Maybe you've made melt-and-pour soap and want to move on to something more challenging and rewarding. Maybe traditional soapmaking appeals to you, but you figure that working with lye is too difficult or dangerous. Or maybe you're already doing it, but outmoded ideas and methods are complicating the process and slowing you down. || No matter which of these fits you, you'll find "Smart Soapmaking" practical, helpful, and refreshing. Written by a former professional soapmaker, this book explodes the myths about soapmaking and shows you how to make luxurious soap with the least fuss and bother. || With both customary and metric measurements, plus a list of suppliers in five countries, "Smart Soapmaking" is the first truly international book on the craft! / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Anne L. Watson is the author of the wildly popular and widely acclaimed beginners book "Smart Soapmaking" and its companions, "Milk Soapmaking" and "Smart Lotionmaking." She has made soap professionally under the company name Soap Tree, and before her retirement was a historic preservation architecture consultant.Anne's other published books include "Baking with Cookie Molds" and several novels. Anne, her husband, Aaron, and their cat, Skeeter, live in Friday Harbor, Washington. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / "Should become THE book for soapmaking...It's about time someone wrote a book like this. Most are idealistic and inaccurate. This book has a wonderful common sense approach that is SO long overdue...I can recommend it with 100% confidence." -- Susan Kennedy, Oregon Trail Soaps, Rogue River, Oregon || "Smart it is ...A simple, no-nonsense book that cuts through the curmudgery of stifling soap bibles like no other." -- Shellie Humphries, Harstine Island, Washington || "Quick, safe, and reliable...As fun as it is informative, Smart Soapmaking is a must for anyone who would like to try their hand at this traditional craft." -- Library Bookwatch (Midwest Book Review), Jan. 2007 || "Way overdue...A gift of common sense caution, proven methods, tried-and-true shortcuts, and some excellent recipes as well, for both the professional/ experienced soapmaker and the eager beginner." -- Deb Petersen, Shepherd's Soap Co.,Shelton, Washington || "A great book for beginners, with clear and easy instructions." -- Anne-Marie Faiola, Bramble Berry Inc., Bellingham, Washington || "I learned more from Smart Soapmaking than from any other soaping book, and I have read quite a few...It's written with the average person in mind, not a chemistry major. Directions are very simple and easy to understand. It really takes the mystery out of making soap." -- Jackie Pack, Stuart, Virginia || "Written in an easy, casual style that reminded me of an in-person soapmaking class. The information is practical, helpful, and easy to understand." -- Barb Miller, Miller's Homemade Soaps, Westfield, Pennsylvania || "Excellent ...The simplicity and fear quashing is wonderfully reassuring to the beginning soaper." -- Kerry Pearson, Heirloom Body Care, Llandilo, New South Wales || "The directions are more practical than in other soapmaking books I've read. I was also happy to see how many great sources for materials and information the book provided. The book will save soapmakers a lot of time and effort." -- Pamela Paine, Butternut Creek Farm Soaps, Dorset, Ohio || "Groundbreaking ...Anne L.Watson [is the] universally respected and loved author/crafter/curator of this lost art for thousands of aspiring soapers ...Unquestionably the best book with which to begin. To be precise, it's probably the most accessible, most reader-friendly, and most immediately useful container of information a first-time soapmaker could hope to find." -- Wishing Willow (blog)