Making Soap From Scratch: How to Make Handmade Soap - A Beginners Guide and Beyond

OH MY GOODNESS this was one of the best books I have read when it comes to any sort of craft making idea. It is well written, easy to read and funny at times. I read it in one sitting! It has many recipes in the book. Some simple, some more complicated (meaning more ingredients). The safety information is drilled in throughout the book which is great for those who don't seem to see it, hear it or read it the first time. The beginning goes through the soap making process step by step which is used throughout the book but only written once. Some people may complain about this as it's not on every recipe page but my thought is then write the recipe on a sticky note and put it in the beginning of the book where the steps are. I love the "Master Batch" soap! Great idea and I am so going to try it. Now mind you I have never made soap but plan too. I bought a couple different soap making books. I have skimmed the others which are very long books. This one is short, simple and to the point which is exactly what a beginner like me wants. I do think those who already make soap may enjoy this book. As I said there are many recipes from luxury type soaps with more expensive oils and essential oils to much less expensive types of soaps with simple everyday ingredients you can find at the supermarket. Oh there is a section on how to label your soap, package them, sell them etc. The best section is on what some customers have said or done. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time! Thank you for a well written and enjoyable book on making soap from scratch Mr. White!

This is the first soap making book I bought and it was a great choice. Detailed, step by step instructions, wonderful recipes, and my first batch of twelve bars of soap are going to be wonderful. I just know it! The only question I had after reading the book and referring back to it while making soap was this: cleaning up afterwards!! I know, silly right? However, I did "burn" myself during the cleaning process. I should have kept my gloves on! I have now learned that the lye is still active after the fact! Luckily I did have the ACV (apple cider vinegar) ready as Mr. White advised and it does work very well to neutralize the lye and stop the burn. Whether you are new to soap making or experienced, I would recommend this book. It even has different batch sizes. I suppose one is the regular size for home use but the other is for big batches (with a lot of different recipes from a master batch), which will be in my future as I want to give gifts this holiday season. Thank you Mr. White! Great book. Oh... also loved the essential oil descriptions.

This book was cheap and contains all the basic information you need to start making soap. It will take you from your first basic bar, on up to your first simple swirled batch or herbal bar. It is easy to understand and use. It has an easy explanation of how to calculate how much water or lye you will need for your own recipes, and a variety or other tried and true recipes for you to attempt. It has a chart that breaks down the sap values of most commonly used oils as well as lots of advice on which oils to use for what, plus a basic guide to essential oils. My only complaint is that there are no pictures. I wouldn't have bought it initially if I had noticed that, but once I had it I used it anyway and didn't really need the pictures to explain. Plus it is cheaper than the fancier photo filled options and has all your basic information. I would recommend this book to anyone just starting out in soap making. So far I have made a few batches that have all turned out well.

If you buy only one soap making book - make it this one. I got interested in soap making in 2001, bought quite a few soap making books but was never able to make decent cold process soap. Until two weeks ago when I revived my interest in soap making, and bought Making Soap by Gregory Lee White. The book is easy to understand and easy to follow. Best part: with the recipes in his book I was - for the first time ever - successful in making a wonderfully luxurious cold process soap. I followed his suggestion to let the melted oils and the lye both cool down to room temperature before using the hand blender to mix them. It took less than 10 minutes to trace, was easy to pour into the mold, and after covering the finished product with towels for 24 hours to complete the initial process I was able to cut my fresh soap into bars for curing. The soap smells great, was gentle on the skin within three days but needs more curing to turn into a harder bar of soap, and I am just thrilled how it turned out. I love the suggestions of making a Master Batch of oil, and I enjoy using his methods of streamlining the process of soap making, This is just the best book ever! Adding on to above review three weeks later: I since used the baby soap recipe in hot process soap. This book does NOT cover the hot process so I was on my own. But using the cold process recipe in the hot process worked just fine, and I was able to successfully create a batch of hot process soap. This book has now officially become my all time soap making bible.

This book was a pretty decent introduction to soap making, something I knew nothing about prior to purchasing this book. It talks about the history of soap, briefly on how it works, how different ingredients contribute to the character of the soap, ways to make it in large batches, and even how to go about selling soap. There are quite a few recipes contained within the book, but the last section in particular contains the easier and cheaper recipes, which appeal the most to me. Some essential oils and special oils are particularly expensive. The instruction on soap making is very clear and includes warnings of possible issues you could encounter during the soap making process. Such as adding lye to the water and NOT water to the lye. Very informative and good introduction to soap making. For $4 it isn't a bad deal.

I love all of the information in this book. If you are new to soap making, like myself, you will cherish this information. I continue to make the beef tallow recipe! So great for your skin and easy to make!

This is a great book for someone that has always wanted to get started making soap but just needed that extra little push. I own and have read many soap making books (most of them good), but I was never quite inspired to collect all the ingredients (reactants......I'm a chemistry teacher) and get started. White's book was just what I needed. After reading once, I went back over parts that I needed to determine what essential oils, fats, etc. I would need to get started on a small scale. Everything is explained well and makes a natural progression to keep you interested and learning. There are a few typos but I find that even in the big publishing house books....not a problem. I am sure his next edition will have all the corrections.

Hi Gregory, If u truly read all the reviews then u will read this one so I will practice my manners and say hello, its been a pleasure. I am relatively new to soaping but loved it at first try...it had me at hello if u know what I am saying! I love making my own anything if I can afford it and doing so affords me choices. I like that! So u r dieing to know what I liked about u book.... Simply put, I liked u writing. Simple, basic, cut to the chase, no frills. U didn't intimidate with "here is all u do with 25 ingredients and steps, swirl-a-rama for your mama with this particular mold and tool" recipe and for that i am greatful! For the first time I understand saponification and how that helps me design my own recipes. I also learned how to take any shape container and figure out how much soap it will hold. I prefer FO only because I can afford them and probably will only make a few of u recipes but thats really irrelevant because with u simply put instructions, I can do my own with the confidence to try that i didnt have before. The only real negative i have is dont buy the kindle version because there r no pics, sad face. Also, u should just write a book about u customer experiences, u captured the moment for sure and I saw myself in your "ask questions that I am too lazy to look for the answers" though i will say in my defense, some of the soapers websites Ive looked at r a mess! Oh, one more thing, I hardly ever write reviews....I dont want to spend my time doing that either but your unique way with words warrented it! Sincerely, From your sister soaper JD

another great book on soap making easy to follow i was worried about lye but if you follow safety rules youre fine

Que no os engañe la portada. La edición de este libro es de muy mala calidad y roza el amateurismo. No incluye ni fotos, ni dibujos ni cuadros explciativos. El papel es de muy mala calidad y las cubiertas tampoco se salvan. Al menos las recetas y las explicaciones estan más que bien. Pero ATENCIÓN, todas las cantidades están en sistema imperial y muchos de los productos que incluyen las recetas son eminentemente "americanos" (aunque facilmente sustituibles por cualquiera que se pueda encontrar en España). Aunque el título lo indique, creo que no es un libro para principiantes.

Very I formative

Good for beginners

英語の勉強に、興味のある題材をと思いKindleで購入しました。 苛性ソーダの取り扱いなど、とても具体的に記載されていておもしろいので心に残ります。 例えば、万が一、苛性ソーダに触れてしまったら皮膚は腐食するか壊死してしまう。ただちにアップルサイダービネガーをかけて医者へ行きましょう。とか、 石鹸を作る時は子供やペットが通らないようドアを占めるかセーフティゲートを閉めましょう。子供達が寝静まってから石鹸を作る人も多いですよ、など。 ただ「危険」などと書かれるよりとても印象的で楽しく読めます。