The Bottom Line
- Finally - a book that dispels many of the traditional soap making myths!
- Good, basic, sensible, no-nonsense instructions.
- Great, easy-to-follow instructions on how to make soap.
- No photos of soap or soapmaking, though nice illustrations.
- Could use a bit more discussion of soap making oils and their properties.
- She doesn't address percentages in recipes - just measurements.
Description
- A wonderful introduction to the craft of making soap - simple and easy-to-read.
- Great, clear explanations of what soap is, what's needed to make it, and how to do it.
- Anne's recipes are good, simple and well-balanced.
- A wonderful first book on soap making - and a great addition to any soap making library.
Guide Review - Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson
Whenever I teach beginning soap making, I often have to end with a guilty smile saying "Well...that's it...easy huh?" The students agree. I know I've been successful if they leave the class saying, "Hey...I can do this!" This is what Anne L. Watson has done in her book "Smart Soapmaking."
Since Anne Bramson's book Soap was published in 1972, the craft of soap making has been fraught with myths, fears and traditions - that, to us 21st Century soap makers, just don't make sense. Like a breath of fresh soap making air, Watson doesn't waste any time dispelling those myths. In fact, she spends the first 18 pages of her book shining sensible light on myths like "Soapmaking is expensive," "Soapmaking is difficult," "The lye solution and fat must be at the same temperature" and more. For soap making traditionalists, it's pure blasphemy. For those of us who are a bit more practical, it's a wonderful fresh and sensible look at a craft that we love.
Though it dispels many of the myths that Soap created in 1972, it actually kind of has the same feel as Soap does. It is simply written and illustrated with a deep experience and wisdom infused through every page. What this book has, that Soap doesn't, is 35 years of modern experience and technology. In 1972 there were no digital thermometers, no INS calculations, no online lye calculators - and - hold your breath here - no stick blenders! (Can you even imagine a soap making world without stick blenders?) Just as our lives as human beings on this planet have gotten more streamlined and practical since 1972, so has the craft of soap making.
