Making Natural Herbal Shower Gels, Conditioning Shampoos, and Moisturizing Hand Soaps
Finally, a book on making liquid soaps at home! Let expert soapmaker Catherine Failor introduce you to the luxurious world of all-natural liquid soaps - the easy way. Using a simple double-boiler technique, you can create inexpensive moisturizing hand soaps, revitalizing shampoos, invigorating shower gels, soothing bubble baths, and much more. And all tailored to your skin type, to your hair's needs, or even to your mood!
Discover how easy it is to master this special hot-process soapmaking technique and explore the art of this rewarding craft. Using simple, pure ingredients, such as cocoa butter, lanolin, and jojoba, you can create liquid soaps that are better for your skin, better for the environment, and just plain better than any you'll find in a store. Learn to blend oils and additives, add color and scent to your creations, and develop one-of-a-kind personal soaps - all in your own kitchen! Let the soap and your creativity flow!
Excerpt:
Why Make Your Own Soap?
Before World War I, all liguid soaps were based on potassium hydroxide. But the shortage of fats and oils in wartime forced commercial soapmakers to consider other alternatives. Synthetic detergent soaps quickly became th norm and have remained so ever since. Many people today, though, are seeking alternatives to detergent soap, and potassium soap is ideal. It's formulated with pure, natural ingredients; can be tailored to fit different skin types; and is easy and inexpensive to make. Potassium soaps are also very versatile - one "base" formulation can be modified with one or two ingredients to form a haand soap, a shampoo, or a bubble bath.
Webmaster message: Because of skin problems, many people are seeking more natural products. I was thinking of this as a great product for a home business.
Lisa Kempinski of Peoria, Arizona says, "I had never tried making soap before, but became interested after learning about all the awful chemicals in commercial products so thought I would give it a try. This book has been a wonderful resource. My first attempt came out perfect, clear and lathered great! I love this book, and would recommend it to anyone who is wanting to learn how to make liquid soaps. The author explains exactly what to do in very easy to follow step-by-step instructions. And after you get the process down you can customize your soaps to your own needs. The bath gels are awesome.
One reviewer says not to fragrance until ready to use, but the fragrance really comes out after you have let it squester for 14 days. Mine smell wonderful and the amount of essential oils used is not much at all. The secret to making the soaps thicker is to dilute as little as possible, but this will depend on the type of oil you are using, which the author does a very good job of explaining, what type of oils produce what type of product and the additives you can choose to use. I perfer not to use the alcohol or borax and my soaps still turn out fine. If you want a really nice bath gel use a higher precentage of soft oils as explained in the book. You will have to read the book more than once as there is too much information to absorb at one time.
For a small book only 134 pages it is really packed with a lot of information without a lot of fluff. Research all the ingredients carefully then make up your own mind what you would like to include in your soaps. There are resources online for obtaining oils, essential oils and potassium hydroxide at very good prices. You just have to shop around. Take your time and learn the process and you won't be disappointed if you are really interested in learning how to make natural liquid soaps. I'm planning on selling mine in the near future! I have made laundry soap, facial washes, shampoos, bath gels and hand soaps so far...
This book has plenty of colorful pictures and recipes
Cheryl Ramos of New Auburn, WI, says, "This book is just a fun book to have. I've found all types of ideas to enhance my own recipes and even found some new ones. It's a book for a more advanced soaper, but one that a newbie to soap making could adapt to with relative ease if care is taken to not over-simplify the process or skip any steps. This book will round out your soap making collection and the products detailed inside it's pages make excellent gifts as well as additions to any beauty collection. I found it both a wonderful read and useful tool in my soap making library.
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