The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-based Soaps Storey Books ( September, 1995 ) Book Our Price : £ 8.39 List Price : £ 11.99 You save £3.6 (30% off) Prices subject to change. usually dispatched within 24 hours.

A very thorough and useful book

This is _the_ book to acquire if you are planning to make vegetable oil based soap. Theres a lot of information packed in this book. It presents all the elements of soapmaking very systematically, and explains the simple chemistry and logic behind the recipes and techniques. It specializes on the best ways to make vegetable oil soap -- which can differ from animal fat based soap. Im a beginner. I made my first batch last night and it is happily solidifying in the molds as I write. I would buy this book in addition to whatever other soapmaking books you feel inspired to buy, because it covers just about everything and is a really good reference. It includes a large appendix of suppliers and a reassuring table of what to do when things go wrong. My only complaint is that it doesnt have a good description of what "tracing" looks like -- tracing being the sign that your soap is ready to pour into the molds. But, none of the other books I read did either. Its subtle, and I think its the sort of thing you learn to recognize after youve made a couple of batches. Note that each of the eight basic recipes makes 40 bars of soap, so be prepared to share with friends!! If the amount of info in this book seems a bit overwhelming, beginners might also want to consider picking up a copy of Ann Bramsons book.

Top-notch information for new and experienced soapmakers!

Ive been making soap for fun and profit for 3 years and have found this book to be the most informative and comprehensive of any Ive read--and Ive read a lot! Great recipes, easy-to-follow instructions, and wonderful ideas. This is truly my soapmaker bible--I use it constantly! This is the perfect start-up book for beginners, as well as a great resource for more experienced soapers.

Great book for making soap and information.

I use this book for information, I dont use all of her ideas. But you are not going to be able to find everything you want in any one book.