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Making Transparent Soap: The Art Of Crafting, Molding, Scenting & Coloring
With basic ingredients and standard kitchen tools you can craft your own transparent soaps that are milder, richer, and creamier than any commercial product. Eschewing complex methods and expensive equipment, Catherine Failor uses a simple, dependable process that makes beautiful transparent soaps every time. Failor’s easy-to-follow photographic instructions are accompanied by proven recipes and plenty of suggestions for colorful and sweet-smelling variations. You’ll soon be creating your own signature soap blends that deliver refreshing scents and are gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin.Ìý
- GenresNonfictionReference
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2000
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174 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 7, 2010
This book was good and informative, had lots of good ideas, and was pretty accessible. I'll keep it in mind as a reference if I ever get around to making this kind of soap.
May 4, 2012
This was one of the first books I reads about soapmaking that started me off in my journey.
May 26, 2019
Great resource for a beginner!
OK, I am almost a complete noob at soap making, around 10 small batches total of different types. I’ve also taken a couple of classes. This book, for me anyway, fills in an awful lot of the blanks. I bought it for the recipes and wound up reading it straight through.
A couple of readers mentioned the large batch sizes and some confusion as to the math etc and I can definitely understand why, especially if you’re more of a cook than a baker. Baking requires that proportions stay the same (mostly) in a recipe, but if you do the math to maintain the proportions, many recipes can be reduced or expanded to suit your needs. I have noticed that in soap as well. So...grab your favorite beverage, a calculator, a notebook and start scratching away! Working in columns helps me keep things straight and I can go back and double check my math before I commit to the making.
I ran a couple of these recipes/methods past one of my instructors and she said there didn’t seem to be any reason why they would NOT work. She also reminded me that context plays a big role in success when crafting soap, candles or other items. I live in a humid, warm climate, at an altitude where I just have to think about it when baking..so things evaporate more slowly, puff up a little more quickly and curing time is different than it would be in another climate.
Craft supplies here are often considered luxury items and pay high taxes so finding a way to start from scratch is wonderful. A scant kilo of very basic melt and pour soap here is over $12 (and not the organic or yummy kinds with milk or luxury oils) and it comes from China, so often there simply isn’t any available at any price.
So this book explains some of the chemistry, has some recipes that, once adjusted for a non-commercial (sales) application will be great, and takes the time to fill in some blanks that have been glossed over in other materials.
OK, I am almost a complete noob at soap making, around 10 small batches total of different types. I’ve also taken a couple of classes. This book, for me anyway, fills in an awful lot of the blanks. I bought it for the recipes and wound up reading it straight through.
A couple of readers mentioned the large batch sizes and some confusion as to the math etc and I can definitely understand why, especially if you’re more of a cook than a baker. Baking requires that proportions stay the same (mostly) in a recipe, but if you do the math to maintain the proportions, many recipes can be reduced or expanded to suit your needs. I have noticed that in soap as well. So...grab your favorite beverage, a calculator, a notebook and start scratching away! Working in columns helps me keep things straight and I can go back and double check my math before I commit to the making.
I ran a couple of these recipes/methods past one of my instructors and she said there didn’t seem to be any reason why they would NOT work. She also reminded me that context plays a big role in success when crafting soap, candles or other items. I live in a humid, warm climate, at an altitude where I just have to think about it when baking..so things evaporate more slowly, puff up a little more quickly and curing time is different than it would be in another climate.
Craft supplies here are often considered luxury items and pay high taxes so finding a way to start from scratch is wonderful. A scant kilo of very basic melt and pour soap here is over $12 (and not the organic or yummy kinds with milk or luxury oils) and it comes from China, so often there simply isn’t any available at any price.
So this book explains some of the chemistry, has some recipes that, once adjusted for a non-commercial (sales) application will be great, and takes the time to fill in some blanks that have been glossed over in other materials.
September 21, 2022
I haven't made any recipes from this book yet, but it looks promising. I don't like that they are so large. I will be halving them. The author tells the basic procedure of making the soap and explains the reason why each step, past the cold process procedure, is done. she gives three ways to do it. Then the recipes are given. I don't like that I then need to refer back to the previous pages and skim through paragraphs for each the simple step. She needed to list the simple steps under the recipe. But maybe because she gave three ways to do it, she didn't.
March 5, 2018
Interesting book. I don't think I really care enough about clear soap to be willing to but in the effort to achieve "clear" cp soap, that said I'm glad to have read and learned more about the process so I understand it and could at least explain how the concept works and what you have to do if I'm ever asked about it.
January 4, 2013
This is very helpful for making transparent soap. This is my first read on soap making, have several others to read on other types of soap.
May 29, 2013
it`s good
December 24, 2016
A nice practical book about the craft of soap making.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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