Making Soap

I enjoy crafting.  Lately, I've been getting into hand lettering and decorative knots.  They've been fun for me because I can pick up whatever I'm working on for five minutes and get something done.  But, I'm always intrigued by other crafts I hear about.  Two that I've always wondered about picking up are candle making and soap making.  If I ever were to try soap making, I found the book I'd use.

Pure Soapmaking by Anne-Marie Faiola

The author of this book put everything you need to know in one book.  This book is an awesome resource because she explains to the crafter how to be safe and emphasizes the importance of this safety!  I would not have realized how important safety would be in the craft of making soap.  The author begins by describing the soapmaking process, equipment needed, how to make soap, about oils/additives/scent, and designing recipes.  She then includes a wide variety of recipes.

I learned several things from this book.
#1  You must have separate equipment for making soap.  So, this craft requires a significant investment up front.  You CANNOT use your own kitchen equipment to make soap.  She explains the specific dangers of doing so.
#2  The interaction of the ingredients combined to make soap is very complex.  I had mistakenly thought before reading this book that soap was a very simple thing.  Not so!
#3  Read the bulk of this book thoroughly before starting out.  There's a lot to understand before one can start the journey of making soap.  This is not a hobby that someone can pick up for a half hour and then put down.  Rather, it is a hobby for people that have half a day to spend on it, or at least a few uninterrupted hours until they get the hang of making soap.

I have a new respect for people who make homemade soap after reading this book.  If you've ever seriously considered making soap, I'd highly recommend this book!  It's a great all-in-one resource!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Storey Books.