Making Natural Liquid Soaps: Herbal Shower Gels, Conditioning Shampoos, Moisturizing Hand Soaps, Luxurious Bubble Baths, and More

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).

I got Catherine's book yesterday and stayed up half the night reading it. What a great work! Everything you ever wanted to know about liquid soapmaking and more. She includes not one, but two HP methods for making the soap as well as all the technical information that guarantees that your efforts will be successful. Not only will you learn the best way to make liquid soap, you'll pick up invaluable tips about how and why the methods work. This book would be worth its price for the detailed information alone -- but you get so much more!

The book's clear instructions and color photographs are excellent. However, procedures used are extremely time-consuming and require a lot of hands-on work. Basically, they're industrial techniques adapted for home use. Entirely different from making cold process bar soaps. Even for experienced hot process soap makers, at least 3-4 hours are needed to complete the initial phase. In liquid soap making, you have to be comfortable with using solvents and thickeners. Neutralizing and sequestering agents too. pH control and preservatives can be significant issues as well. Aside from that, you won't find a better consumer-level book on this interesting subject.

Review of Making Natural Liquid Soaps, by Catherine Failor ISBN: 1-58017-243-1Are 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.