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Rating: 
Summary: Nice pictures, but bad info
Review: Defintely some very nice pictures that would lure you into buying this book. I have the following comments: (1) The information given about soapmaking in this book is very superficial. Even worse, there is definitely some wrong info! For example, the book said that pure castile soap (olive-oil based) will have brown-orange spots on them as they cure. In my experience this only happens when one doesn't mix the lye/oil solution enough, or when the oil calculation is wrong and the orange spots indicite areas of rancid oil. (2) All the recipes in this book is lye-heavy! And worse yet, they don't tell you in the book how to check whether a recipe is lye-heavy (unsafe). (3) The recipes in this book also call for some outrageous amounts of essential oil. Essential oils have their beneficial properties. Remember these are really small molecular substances and can be easily absorbed into the body, and in excess can act just like drugs being overdosed! If you check any other reference books on essential oils, you will find that the quantity of the essnetial oils used in these recipes is over and above the limit. Dangerous! (4) There is also a lack of information as to how to design your own recipe and how to trouble-shoot if you have a problem. The same can be said about information on the different properties of oils--not enough info! So basically, you can only follow their dangerous recipes if you buy this book, but can't creat your own or even check if they are right.If you only care for nice pictures, and nothing else, this book is for you. But if you really want to make soap, I'd recommend "Essnetially Soap" by Robert McDaniel (or Dr. Bob).
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Book; beginners may want other resources too.
Review: I checked out 5 different books from the library to resurch soapmaking before I ever tried making a batch and this is the book I chose to purchase. I am very pleased with the recipes and have made three batches from this book alone. BUT, I have to say that I had the benefit of other books to refer to as well. As much as I like this book (easy to follow instructions, beautiful photos, great results) I found better step-by-step instructions for the beginner in The Complete Soapmaker. I liked the recipes in Country Living better though. They are both great and I recommend them as a complement to each other for the beginner. I would say this is a must-have book for a soapmaker.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful photos/Safety Concerns
Review: I have been operating a soap making business for 2 years and never tire of the process. Visually, I thought the book was beautiful; however, it's not one I'd recommend to beginners who really need to understand the process as well as a more thorough run-down of pitfalls and dangers. I am also very concerned with safety for the soap maker and the end-user. I thought that in reviewing the recipes, some of them seemed lye excessive. Also, excessive in the amounts of pure essential oils he recommends per each batch. They may smell wonderful but many of us know the potential dangers of irritation and sensitization. Experienced soap makers could play with his recipes and make proper adjustments for safety and quality; however, a beginner won't know any better. I recommend choosing another book such as the Natural Soap Book and of Soap Makers Companion by Miller-Cavitch for starters.
Rating: 
Summary: Disapointing experience making the goats milk soap
Review: Im a novice soap maker, but very good at following directions. However, when I attempted the goats milk soap (basic recipe 5) it was a disaster! The directions caution you about adding the lye to the goats milk...first it will be cloudy, then tan and you need to watch it carefully so you add to the oils before it turns orange. Well, my milk was tepid as the directions state but as I slowly added the lye, the mixture turned orange immediately...no cloudy stage and no tan stage! I poured it into the oils anyway following their instruction all the way..and the whole mess seperated as soon as it was poured into the mold...a complete waste.
Stubborn as I am, I tried the recipe on page 64, "Goats Milk and YLang Ylang", hoping to try again and this time it turned yellow immediatly as I added the lye. Again, I poured it anyway, no separation occured and the soap seems fine, but will have an expert friend look at it just to be safe.
The problem seems to be that the book does not tell you that goats milk needs to be completely or partially frozen to avoid burning it when the lye is added.
I will say it is a beautiful book, and will try the other recipes with hopes of better success.
Rating:
Summary: Disapointing experience making the goats milk soap
Review: Im a novice soap maker, but very good at following directions. However, when I attempted the goats milk soap (basic recipe 5) it was a disaster! The directions caution you about adding the lye to the goats milk...first it will be cloudy, then tan and you need to watch it carefully so you add to the oils before it turns orange. Well, my milk was tepid as the directions state but as I slowly added the lye, the mixture turned orange immediately...no cloudy stage and no tan stage! I poured it into the oils anyway following their instruction all the way..and the whole mess seperated as soon as it was poured into the mold...a complete waste.
Stubborn as I am, I tried the recipe on page 64, "Goats Milk and YLang Ylang", hoping to try again and this time it turned yellow immediatly as I added the lye. Again, I poured it anyway, no separation occured and the soap seems fine, but will have an expert friend look at it just to be safe.
The problem seems to be that the book does not tell you that goats milk needs to be completely or partially frozen to avoid burning it when the lye is added.
I will say it is a beautiful book, and will try the other recipes with hopes of better success.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful book, and easy to read
Review: My first batch of soap was from the basic #4 recipe in this book. It came out great. It made nice hard bars with a good lather and excellent cleaning properties. Though this is not the "end all, be all" of soap books, it is very good. The only caveat is that the recipes with frangrances or essential oils are a bit heavy on the nose. I recommend halving the essential oil requirements to achive a soap that isn't overpowering. This is a book for the beginner and is not technichal in nature. Professional soapmakers should look elswhere for comprhensive lists of what can go wrong and how to fix it. Most recipes here make a two to three pound batch, which hardly qualifies as huge quantities. I recommend this book to any beginners out there who just want to get started without becoming master soapmakers on the first go.
Rating:
Summary: These soaps are extraordinary!
Review: Out of all the "popular" soap books, this was one of the first I bought and the one I use the most! I have made most of the recipes in this book and haven't had a failed batch yet, either hand stirred or with a stick blender. I was a beginner and now everyone wants my soaps because they are mild & natural, smell so "real" and are simply wonderful. Over the years I have become more sensitive to chemicals and "fake" smells. I have solved that problem by making and using these natural soaps for myself and my family. As with any new endevor, I researched as much as I could, and I run ALL recipes through a lye calculator which can be found for free on the web. I personally like the amount of essential oils used because you can still smell them after the soap has cured. If you want a soapmaking book, written by an awesome soapmaker, and don't want to spend hours being put to sleep by scientific chemical equations, then get this book and prepare to change your life forever!
Rating:
Summary: Dangerous typo
Review: This book has a potentially dangerous typo! The recipe on page 101 calls for 15.9 ounces of lye when it should be 5.9. This much lye will overheat, probably boil over, and could possibly explode. It's something an experienced soap maker would never do, but a beginner could get hurt. Other than that I really like the book. It has good basic cold-process recipes and interesting rebatching ideas. I have it from the library, and plan to buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the beginning soapmaker (and advanced, too)
Review: This is the book that taught me to make cold process soap. It contains enough information to be instructional without being intimidating. The text is well-written and the pictures are lovely, and there are brief instructions for melt & pour soaps and some other toiletries as well. I have made several batches of cold process soap using the recipes from this book, and all have turned out wonderfully. This book should be in every soapmaker's library.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: What a great book. I purchased this book from Amazon earlier this year, and it has given me so much pleasure. It is very satisfying making your own soap. I found this book the best I have purchased to date. It was a great starter. I have since modified many of the recipes to suit myself. I have no criticisims to make about this book, however would have loved more information on naturally coloring soap. Of all the books I have, this is the one that is mostly in my hand
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