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Books: The Soapmaker's Companion

Author: Susan Miller Cavitch
ISBN: 0-88266-965-6
Paperback: 281 pages
Publisher: Storey Publishing

The back cover

From the author of the best-selling The Natural Soap Book comes this illustrated guide to making over 40 specialty soaps – from exquisite stained-glass, marbled, and layered soaps to soothing masseuse bars, hardworking laundry soap, and practical liquid soaps.

Through clear, step-by-step instructions, master soapmaker Susan Miller Cavitch leads you through every step of the soapmaking process and teaches you how to:

• Craft exotic and practical soaps in your home
• Blend and use essential oils and natural colorants
• Design multi-colored, marbled, and imprinted soaps
• Understand the chemistry of soapmaking and create your own personal bars

Plus, you’ll get tips on how to get started selling soaps!

Preface

I wrote my first book, The Natural Soap Book, in response to my feeling that there were too many people seeking guidance on this topic from involuntary mentors. Updated soapmaking formulas were not widely available, and instructions were varied and contradictory. My goal was to pass along all that I thought the reader needed to know to make good soap, within the confines of limited space. I tried to make my methods accessible, condensing information only to avoid becoming too technical or too long, or when it seemed that I might supply more detail than readers’ interest could support. But I have found this latter fear to be unfounded. I will run out of knowledge before readers’ interest wanes. Details are what soapmakers crave.

I expected people to enjoy soapmaking, since I enjoy it so much, but I have been overwhelmed by the high level of interest and experimentation. I knew that people wanted to know how. I hoped they would want to know why. But now people are asking, “Why not?” I should have seen this coming. After all, pioneer crafts foster a pioneer spirit. The appeal of the quiet, useful art draws us in, the satisfaction of self-reliance keeps us involved, and the spirit of wonder drives us forward. Figuring out how to make soap doesn’t end the quest; it just better equips us to advance the craft.

All fields experience periods or resurgence, growth, and leveling off until the next phase of development. Soapmakers are still in the period of renewal, and creative people from all over are contributing to this particular wave. Soapmaking forums are growing online. Soapmaking businesses are cropping up everywhere. Some hobbyists make soap for themselves; others are trying to supplement or even supplant family incomes. Beginners soon become teachers, encouraging newcomers and enlarging the community of interest.

Some people want to know only what they need to know to accomplish a certain objective. Others want to know more even when it is not clear that the knowledge will ever be useful. The Soapmaker’s Companion is written and organized (as described on pages 8 to 10) for both types of people.

Introduction

Before jumping into new ideas, some old ones are worth reviewing. There are many different kinds of soap; this book and The Natural Soap Book focus on only one kind: all-vegetable, cold-process soap made as naturally as possible. The goal is to create a mild soap that cleans and moisturizes without synthetic intrusion.

Individuals are uniquely positioned to make better soap than companies that are mass-producing the product. Mass-producers must concern themselves with profit, which can be an inhibiting factor. Synthetic ingredients are accessible, stable, and economical, so they are often used in place of richer natural ones. When industrial manufacturers do incorporate organic nutrients, the percentages are often insignificant – eye-catching on the label and inconspicuous in the soap. A quick glance at the labels reveals the highly synthetic nature of most body-care products. Consumers have little or no understanding of the products’ ingredients. Many people react negatively to one product or another and are left to find the culprit responsible for the rash, an irritation, or the dry skin. The home soapmaker can balance frugality and quality and often meet family skin-care needs better than industry can.

Though The Soapmaker’s Companion is best read as a sequel to The Natural Soap Book or any other primer, it includes enough of the basics to be read as a stand-alone work.

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