Essentially Soap

I have an estensive collection of books on soapmaking, but this is still the one I turn to when I have a problem or when I am looking for a new idea. I have taught classes in soapmaking and recommend this book to all taking the classes. It is great for beginners but still has enough technical information for those expanding into their own business. Great real-world photos, too--not some professional photographer's idea of what soap should look like.

I am a "successful soaper" and have done what the Soaping Lists call the Happy Soaper's Dance! This success is due to the generous help of those same soapers... soapers like Dr. Bob McDaniel.Dr. McDaniel's book, Essentially Soap, is my MOST-read soaping book. It has just edged out Cavitch's book (The Soapmaker's Companion)as being my most referenced source.I have a "need to know"... this tendency is why these 2 books are my core reference material.Essentially Soap includes a valuable tool in formulating your own recipes of oils. Their intrinsic characteristics work together or against each other when combined to make soap. The INS information and explanation has simplified this mystifying process for me. I am now confident that I can put together a soap that will not waste my oils and will produce something lovely to hold, look at, smell and USE!The soaping world is a complex mix of individuals and approaches. Dr. McDaniel does not push a philosophy, so much as he presents a chemistry. He takes complex chemical reactions and translates them into terms that the average person can readily understand.His approach is open and inviting. The reader is NEVER made to feel anything less than empowered and encouraged.He also has given thanks and recognition to the same groups of people who have helped me and thousands (literally) of others around the world... the world of the Internet Lists. I appreciated that reference to them.My soaps, based on the techniques and information in this book, have ALL been a complete success... without wrapping my molds, without crossing my fingers or soaping with the moon! This book is a MUST HAVE, in every Soaper's Library.

I agree with Pamela's review. I have most every contemporary soap book published, including Ann Bramson's, my very first...and I rank Dr. Bob's among the top two (along with "The Soapmaker's Companion" by Cavitch). Every book I've read on the topic contains unique pearls of wisdom, but Dr Bob gives it to you straight and with plenty of colorful photos and illustrations. It covers each area of the soap making process in appropriate detail...from the history, to the various methods of soapmaking, to a bit on fragrances, to a nice collection of recipes anyone can enjoy experimenting with. You would be well advised to make this your first book on cold-process soapmaking. Now if he'd only supplement the book with a video...hmmm.....

Dr. Bob does a fine job of bringing the past to the present inmethods of soap making in one book. So rare it is to find a book thatmentions current methods and still isn't stuck in 1970's Ann Bramson'smethod. We have gone so far beyond Ms. Bramson now. The book starts with some ancient history on soap making and brings us up to present day. I like that he mentions my favorite story, "The urine collectors". Hahahaa, I don't know why I like that story so much, but I think it is fun. :) There are a couple of cartoons and some actual photos of how to leach the lye from wood ash. So many people have asked me how to do that and this is a fine section on describing the process with photos so now I can just recommend this book! And no, you don't need to collect Roman urine. ;) There are two good sections to get you started with glycerin Melt & Pour, and Rebatching. Dr. Bob gives the basics and gets you thinking with some ideas which he explains quite well. He gives a good method of remelting soap which should work for you every time, unlike other books which have attempted that topic. I don't know why, on page 36, Dr. Bob just didn't buy the matching end cap for that PVC pipe... It is a lot easier than using saran wrap or making a wax plug.... but that works too. I have to laugh when I see the scale pictured thoughout the book. How did that scale get so clean! haaha. Mine is all marred up from lye spills and goo and raw soaps. A nice, new scale just looks odd to me, haahaa. This book is really very good for the person who has never made soap. Dr. Bob puts the chemistry in to English and has a well thought out plan for presenting the information. He starts at the beginning, covers the nonlye methods first, like a beginner is likely to approach soap making. Later he does get in to the meat of the matter and gives good, clear instructions on how to make soap with lye, and does it safely. There is also lots of other information here that isn't usually found in soap making books, such as an essential oil section. He covers the chemical make up of numerous essential oils which will give you an idea on how they will react in soap making. Also included are what their basic uses are in aromatherapy and medicinal. Very nice touch to the book! In the cold process soap making recipe section he actually gives the Grams amounts AND the US equivalents! Hurray! You can use which method you understand. Not all of us are chemist geeks or Canadian. Some of us still use good old American Ounces and Pounds for everything. The oils section is very good, giving the percent of unsaponifiables in each oil, with other valuable information such as the basic composition of the particular oil or fat. This takes that guess work out of writing recipes. Using this book you're able to write very good recipes for soap making because you actually know why which oil works in what ways. Very valuable information that I haven't seen in any book before. :) I