Making Soaps & Scents: Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make at Home

by Catherine Bardey

Book Overview

With this book, it is easy to create soothing suds and a wide variety of perfumes, colognes and splashes that moisturize, revitalize and aromatize skin and hair. Following the simple step-by-step directions, readers can make all the body products of their dreams, from Buttermilk Oatmeal Soap and Tangerine Cocoa Bar to Lemon Lavender Shampoo. Each recipe also points out how readers can improvise and create their own special soaps and scents. A special...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579120598
• ISBN13: 9781579120597
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.8" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Learning Material

I loved this book! Beautifully written and filled with expert wisdom. All I can say is it's a great book for your learning experience. Follow and you'll get it right!

"Soaps, Shampoos, Perfumes & Splashes You Can Make At Home"

This beautiful, slim book is split into two parts:1) 'Making Soaps,' which begins with a little history on where and how soap was invented (supposedly in Rome from animal fat and ash residue some few thousand years ago), followed by a list of tools and ingredients you'll need, like a scale, paring knife, measuring cups/spoons, large stainless steel/ceramic pot, rubber/latex gloves--oh, the list goes on and on. Then it goes into the techniques and three methods of soapmaking: cold-process, hand-milling, and melting (aka Jell-O method; the easiest of the three). There are even recipes for you to try, like Cinnamon Ginger, Honey Vanilla, Coconut Rosewood, etc, which just made me hungry after reading them. I guess the nice thing about soapmaking is that if you mess up, you can always eat your mistake (j/k). I haven't tried any of the recipes myself, so I can't say they'll work, especially after reading a few other reviews below. As for the shampoo section (which is also lumped here), that's reduced to just 8 pages--half of which are just photos--and doesn't go into great detail.2) 'Making Scents,' which also begins with a history on fragrances, this time starting around 3500 BC. I wasn't too interested in this portion of the book, but it is a great place for beginners to start since organic perfumes are relatively easy to make, and the tools required are a lot fewer and less dangerous than for soapmaking. However, as the author mentions, don't expect to make a reproduction of Chanel No 5 or the like. There are some good perfume recipes, though, like Rose Water, Vanilla Bean Water, and Pear Nectar Perfume (none of which I've tried, but would try if I ever got around to it).I received "Making Soaps and Scents" awhile back as a gift. What I liked most about it was the vegetable-based soapmaking recipes since I'm a vegan and didn't want to get involved with any animal products. However, I'm not very good at arts and crafts at all, and forget about getting me in the kitchen: I usually end up burning something when I do. For that reason, I've been a little wary of attempting any of these soapmaking ideas. For now, I'm happy just buying vegan soap/shampoos at the store, like Crystal (a soap), which doesn't include or experiment on animals. But for those who are into arts and crafts, then "Making Soaps and Scents" is certainly worth checking out. It's quite informative, with several tips and troubleshooting pages throughout the book; not to mention it's very colorful and beautifully photographed, even if the photos are mainly just of soap.

This Book Was A Joy

I found this book very helpful as a new soap crafter. It was full of great ideas and info. I really liked the charts in the back on the essential oils. I would recommend this as a must read to any new soap crafter.

Easy to follow and fun to do!

I read this entire book in one evening! The book was well-layed out and easy to understand. I purchased another book on soap/liquid making and the other author explained everything in the chemical names! It was so frustrating to read. Catherine explains everything in simple, easy-to-understand words that a beginner can follow with out any help. Many of the soap ingredients are found right in your kitchen except for the Lye, which she tells you that you can purchase the Lye at your local hardware store, like Home Depot. She also includes wonderful recipes. I bought the book mainly for the soaps but ended up enjoying the perfume section even more. I made my first Rose Water (eau de toilette) batch last weekend following her easy directions. I have since found other recipes on the Internet, but have found Catherine's recipe to be one of best recipes for Rose Water! She even tells you where you can purchase your supplies and those hard to find (which weren't many--like the essential oils) items with the Internet addresses as resources. Its funny, but this is my bible now for working with perfumes.If you're a beginner or simply curious about starting or dabbling in soap/perfume making, I would definitely recommend reading this book FIRST!

Spectaular Book!

This is one of the best books I have read on soap making! Catherine (the author) tells you what kinds of ingredients to use and why they would be used. The recipes are not too large to handle like many soap making books. I found that to be excellent! Also included is how to make your own perfumes (which turn out wonderfully!) all the history and reasons for are listed inside the book before she gives you the recipes so you understand the recipes! Catherine is a great writer and knows her stuff... I am going to buy her other two books also!