Bramson, Ann Sela. Soap: Making It, Enjoying It. New York: Workman Publishing Company, 1975.
This is a wonderful book for the beginning soapmaker. It is readable, it offers step-by-step instruction for soapmaking, and it provides a few different recipes using easily accessible fats and oils. This book’s weakness is the absence of a discussion of chemistry, including how to substitute one fat or oil for another. It also deals almost exclusively with tallow bars, offering just one vegetable soap recipe, without an explanation of how the vegetable soapmaking process differs from the tallow process. Nonetheless, this book pioneered the way for soapmakers who want to make their own soap and control what goes into the soap pan. This little paperback is inexpensive and worthwhile.
Dadd, Debra Lynn. Nontoxic, Natural, & Earthwise. New York: The Putnam Publishing Group, 1990.
This book discusses the safety and the environmental impact of soaps, a variety of cosmetics, preservatives, colorants, fragrances, and virtually any product that comes to mind. Also included are comprehensive lists of non-toxic, natural, and earthwise products available through retail and mail order sources, though even just a few years later, the list is already somewhat outdated, with some of the suppliers out of business. Worthwhile reading.
Ekiguchi, Kunio. Gift Wrapping: Creative Ideas from Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1985.
I spotted this book a couple of years ago and bought it with no intention to relate it to my soaps. At a quick glance, it seemed unusual and beautiful. A careful reading later revealed a treasure of ideas, from the materials themselves to the folding techniques. Each design is a work of art, doable by even the un-crafty. The ideas are inspiring and the instructions are easy to follow. One flip through this book inspires us to put time and thought into presentation, and to not ignore this final touch. This is simple elegance.
Hampton, Aubrey. Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care. Tampa, Florida: Organica Press, 1987.
A tremendous volume of research, sometimes overwhelming as it reads like a textbook, but definitely worth the time and concentration required to read thoroughly. This book leaves the careful reader with a real knowledge of how the skin works and therefore which materials are helpful or harmful. This is one of the most compelling and scholarly discussions of natural versus synthetic skincare products and their preservatives. The soapmaker will be disappointed by the absence of a chapter on soaps, but not one chapter in this book is irrelevant to the soapmaker. An understanding of the skin and how it incorporates a variety of materials will make us all better soapmakers.
Kirk, R.E. and D.F. Othmer. Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
This encyclopedia is the most comprehensive set available, readable for the chemistry student, and detailed enough for the chemist. Arranged alphabetically in volumes, the soap-maker can research all facets of the chemistry of soapmaking.
J. Davidsohn, E.J., and Better, A. David-sohn. Soap Manufacture, Volume I. New York: Interscience Publishers, Inc., 1953.
This is a standard old volume. It is very helpful to the soapmaker who wants to understand more about the chemistry of soapmaking and the various methods used over the years within industry to manufacture soap. The cold-process soapmaker looking only for practical tips will have to sift through pages and pages of technical information to find a relevant tidbit here and there. Also, the couple of pages written on the cold-process are outdated, as we now use refined vegetable oils more and more often than the tallow/coconut combination of yesteryear. We therefore use different techniques and temperatures than this book describes. Note that this volume often refers the reader to Volumes II and III for even more information on soapmaking, but these volumes were never written.
Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society. Champagne, Illinois: American Oil Chemists’ Society.
This journal is a set of articles, arranged alphabetically by subject, and bound into volumes. One volume, devoted solely to index, leads the reader to all relevant articles. This is highly technical, relating only to fats and oils. Universities and larger libraries will have this set in their science departments.
Larabre, Marcel. Aromatherapy Workbook. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 1990.
So many of the aromatherapy books simply list plants and describe the benefits of the many essential oils. They often include a history of aromatherapy and some recipes. In favorable contrast, The Aromatherapy Workbook stands out as a comprehensive work, offering a full discussion of the oils, the extraction processes, the principles of blending, and synthetic oils versus natural oils. It skillfully explains the chemistry of essential oils.
Milwidsky, B. Soap and Detergent Technology, reprinted from Household & Personal Products Industry (HAPPI). Ramsey, NJ: Rodham Publishing, 1980.
This magazine is reprinted from HAPPI, and, though it more often discusses soapmaking within the industrial setting, this particular issue contains a section on oils, fats and fatty acids, and a section on saponification. Though it, too, is written to industry, the cold-process soapmaker can pick up some basic soapmaking chemistry without having to read through hundreds of pages of technical writing. Written more as a long article and not a book, this work can only go into just so much detail and depth. But for a good, solid overview with enough detail to educate, this well written article starts at the beginning and does a good job explaining the chemistry of soapmaking.
Mohr, Merilyn. The Art of Soapmaking. Ontario, Canada: Camden House Publishing, 1988.
This book is well written, and it, like Ann Bramson’s book, offers the beginning soapmaker a very readable manual. But The Art of Soapmaking is stronger in its text and research than it is with respect to its formulations. It offers a nice variety of recipes, incorporating all kinds of nutrients, but I had trouble with many of the recipes. The soapmaking instruction section is too general for the soapmaker desperate for step-by-step detail, and the recipes are measured by volume rather than weight, a less precise method. Do read this book to pick up ideas, but do not rely upon these recipes exclusively for calculations.
Spitz, Luis. Soap Technology For The 1990’s. Champagne, Illinois: American Oil Chemists’ Society, 1990.
Within this volume, a few different authors present different facets of the soapmaking industry. Chapters One and Two explain the history of soap-making and the chemistry of soapmaking with enough detail to be quite useful. But the remainder of this expensive book seems to be written for industrial soap manufacturers. Soap Technology For The 1990’s does just that: it discusses the processing, formulation, and packaging of modern industrial soapmaking, including a discussion of synthetic soaps and the particular bar soaps sold on the market today. None of the book offers practical advice for the cold-process soap-maker.
Stanislaus, Ignatius Valerius Stanley. American Soap Maker’s Guide. New York: Henry Carey Baird & Co., Inc., 1928.
More like the very old treatises on soapmaking, this book deals primarily with making soaps industrially. However, in combination with more updated material, this work is valuable even to the cold-process soapmaker. Like Soap Manufacture, it does a nice job discussing soapmaking materials and the science of the process.
Shahidi, Fereidoon, ed. Bailey’s Industrial Oil & Fat Products, Vols. 1–6, 6th Edition. Though costly — and highly technical — this six volume set offers plenty of usable information for the soapmaker who wants much more than an overview. Volume 1 explains the chemistry and the properties of oils and fats in general; volumes 2 and 3 cover specific oils in depth. Volumes 4, 5, and 6 contain information on processing techniques and products, including soap. The coverage on soap isn’t for the home soap crafter, however; use this book only as a reference and look to other material for soap-making instruction.
The Herb Companion.
Ogden Publications
800 234-3368
My favorite pleasure magazine. The articles are well written and meaty, detailing the many uses of herbs. The gardener, the herbalist, the artisan, and the soapmaker often share an interest in botanicals, untainted products, and environmental issues. We are all interested in one another and the ties which bind, and this magazine pulls us all together. Keep this magazine in mind as a good spot to advertise your natural soaps.