The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps

by Susan Miller Cavitch

Making your own soap is fun, easy, and rewarding. In this introductory guide, Susan Miller Cavitch shows you how to craft your own all-natural, wonderfully smelling soaps. Illustrated directions take you through the whole process, from buying supplies to cutting the final bars. With easy-to-follow recipes that range from classics like oatmeal and honey soap to more adventurous combinations using goat milk and borage, you’ll be inspired to make uniquely personal soaps that are gentle on your skin and a pleasure for your nose.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, How To, Green

182 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 1995

Reviews

[Bianca Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly loved it because it had a chemistry of soap part, unlike some the other books I've read that only took care of more practical aspects.

[Shmegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book. It was suggested to me as an essential primer for new soapers. I'm not completely new to soap making and if I was I don't think this book would inspire confidence. Here are the reasons:
1. Basic terms are mentioned but not defined, not even in the glossary (like Discounting for instance).
2. The author is really negative about other styles of soap making and comes across a little snobbish at times.
3. If you are going to claim that a substance should not be included in soap because studies show it causes cancer then you need to cite those studies. That's lazy writing and bad editing.
4. This woman hates colorants and fragrance oils with the passion of a jihadist, she's not even sure about oxides or clays which mankind has used for thousands of years.
5. The vignettes about the soap making businesses were nice until you get to the back and see that 5 of the 9 are closed before the e-book edition is published (including her own). I looked up the rest and they have either closed, retired or sold to big conglomerates. So why keep them in there? Maybe to give soapers hope of a successful business and then show them that soaping as a business has the failure rate of the restaurant business?
6, The oils, ingredients and wholesalers of what is available now are so much wider then when this was written in 1995. This book is in desperate need of a new edition. Get rid of the business stories, focus on the home soaper that needs recipes in smaller sizes then 40 bars a pop, and bring it up 20 years and you got yourself a good book. As it is now I think it will be completely obsolete in a few years.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I started making soap, I read this book cover to cover and then went back and re-read several sections. I still use it as a reference, though some of Cavitch's maxims I have found to not apply. But perhaps it depends on what recipe you're using?

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made it all seem very complicated. Have seen easier methods. However, I found it interesting and one day I actually will make soap!

[Merry Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is certainly not bad by any means, but because it's so old I would NOT recommend it for the beginner.

Some of the information is outdated. I would recommend the Companion guide to this book instead, or many other more recent books.

[Rich Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easy to read and understand

This book was very readable and easy to understand. Very clear info. on chemical reaction for the saponification process. Enjoyed stories in between.

[Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from a neighbor and I have to say, it was a little overwhelming for me. I'm not too interested in getting all that serious with making soap like this. This isn't a bad book if you're looking to get serious about making soap but for me, I'm not.

[Aslı Yıldız İnal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written book for beginners...

[Christie’s · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This is the real deal. This book explains thoroughly, from A to Z, the ins and outs of soap making.

[Juan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Resource.

This book is many years old, but I believe it stands the test of time as a great reference to start your journey to making a successful batch of soap.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book I've found on soap-making, and the one that I've determined to buy for long-term use. It has everything you need to know in a compact and easy-to-read format.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to get away from using Chemicals on my skin. I've been making my own facial skin care for a while now and started thinking about the soap that I shower with. So I am embarking on a new hobby of making my own soap. This book was very informative for the novice soap maker. It puts everything at you fingertips and answered all of my questions. It even give you several recipes to get started with and the knowledge to created your own recipes.

[Richard Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful and friendly book. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that all procedural instruction were repeated verbatum with each recipe. Kind of tedious, but maybe a safety consideration. Still, the book would give most anyone the confidence to try making healthy, high-quality, vegetable-based soapmaking at home. There is a "sequel" to this book entitled The Soapmakers Companion which I am reading now. More techniques and recipes for the folks who just want more.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this handy little book! I borrowed it from the library and am tempted to purchase a copy.

I'm not a fan of her recipes though; they are way too big for my kitchen. All her information is pretty awesome! I'm going to pair up this knowledge with a more fancy soap maker's recipes. Some of it is dated (buying palm oil from a commercial restaurant truck, whereas we would just order it online) but all her advice is still golden.

[K. 🦉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book at my local library and am glad I found it. I was looking for a beginners guide to soap making, and this book was just that and much more. While there are no photos, the drawings are more than adequate. The recipes for soaps cover everything from shampoo to regular hand soaps. There is great section that contains information on suppliers, which comes in handy for more obscure ingredients.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable how-to book. Full detailed instructions on making soap at home using lye, vegetable oils and other natural ingredients. Good descriptions, scientific explanations, troubleshooting, etc. plus a philosophy I agree with.

I haven't attempted to make soap yet and I'm not sure that I will, but if I try it, I'll follow the instructions in The Natural Soap Book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, thorough descriptions of soap making ingredients. Cavitch discusses why various types of ingredients are better than others, why certain equipment materials are better than others, etc. She is also not shy about giving her personal opinions. Includes brief stories of several soapmakers and how they got their starts.

[Catherine]

Very interesting and informative. I really liked that she was technical without being too wordy or hard to understand- in fact, she is very easy to understand. My favorite part was still the part about the harder chemistry of saponification (a term I only know because of her).

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this one several years ago. First batch of soap was perfect. Just read it again for tips for the next batch.

[Naomi Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting resource. There is a heavy bias towards natural products and a lot of the information still good.

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an older book and a fair amount of stuff has changed but there are some really good basics in here and good information.

[Janette Boren · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great book for making soap.

[Jan Kamenšek]

idk

[Katie]

All about soap making.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisited this classic guide to making your own natural soaps. Although this book was published in the '90's, it still offers a lot of information for soap makers at all stages of proficiency. I would love to see a revised book with updates to suppliers and materials source.