The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Making promotes the making of soap in the home as a fun hobby and economical craft. Author Lisa Maliga has minimized the process into nine easy steps.
The first chapter answers the question "Why Make Your Own Soap?" Also presented here is a very basic list of ingredients in store-bought and melt and pour soaps.
The second and third chapters offer many color and fragrance choices for your homemade soap. These items can be bought in craft stores and on the Internet (fragrance oils, color nuggets and powders). The author also offers natural ingredient suggestions including alfalfa grass and cornmeal.
Once the ingredients are selected, the molds must be chosen. Many different shapes and sizes are discussed in the fourth chapter.
The most important chapter in the book is the fifth one titled "Making It." In this section, Maliga provides a handy list of the equipment needed to make soap. A basic recipe is given here with instructions broken down into nine steps. The directions are easy to follow. A school-age child would have no problem making soap with adult supervision.
For the creative crafters, Maliga has provided several soap recipes for making beautiful and natural gifts. Color photos show the amazing results.**
The final chapter lists many different on-line vendors that sell the products you'll need to make melt and pour soap.
The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Making is a valid craft instruction book with simple, well-written directions. However, it did not meet all the expectations of this potential hobbyist.
Blame it on the "Idiot's Guide to" and "for Dummies" books that are so popular, but I was expecting to learn everything I wanted to know about soap making. Instead, many topics are mentioned, but none is expanded.
For example, Maliga says making your own soap is economical, but she does not provide a cost breakdown. After adding scents and colors, how does the price compare to store-bought soap?
Also, I was hoping to see more creative ideas for soap uses. Gift ideas, party ideas and anything else that might make soap making more intriguing.
Granted the simple directions are most helpful, but the order of the chapters interrupts the process. For example, the chapters that discuss making the soap and labeling the finished product are separated by a chapter that deals with "Soap Secrets." While reading this book, I had the uncontrollable urge to sort the information in a better order. Yes, the instructions are there, but the reader must jump chapters to retrieve the necessary steps.
I realize my criticism sounds harsh, but that's not my intention. I consider myself to be an absolute beginner when it comes to soap making. All I am trying to say is that I still had several unanswered questions when I finished reading the book. However, this book is a very helpful tool if you have some knowledge of soap making beforehand.
If melt and pour soap making sounds like a hobby you might enjoy, I do recommend you purchase a copy of The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Making. There are some great recipes in here. Maliga's easy steps make this a great activity to do with kids. Creative folks should be able to expand this activity into a fun and profitable hobby as well.
Enjoy!
**The book referred to in this review is in e-book format.
The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Making is published by RJ's eBooks, Hong Kong.
ISBN 962-8768-09-3
