I've been a cold-process soapmaker for 2 years and was ready to explore other kinds of soapmaking. I picked up C. Failor's book on liquid soapmaking and was hooked. There's a lot of great information here. Initially I was a bit overwhelmed before diving in, but that's how I felt before making my first batch of cold-process soap as well! Liquid soapmaking, like almost every other craft, requires just a little time and patience before it becomes second nature. My first batch of liquid soap was a success-perfectly crystal-clear-and with a couple more recipes under my belt, I feel as comfortable with this soapmaking as I do with cold-process soapmaking. I was a bit perplexed by the review of October 18th in which Michelle referred to hard-to-obtain chemicals and complex chemical equations. There are no chemical equations in this book and as for the chemicals-does she mean potassium hydroxide, borax, boric acid? Nor do I agree with her that this book is for "professional" soapmakers only. The book is for anyone who wants so make their own natural liquid soap ( since almost all liquid soaps on the market are synthetic).
Are we ready for something completely new in soap making? I think so. :)
Catherine Failor's new book is with the times. She has apparently been hard at work in her kitchen coming up with fun new ways to play with soap!
The focus here is making liquid soap, shampoo, dog shampoo, shower gels, and bubble bath. Yep, everything people have been asking me for lately.
This is NOT a cake mix type of book. It is complete instructions from making these items from scratch. One word of warning though, you WILL have to get POTASSIUM hydroxide to use this book. ....................
Ms Failor goes into great detail to explain her hot process method. There are lots of pictures to help! The friendly layout of this book will remind you of a magazine article. A very LONG magazine article, haahaa.
I just finished reading this and I have to tell ya, I have learned a lot about fats and soaps and hot process and liquid soaps, and so much more! There are little charts to help you help yourself in making your own recipes, although there are enough recipes in this book to keep you chained to the stove creating for a long time!
It is obvious that the author has been working with these recipes in her book for quite some time and has discovered the pitfalls before hand and already advised you how to handle them in the trouble shooting section.
There is a healthy section on blending scents, both fragrances and essential oils. And I can't even do my usual complaint about over usage of essential oils, haahaa, she uses the 'by the part' method of blending so it fits everyone's needs. ;)
Being alcohol sensitive myself, I really appreciate that she has two different methods in the book. There is a method that works without using alcohol to clarify the soap. She even gives properties of the various fats and oils that you use based on clarity of the finished products.
If you are the type of person who just won't follow complete instructions, this book is not for you. I think it is written well enough for a beginner to use, but I don't know that a beginner is so hooked on soap making that they will want to take this on. It is complicated as far as soap making goes. Liquid soap making and shampoo making require a lot more effort than cold process soap making. But, if you are a seasoned soap maker who has become a bit bored with doing the same ol' thing, this is definitely for you.
I'm excited to try out these shampoos and shower gels. :) ..............................................it is rare to find such a new topic that you can really sink your teeth in to. Also, it is rare to find such a complete book that isn't the same old thing with a different cover. :) I'm impressed and the book got me excited!
I highly recommend this book. :)...................An excellent book which answers the questions I was wondering most about...both the details and the big picture...such as "what does the contents in the pan look like at different stages? What are the properties of the various ingredients? How do they react under different circumstances? This is a beautiful book also the second one I own by Failor. Being a graphic designer myself, with a definite scientific "bent," this seems to be an ideal text for me helps me make more sense of my cold-processing soap books also it's just the right combination of "visuals" and scientific, practical information. This book should be an essential in any soap-making addict's library.I have been making cold process soap for years and was very excited to see this book that teaches you (finally) to make liquid soap through hot process. It is, however, very difficult to follow and there are several sections where the author trips up the reader and confuses the intructions. She also tells us to add color and scent and bottle your product immediately. This made my soap change weird colors and lose it's scent so I do not recommend this from my experience. Store it in a huge sealed tub, leave out the color, scent when it cools and bottle it when you are ready to give it to someone. I was able to turn out a nice batch this way but never felt as though I followed the directions properly. Also, unlike cold process, you cannot find all of your ingredients at the grocery store. You must find a chemical supplier which makes the process a little harder. On a whole, the book is great and unlike anything else on the market. This author continues to publish books that push the soapmaker one step further which I like. Be prepared for a good lesson in patience. This is not quick stuff as it took me a whole day to make my first batch. But like cold process, it gets easier and quicker the more you do it.After making cold process soap for several several years, and working in product development for a major soap company, I must say that this book is interesting, but not very practical and certainly confusing. I suppose I need more science to really understand this process. I found the soap to be very drying, with a "fat" smell that was really hard to cover. Also, the shelf life was not very long.
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