(continues from Wild Woman’s “as natural as possible” handmade soap: Part 2)
Q12. Any notable people, books or Websites about handmade soap you would like to mention?
I learned to make soap from The Handmade Soap Book, by Melinda Coss. It contains many valuable principles that I’ve never forgotten. Soap Naturally by Marina Tadiello and Patrizia Garzena is also an excellent resource for the more experienced – this book helped me to create my signature recipe. I also enjoy the Soap Queen blog as it’s full of great ideas.
Q13. What would you recommend to a beginner soaper? Any tricks you wished you would have known about -but only found out too late?
Learn all you can from reliable sources. Marina and Patrizia’s books are excellent for this. Follow recipes exactly. Pay particular attention to safe lye handling. Make small batches – if mistakes happen, at least they won’t be big ones!
Q14. Which Websites do you visit regularly and would recommend to other soapers?
The is the site that started it all – home of the ‘Soap Naturally’ book, now out of print, and a new generation of comprehensive soap manuals by Marina and Patrizia. ‘Soap Naturally’ also hosts an excellent discussion group, where you can meet and talk shop with natural soap enthusiasts worldwide.
A great site with lots of information about hand made soap and body care that’s full of creative ideas.
There are also many tutorials and projects on YouTube. These can be very inspiring, but use with caution – some of the practitioners show unsafe techniques. Always check recipes with a lye calculator before proceeding.
Kathy Neudorf has her own soap blog at www.wildwomannaturalskincare.blogspot.ca, where you can see photos and information about her soap.