Customer Reviews

The Soapmaker's Companion: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes, Techniques & Know-How

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While there are some very good points to this book, there is far too much useless chatter on topics. The author relies too heavily on grapefruit seed extract to preserve her soaps; GSE runs about $75 a quart and isn't a true preservative! She also needlessly complicates the calculation on determining the quantitiy of lye for any given formula. Also, there is absolutely no relevant discussion as to determing how much water to add to a recipes you create.

You'd almost think Susan was trying to make soapmaking more dificult than it is just to keep people from trying!

I selected Ms. Cavitch's books because they appeared to be the best of a mixed lot. They could, however, still use some improvement.

The Soapmaker's Companion is generally more valuable than its predicessor, The Natural Soap Book, and most of the descriptions of process, oils, colorants, and fragrance remain identical. The recipies are considerably improved in quantity for the new soapmaker, down to 3.75 lbs per batch from 10 lbs in the original book. And the newer book includes detailed chemistry with SAP values for most fats, fatty acid percentages, and a detailed lye calculator to assist in making your own recipies or modifying other's.

Unfortunately, the instructions, recipies, and troubleshooting have a way to go before they are foolproof. I just made my first batch of Soap Essentials II, and it took over two hours to trace. Mixing by hand. It was NO FUN. And, unless the recipie was wrong to start with, I have absolutely no idea WHY.

This may very well be the most complete book available for vegetable-based soaps and the easiest to follow, but it is not foolproof enough to be a sole resource for the beginner.

I have found this book to be the best among the books out today for the professional or hobby soapmaker. Susan Miller Cavitch gives you a complete A to Z on how to make soap, leaving nothing out. As a professional soapmaker, we have sold our handmade soaps and lotions on the web for years now on our website at www.greenpergola.com and this book still remains a good reference point. So you see, as professionals in this industry, this review isn't just about the reading material - but also a standing ovation for a fellow soapmaker who knows her business.

During those years, I have been a member of many forums and newsgroups for soapmakers and have seen praise for this book time and time again. When a new soaper has a question, others always ask, "well, have you bought Miller Cavitch's books yet?" In a nutshell, the book is a must and at the top of the list in this niche.

G. White
aromatherapist, soapmaker

I have been making cold processed soap for 2 years, and this is by far the best book I have bought. Every recipe I have made from the book has been successful. It has basic to advanced recipes. Will not go wrong buying this book. Highly recommend.

It really is too bad that the author published her first book before anyone else could publish something with more accurate and flexible information, because she is now regarded as an expert in the soapmaking realm. Some basic problems with Cavitch are logistical and procedural. No one has to weigh water, no one needs to use some of the ingredients she calls for in every single recipe, such as grapefruit seed extract. Her recipes call for GSE because her overly superfatted soaps will go rancid without addition of this preservative. Why does she superfat so greatly? Some speculate she had a lousy scale and poor math skills in terms of calculating amounts of lye and accurate fat measurements back when she was learning this craft, and never bothered to perfect her science nor correct the recipe problems (and if you can get it in print and people buy it, well, you must be doing something right), it certainly is a logical reason for the way she does things. Cavitch is a good example of a good resource with serious limitations, she's done her homework on vegetable-based oils/fats and you get all kinds of great info on these, but it's clear she never researched thoroughly enough to make statements on things like the use of animal fats, using a stick blender rather than spoon for stirring to trace, etc. Soaping isn't rocket science, but it isn't a very strict methodology either, and there are far better resources on the web and mailing lists therein, where one can learn much more than this book promises, with a multitude of perspectives and approaches. Please don't buy into the hype and buy this book.

This book has great charts and Susan Miller Cavitch does a great job of explaining the science of creating soap - fascinating. I only wish chemistry had been this interestingly explained when I was a college student; I would have had a much better grade.

BUT...

The recipes in this book are really annoying. I am a veteran soapmaker and enjoy writing/making my own recipes, but I love to expand my knowledge and skill by making other people's recipes from time to time, too. The source of irritation in this book is the way the amounts of oils, liquids, scents, additives, etc. are delineated. The recipes veer wildly between English and metric measures and I find this very haphazard. I think it could be a real source of confusion to many. It sure confuses me, and I have made a LOT of soap.

I will say, though, that if you can work around the measures, the recipes she has presented do make some nice soap.

Since the confusing recipes comprise much of the book, I can't rate it as highly as I'd like to, considering the bounty of great technical info Miller imparts. So, three stars. But it is worth buying just because of the thorough explanation of the artistic science of soapmaking.

C'est un bon livre mais, je m'attendait à un peu plus après avoir lu les autres review. Il est tout de même très informatif!

très bien détaille et expliqué....un incontournable en savonnerie
les recettes sont un peu grosses pour débuter mais sont très faciles

1. Every sentence begins with "I" but I don't think she invented soap.
2. Author prefers a stand mixer over a blender. According to her, a blender with a lid on is much more dangerous with a lye concoction than a mixer--that isn't completely covered??? That is because the lid can fly off??? Doesn't make sense to me, I used the blender. My mixer with the splash guard is ten times messier.
3. A new method is out that says mix everything at the same time in the blender and it works fine, versus all the steps she prescribes.
4. Her explanation of how to make your own formula is too convoluted. Basically, many things in her book are made out to be more difficult than it really is. Maybe she is overly cautious. But you can pretty much tell how well-blended the formula is and cut out re-doing the same mixing a 3rd or 4th time.
5. However, some things she finds very easy was actually not from my perspective. She prefers cutting to molds. I wish I had just used a pop-out type mold. Cutting can get messy.
6. I used pure organic ingredients. I think I could of saved by using synthetic or non-organic canola oil, etc. It didn't seem to make a noticeable difference.

Get Milk-Based Soaps: Making Natural, Skin-Nourishing Soap
by Casey Makela in companion with it. It gets to the point much faster. Then use the Cavitch book as a reference guide to make your own recipes.

Definately a book you should keep around for reference! Very simple, detailed information and great recipes as well. They are NOT lye heavy at all like some other books can be. Great tables, pictures, how-to, explanations and easy to understand everything you need to know to help you make the best soaps even probelm solutions, too. I highly recommend this book to anyone and evryone intersted in learninghow to make soap, the process and values of ingredients as well. She even goes into the scientific asspects of the processes as well.