this book is definitely for you.
Note: I receive the ARC of this book from the publisher via Net Galley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
July 21, 2015
Good book. Easy to read. I don't plan to follow any of the recipes because I have my own that I really like and am comfortable with that fit my molds but the reason I wanted this book was for the ideas, anyway. I've been making soap for nearly twenty years and I figured it was time to make things more interesting. I used the idea for one of the soaps just yesterday and although it's still in the mold, it looks very promising. I will be using other ideas in the future.
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