My first batch of soap was from the basic #4 recipe in this book. It came out great. It made nice hard bars with a good lather and excellent cleaning properties. Though this is not the "end all, be all" of soap books, it is very good. The only caveat is that the recipes with frangrances or essential oils are a bit heavy on the nose. I recommend halving the essential oil requirements to achive a soap that isn't overpowering. This is a book for the beginner and is not technichal in nature. Professional soapmakers should look elswhere for comprhensive lists of what can go wrong and how to fix it. Most recipes here make a two to three pound batch, which hardly qualifies as huge quantities. I recommend this book to any beginners out there who just want to get started without becoming master soapmakers on the first go.

I have been operating a soap making business for 2 years and never tire of the process. Visually, I thought the book was beautiful; however, it's not one I'd recommend to beginners who really need to understand the process as well as a more thorough run-down of pitfalls and dangers. I am also very concerned with safety for the soap maker and the end-user. I thought that in reviewing the recipes, some of them seemed lye excessive. Also, excessive in the amounts of pure essential oils he recommends per each batch. They may smell wonderful but many of us know the potential dangers of irritation and sensitization. Experienced soap makers could play with his recipes and make proper adjustments for safety and quality; however, a beginner won't know any better. I recommend choosing another book such as the Natural Soap Book and of Soap Makers Companion by Miller-Cavitch for starters.

This book has a potentially dangerous typo! The recipe on page 101 calls for 15.9 ounces of lye when it should be 5.9. This much lye will overheat, probably boil over, and could possibly explode. It's something an experienced soap maker would never do, but a beginner could get hurt.

Other than that I really like the book. It has good basic cold-process recipes and interesting rebatching ideas. I have it from the library, and plan to buy it.