This is the first of Anne L. Watson's books on soap making -- the one that started the "smart soapmaking" revolution. If you're a beginning soapmaker, start with this one!

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 from scratch 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!

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Anne L. Watson is the author of the wildly popular and widely acclaimed beginners book "Smart Soapmaking" and its companions, "Milk Soapmaking," "Smart Lotionmaking," "Castile Soapmaking," and "Cool Soapmaking." 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.

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******RECOMMENDED BY THE HANDCRAFTED SOAP & COSMETIC GUILD******

"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

"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

"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)

"'Smart Soapmaking' finally got me over the hump [of fearing lye]. . . . I think Anne Watson is the Elizabeth Zimmermann of the soap world -- a frugal, common sense gal, who says, 'Don't overcomplicate things. Just make soap.'" -- Amanda Blake Soule, author, "The Creative Family" and "Handmade Home," Soule Mama (blog), Feb. 7, 2012

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CONTENTS

A FEW FIRST THOUGHTS

SUPERSTITIONS GALORE! (Myths About Soap and Soapmaking)

WHAT IS SOAP, ANYWAY? (What It Is and What Goes Into It)

WHAT DO I USE TO MAKE IT? (Gathering the Equipment You Need)

Recipe: Anne's Shea Butter Supreme

STEP-BY-STEP SOAPMAKING (From Prep to Cleanup and Beyond)

MORE RECIPES! (Different Soaps You Can Try)

Recipe: All-Veggie Grocery Store Soap #1

Recipe: All-Veggie Grocery Store Soap #2

Recipe: Grocery Store Shortening Soap

Recipe: Non-Veggie Grocery Store Soap

Recipe: Olive Palm Soap

Recipe: Chris's Avocado Soap

Recipe: Aaron's Hazelnut Soap

Recipe: Almond Facial Soap

Recipe: Anne's Longer-Lasting Soap

DESIGNING YOUR OWN (How to Create Great Recipes)

Chart: INS Values Table

GETTING YOUR SOAP IN SHAPE (How to Choose or Make a Mold)

WRAPPING IT UP (Lovely Packaging for Your Soap)

WHY? WHY? WHY? (Frequently Asked Questions)

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS

RESOURCES

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SAMPLE

One thing that puzzles new soapmakers is instructions to stir your soap mixture till it shows a condition called "trace." This is described as when the mixture is so thick that, if you dribble a bit of the mixture back into the pot, a "trace" of what you dribble will remain on the surface.

Beginning soapmaking books often contain close-up photos of soap at trace. I remember squinting at many of them, trying to figure it all out. When I started making soap, I made two successful batches, fretting about trace the whole time. The soap came out fine, but I was sure I was doing something wrong. I hadn't seen anything that looked like the photos.

It was my good luck to have a friend who had been a high school chemistry teacher. When I phoned and told her about my difficulties with trace, she asked what it was. I was surprised a chemist didn't know, but I explained as best I could.

There was a brief silence. Of course I couldn't see her, but she was probably rubbing her forehead -- which she does when anyone says something that makes no sense.

Finally, she said, "You don't need to worry about that. If you just measure correctly, control the temperature, and mix your ingredients well, you'll get soap."

I decided to follow her advice, and I've never lost a batch of soap. Follow mine, and you won't either.

But why the difference? Are all those soap books wrong?

Not really. With hand stirring, you do have to look for trace. That's because saponification -- the chemical reaction that creates soap -- has to thicken the mixture to that point before you can stop stirring and pour it into the mold. Otherwise, some of the fat and the lye solution could still separate, leaving the reaction incomplete.

But in modern craft soapmaking, hand stirring is most often replaced by use of a stick blender. This blends the fat and the lye solution so rapidly and thoroughly that they quickly get mixed down to a microscopic level. That not only gets the mixture saponifying a whole lot faster, it also helps hold the fat and the lye solution together while it's happening.

Of course, the chemistry is more complicated than that, but the bottom line is that you don't have to wait for the mixture to thicken all the way to trace before pouring it into the mold. It will get there after you pour it.

How do you know when you can stop blending? Don't worry, I'll describe the signs for you. You'll be able to tell by sight, by sound, and even by temperature. Yes, you'll be able to gauge it with a thermometer!

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SOAP AND LOTION BOOKS BY ANNE L. WATSON

SMART SOAPMAKING: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself. Whether you've made melt-and-pour soap and want to move on -- or you've made traditional soap with slow, outmoded methods -- or you've never made a bar in your life -- 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 from scratch with the least fuss and bother.

MILK SOAPMAKING: The Smart and Simple Guide to Making Lovely Milk Soap From Cow Milk, Goat Milk, Buttermilk, Cream, Coconut Milk, or Any Other Animal or Plant Milk. Anne continues her soapmaking revolution with the first practical, comprehensive book on making milk soap. Experience the rich, soothing, luxurious feel of milk soap you've made yourself. Your skin will thank you for it.

SMART LOTIONMAKING: The Simple Guide to Making Luxurious Lotions, or How to Make Lotion That's Better Than You Buy and Costs You Less. After helping tens of thousands of beginners learn to make soap, Anne continues her handcraft cosmetics revolution with the first practical, comprehensive book on making lotion. Whether you want to make lotion for personal use or to sell, Anne allays any fears with methods that are proven safe and approved by experts, yet simple and easy enough to perform in your kitchen.

CASTILE SOAPMAKING: The Smart and Simple Guide to Making Lovely Castile Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably. Anne offers the first practical book on making Castile soap at home. With the secrets revealed in this advanced guide, you'll be making lovely, quick-curing, lather-rich Castile with no trouble at all.

COOL SOAPMAKING: The Smart and Simple Guide to Low-Temp Tricks for Making Soap with Milk, Citrus, Cucumber, Pine Tar, Beer, Wine, and Other Special Ingredients. Anne extends the low-temp techniques from her book "Milk Soapmaking" to making soap from a variety of special ingredients. Soaps that have long challenged home soapmakers will now pose no problem at all.