300 Handcrafted Soaps: Great Melt & Pour Projects

I am a sucker for gorgeously photographed books. This may have something to do with my five star rating here, but give me a chance to make my case!That being said, there are a few things you should know before buying this book: 1., It is almost strictly a melt and pour soap book, with a brief explanation on how to rebatch but no recipes for such and 2., It is about the fun, creative side of soapmaking, with emphasis on the visual and olfactory effects you can create rather than making "skin care" products per se. Of course these soaps are all perfectly functional, gentle and satisfying as soap, but you may find they make even better gifts and conversation pieces.I have made a few so far that caught my eye; indeed, with 300 to choose from, I could not possibly do justice to them all, and I apologize that I can only comment on a small fraction from personal experience. They are all lovely.First I did the Rubber Ducky embedded on a clear, blue oval base as a finishing flourish on top of a baby shower gift (scented, of course, with fragrance of Baby Powder). Next, I couldn't resist the Honey soaps, which have bee themes of course and include honey and other skin-beneficial additives like bee pollen or oatmeal. A few of these are colored and molded to look like bees made out of honey. There is a Rainbow Loaf, which uses cubes of jewel-colored scraps arranged mosaically in a standard rectangular mold -- a perfect way to finish up on those leftovers. Finally, I tried the Gem soaps, which do a remarkable job of imitating several precious and semi-precious gem stones (my favorite is Amber, with a small plastic ant embedded in it. Clever!). I should remark here that many of the special effects achieved are possible only by using glycerine and other transparent melt-and-pour soap bases, a fact which "soap snobs" should consider.Mainly because they are beautiful and clever, these soaps have qualities which recommmend them for gift giving. There is not a person on your holiday list which could not use a bar of soap (I hope), and somewhere in here is a soap for every man, woman and child, with fragrances and additives that could be custom-tailored. As I've stated before, this is not about skin care products per se, but the author does include recipes that help there (about a third of the total, or 100) and a reference list of soap bases that have specific beneficial properties and can sub in many of the more decorative recipes.Most melt and pour books on the shelves have a hastily-done, almost cheesy look and seem to belong with those 10-page booklets you find on the racks at craft stores. Not so for this one. If melt-and-pour soapmaking's strength is it's creativeness and beauty, then the craft deserves a quality publication like 300 Handcrafted Soaps to represent it.My one, tiny little criticism, for which I may have deducted half a star if Amazon would let me, would be the lack of a source list or references to obtain some of the fabulous molds Browning used, or the fascinating fragrances she recommmends for her recipes which don't seem to be easily obtainable in local retail stores. But, there's always the Internet.

I was really disappointed with this book. I felt most of the ideas were outdated and there wasn't much variety in the types of soaps. There is clearly a certain look the author gravitates toward (The soaps on the cover). However, I thought she would offer more of a range. There wasn't much in the way of soaps with natural additives, or that have more natural looks etc. For example, you won't find recipes on a moroccan red clay soap, or bamboo charcoal, or even coffee, etc. It was all this very chintzy (in my opinion) over styled stuff. I honestly got more ideas from a random stapled paperback book in the soaps "section" in Michaels. Seriously, I think I should have bought that book instead.I did get a FEW ideas from this book, but not enough to justify buying it at full price. I guess it was worth the couple dollars I spent to buy it used for that one main idea, as it seems to be picking up in my Etsy shop and could make me quite a bit of money in the coming months. But again, I feel I should get more than one idea from a book of 300 soaps.Also, her directions really aren't as clear as they need to be on certain recipes. I'm pretty advanced when it comes to M&P soap making and I didn't know what she was talking about a few times.

This particulate book starts out by offering quite a bit of valuable info. & tips. I continue to use it as a reference books. Then, the illustrations are gorgeous!!!. Look at the cover. Next,the recipes are given so that you able to make smaller quantities or easily cut them in half which is especially helpful. However, I would not consider this a book for a beginner. A couple of suggestions for someone else who might consider purchasing this book. 1st, the recipes are very heavy on using essential oils to create the soaps, which make them expensive to make. I have found other books that provide a wider range of ingredients with the oils minimum. Next, this book is limited in that it does not provide many explanations for the reader, explaining the true benefits of the each different soap. There are some listed, but, not what I prefer. I have found that only a few books that really do provide this type of info, which is unfortunate. I like to know what the soap can do for someone, not just that it's pretty. This will require you to have to do outside research to see what the benefits can be.

Lots of ideas, pictures, and formulas. Covers EVERYTHING you need to know to get started making great Melt and pour (M&P) soaps. Good book for beginners, lots of ideas for experienced soapers. AND, the price is right!

Informative Book. Thankyou

Beautiful book with loads of pictures! Great ideas to copy or tweak to be more like yours. You will not be disappointed. If you love Melt and Pour then this will really open your eyes to the possibilities of how much you can create with this medium. I do Melt and Pour, Cold Processed and Rebatch and this book is really great for showing what can be done with soaps.

I absolutely love this book! I look at it over and over again! Pictures are fabulous! When my kids' friends are over and they say, "We're bored!" I get out the soap supplies and this book so we can pick out a particular one to do. I have found a lot of the soap molds in the book online, although I wish they did have a suppliers list of where each mold was ordered. That would be great.The fact that the recipes are for one or two soaps at a time is great for my situation. We'll pick different recipes, different molds and make several at a time.

Beautiful pictures. This is basically the only reason I got the book - for the ideas. It's all melt and pour so if you are looking for CP or HP recipies, this is not the book for them. It does tickle the imagination so now I want to try a few different things and it served it's purpose.

I have been a hobbyist soapmaker for years but really only familiar with cold and hot process soaps. Melt and pour is a little bit out of my wheelhouse so I was curious to branch into something new. m&p is so fun and colourful, and this book really shows off the potential with bright, interesting photos and easy to follow recipes. I was blown away to find out so much about this technique, and how different pours can be used to create what look like miniature works of art. I would recommend this to any soaper, veteran or newcomer, or even someone looking to entertain children whilst supervised of course for an afternoon activity.

After waiting for quite a while, and paying quite a bit, my 300 Handcrafted Soaps book finally arrived.To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I have been making soap for seven years now and was hoping that this book would shed some light on some of the more complicated glycerine soaps I have seen. It doesn't.Many of the soaps shown are the kind you would find at a church fete. The instructions are extemely basic and I can't say I have learnt anything from this book.If you are a serious soap maker this book will only tell you what you already know. If you are a novice, you won't learn much.If you like looking at pictures of soaps then buy this book.

best book ever on soap making, its a new hobby for me and feel i will not need to buy another book as this will give me all of the help and ideas and information i need

This is a great book for anyone who wants to embark on simple soap making, good pictures, step-by-step instructions and sound advice. Also useful if you have already started melt & pour soapmaking, and want some inspiration. Highly recommended.

good book with easy to follow instructions for a beginner