Making Soap: 18 luxurious soaps to make and give using natural ingredients

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Beginner-friendly guide to making 18 lovely soaps using only natural ingredients that are kind to the environment.

Beautifully photographed, this beginner-friendly guide has everything you need to make 18 lovely soaps. Inspirational for seasoned soap-makers as well, the recipes use only natural ingredients that are kind to the skin and our environment. From olive oil to juniper and cucumber to honey, there are lots of gorgeous fragrances and colours to satisfy everyone.

With comprehensive information on where to start and what you need, the book includes essential tips on utensils, safety issues to consider, and by a step-by-step guide to making soap. There are also useful sections on fragrances and natural colourings and additives such as coffee and cinnamon. This book tells you everything you need to know about making your own hand-crafted soap, using tools most people already own

An addictive hobby, you will find yourself making lovely, personalised soap ideas for gifting.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. 5)
• Principles (p. 6)
• What is natural soap? (p. 6)
• The soap maker's language (p. 6)
• Tools for making soap (p. 13)
• Safety first (p. 15)
• Making soap (p. 16)
• Fragrances, colours and additives (p. 18)
• Soap recipe (p. 20)
• Soap on a Rope (basic recipe) (p. 20)
• Confetti Soap (p. 22)
• Olive Oil Soap (p. 24)
• Salt Soap (p. 26)
• Coffee Soap (p. 28)
• Life is Better at the Beach Soap (p. 30)
• Orange & Neroli Soap (p. 32)
• Salt Water Soap (p. 34)
• Juniper Berry Soap (p. 36)
• Genie in a Bottle Soap (p. 38)
• Almond Milk Soap (p. 41)
• Guinness Soap (p. 42)
• Soap Cupcakes & Floating Soap (p. 44)
• Laundry Soap (p. 46)
• Shaving Soap (p. 48)
• Cucumber Soap (p. 50)
• Patterned Soaps (p. 52)
• Honey Soap (p. 54)
• Troubleshooting (p. 56)
• Solid fats and butters (p. 58)
• List of saponification numbers (p. 60)
• Sources (p. 61)
• Thanks (p. 62)
• About the author (p. 63)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Aspiring soap-makers needn't have degrees in chemistry and calculus, because Germany-based soap maker Landmann does all (or most) of the figuring for them. (Still, an adeptness with numbers will help, since ingredients are subject to change given different desired results.) Landmann's explanations are detailed, beginning with a definition, exploring both the language and tools needed, plus additions like fragrances, colorings, silk fibers, and herbs (among others). Very little is left to chance; every one of the 18 projects includes ingredients, color photographs, and instructions, plus frequent hints (saltwater is great for problem skin or acne), alternatives, and informational sidebars. Issues with kids and bathing? Try the recycled and whimsical confetti soap. Natural is key here, and Landmann advocates ingredients like yogurt, cucumbers, and Guinness. At the end, there's a trouble-shooting diagnosis for solving problems like coarse holes and oil layers atop the soap, followed by charts on solid fats and butters, a list of saponification numbers, and sources (skewed towards European companies).--Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2019 Booklist