The Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes, Techniques & Know-How

by Susan Miller Cavitch

Book Overview

In this comprehensive guide, Susan Miller Cavitch covers everything you need to know to make your own soaps. Learn the basic techniques for crafting oil-, cream-, and vegetable-based soaps, and then start experimenting with your own personalized scents and effects. Cavitch provides tips for making more than 40 different specialty soaps, showing you how to design colorful marbled bars and expertly blend ingredients to create custom fragrances. You'll...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0882669656
• ISBN13: 9780882669656
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

all the basic info you need to get started

This book is a great reference for soapmakers. I found her troubleshooting section especially helpful when I was a beginner. As a more advanced soapmaker, I refer back to this book for base recipes and as a quick reference for the benefits of different ingredients. If you think you'd like to try making your own soap, this is the book to start with.

Great Book that will Teach You a Great Hobby

Soapmaking is a relatively new venture for me, but I am already thoroughly hooked. I found The Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide With Recipes, Techniques & Know-How to be an incredible resource. The instructions and recipes included are top notch and I have enjoyed making (and using!) these amazing soaps. As I am a newbie, I can attest that with the instructions in this book, anyone can make soaps that work great, smell great and look great too. I'm trying to perfect my stained glass technique for Christmas gifts. This is a five star book all the way. Thank you Ms. Cavitch!

A must have for the serious soapmaker.

This book is the staple of so many soapmakers. It covers many aspects of soapmaking. I particularly like the trouble shooting guide, in case I come up with something that looks unfamiliar. I just look it up and find out what I should do with the soap.I like her recipes too. Her Hempsters Delight is a favorite of my customers.One point though. As a seasoned soapmaker, you must do your own lye calculations. There are several good lye calculators on the web. There's always a chance for a misprint in a book or anothers recipe. Just type "lye calulator" into a search engine.This book is the standard Bible to most soapmakers. I refer to my copy often.

This book is the soapmaker's bible!

I recently became interested in soap making when a friend gave me a lovely bar of soap she had made. I'm so glad I purchased the "Soapmaker's Companion". Susan Miller Cavitch has covered all the bases. She could well have titled her book "the Soapmaker's Bible". Any questions I've had have been answered either in the main text or the handy sidenotes. There are clear safety instructions for handling the dangerous lye. I've now made three batches of soap following her easy instructions. I can't wait to try out more of the recipes!