Rating: 
Summary: Simple and fun but ......
Review: After reading quite a few books on soapmaking,spending many hours on the Internet and finally making my own soap I have only recently read Ann Bramson's book.It is a nice fun book which makes you want to make soap! However I think it should not be a beginners book. Recipes are too big,lye should be poured into water and the amount of EO used is too much and too expencive.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent guide for the beginning soap maker.
Review: I bought this book in 1973,when the price tag was about $3.00. It's still an excellent value at the present price. This is the ORIGINAL soapmaking book--the only one around at the time--and it's superb for beginners. Ms. Bramson goes through every detail of the soapmaking process. I learned on it; many new soapmakers have also learned on it. It's an excellent buy. It you can buy only one book about soap, buy this one
Rating:
Summary: The Grandmama of all Soap Making Books
Review: I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this particular book.When I started making soap around 1990, this was the only book I could find. I had only been searching for about 30 years for instructions on how to make soap at home, haahaa. Ann Bramson, whoever she is and where ever she is, gave me a start to the most successful business I've ever owned. As a result, it has completely changed my life. But, about this book.... It is very simple, very basic, and has a lot of information in it that will lead you in completely the wrong direction. Not because it isn't correct information exactly, it all is true for her book and her method of soap making. We soap makers have learned much since we all put our heads together on the internet. By swapping thoughts and failures we've greatly improved how to make soap at home. Probably 90% of soap authors just copy the information in this book. So instead of buying theirs, buy this one. It is much less expensive and you will receive the exact same information. I still love this book. It explains how to make some soap at home and isn't that what you're looking for? With this very inexpensive, no thrills, no daring to be different book, you will make your first batch of soap successfully! I like her recipes and those are the only recipes I made for years. They do make excellent soap! The issues I have with this book are that we do not need to match temperatures on your fats and lye solutions. You really should not use fat temperatures of 98 degrees; this is far too low. Certainly, you CAN add herbs and fruits and all sorts of things to your soap recipe. The reason she says that you cannot is because of the low temperatures she's using in her book. With this book and some help from my web site and the internet soap making community, you can be on your way to being the happiest self employed person on the net too! Buy this book. Even if it is just to share in my joy of getting started with MY first batch that headed me in the right career direction.
Pam
Rating:
Summary: How I learned to make soap and start a business
Review: I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this particular book. When I started making soap around 1990, this was the only book I could find. I had only been searching for about 30 years for instructions on how to make soap at home, haahaa. Ann Bramson, whoever she is and where ever she is, gave me a start to the most successful business I've ever owned. As a result, it has completely changed my life. But, about this book.... It is very simple, very basic, and has a lot of information in it that will lead you in completely the wrong direction. Not because it isn't correct information exactly, it all is true for her book and her method of soap making. We soap makers have learned much since we all put our heads together on the internet. By swapping thoughts and failures we've greatly improved how to make soap at home. Probably 90% of soap authors just copy the information in this book. So instead of buying theirs, buy this one. It is much less expensive and you will receive the exact same information. I still love this book. It explains how to make some soap at home and isn't that what you're looking for? With this very inexpensive, no thrills, no daring to be different book, you will make your first batch of soap successfully! I like her recipes and those are the only recipes I made for years. They do make excellent soap! The issues I have with this book are that we do not need to match temperatures on your fats and lye solutions. You really should not use fat temperatures of 98 degrees; this is far too low. Certainly, you CAN add herbs and fruits and all sorts of things to your soap recipe. The reason she says that you cannot is because of the low temperatures she's using in her book. With this book and some help from my web site and the internet soap making community, you can be on your way to being the happiest self employed person on the net too! Buy this book. Even if it is just to share in my joy of getting started with MY first batch that headed me in the right career direction.
Pam
Rating: 
Summary: Very Dissapointing!!
Review: I was really looking forward to this book, and sat right down to read it as soon as it arrived. And I was very dissapointed with it, a waste of money IMO. This book was made in 1975, so that tells you a lot right there. The books main focus and ingredient used is TALLOW..YUK..While some have no problem with animal fat in their soap, I have a huge problem with it, it stinks for one thing and I would never use it. If I had know this I would not have bought it. I didnt find anything in it I could use, or would want to.
Rating:
Summary: A must for all soap makers or want to be's.
Review: I'm an avid soap maker and this was the book that I learned from. I still refer back to it. The recipes are easy to follow and her advice is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Great beginners book
Review: Looking for a basic book on making some simple soaps? This is one I recommend because it is a great starter book and the ingredients are so simple and the recipes are so simple as well.
Rating:
Summary: Been around a LOOONG time.
Review: Soap
By Ann Bramson
One of the first soapmaking books available, and still a classic. This is homemade soapmaking from true scratch, including directions on rendering your own tallow from beef fat.
Good points:
*The very last pages are a grid on oils and their basic characteristics and what properties they will lend to the soaps.
* There is a fairly good section on blending scents with 10 recipes for scent blends.
* The section for special soaps has some info on how to change the basic recipes into soaps which would be more to your liking.
* I enjoyed reading the digressions section. It contained soapmaking history as well as having a nice section on early advertising of soaps from the late 1800's to the early 1900's. The trouble shooting section, while having some good ideas for basic problems, is now a bit outdated. Most soapmakers nowadays don't have much of a problem with seperations, curdling, or long trace times due to the fact that we've (...) bought our lifesaving handy dandy stick
blenders. Safety issues are covered fairly well, but we have also learned better and safer ways of mixing our lye and water. ** I do have a problem with the fact that while Ms. Bramson does mention the use of protective gloves for safety, she then freely admits she'd rather risk a small lye burn rather than wear them. A bit dated, but still a good reference book, and one that helped me in a history class.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and useful little book
Review: This book is well written, gives you all the info. to get you started in making your own soap. It covers materials to use, ingredients and several great recipes. My favorite is the olive oil "Castile" soap.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: This is a great soap making book. It contains basic information and four recipes. This book helps you assemble the right supplies, and gives advice while making soap. It also has a nice section of possible scenarios that can happen, and how you can correct a bad batch of soap. I would anyone that would like to start the craft of soap making to get this book as a starter. The price is excellent, and it does provide solid information in order for you to make a quality batch of soap and do it safetly.
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