If you are interested in making soaps, look no further than this guide by Anne-Marie Faiola. She gives step-by-step instructions, each of which is accompanied by a photographic illustration. The soaps range in creation difficulty from fairly simple to very complex. She explains differences in ingredients and explains chemical reactions and textures that might be achieved. She even includes a section at the end which anticipates questions users might have, such as the need for distilled water versus tap water. The milks used in recipes include mammals, such as cows and goats, nuts, and grains. She explains the process of creating milk from the last two sources. She discusses molds, from simple disposable ones to more elaborate ones. She provides lists of "kitchen tools" soapmakers need. The soaps are lovely and would make wonderful gifts. It's a fascinating book, but I'm a bit intimidated by it, probably because of the complexity of some of the more advanced recipes. Workman Publishing sent me an email offering me an egalley of the book which was offered through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous book for learning how to make your own soap using milk, not just cows milk, but any sort you like.

There are plenty of recipes to choose with different shapes, swirls, properties and fragrances, though there are lots of ingredients to be used to make the soap and you have to wait a few days for it to set, but it certainly looks worth while the wait.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review

I read this book on a whim, just to see what exactly is involved in soap-making. The beautiful images and clear step by step instructions make it seem accessible even to beginners. In fact, some of the most appealing soaps are in the beginner section. The most advanced soaps seem to involved lots of colorful, complex patterns, but that's not necessarily any better than some of the simpler kinds like the tempting castile soap made with lavender and mint. Then I read more closely and discovered that soap needs to cure for 4 to 6 weeks (who knew?), which made me feel like maybe this book was going to be a spectator sport for me. That lack of instant gratification, and the slight potential for disaster (hot lye and a stick blender--what could go wrong?), basically mean that someone more patient and less chicken that I am will have to use this excellent book. The wide range of well-illustrated projects and detailed explanations will keep that person happily occupied with a new hobby for a long time.

Milk Soaps by Anne-Maire Faiola is an extremely comprehensive book of step-by-step soap making instructions and recipes. The photos and instructions are so good that this would be the only book you would need for soap making. I love that the science behind soap making is included. Very good book, and a must if you are considering making soap.

It's impossible to read this book and not drool,!!!
It's hard to believe the photos are soaps! I just wanna eat them all.

The photos are absolutely beautiful.
The step by step process explained is in depth and well explained, and the recipies are to die for.
I can't wait to start my first batch, the only problem is trying to decide which one to do first!!
This is a brilliant book and a lovely book to gift.

I have to mention how truly thrilled I was to find a mention on breast milk and how it could be used in the recipies. Something that is rarely covered in any natural cosmetic recipies.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lovely and informative book with excellent descriptions and easy to follow directions on making a variety of milk soaps. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the art of soap making from beginner to advanced. .

There is just something about homemade milk soap that can’t be beat. By making it yourself, you get the ultimate decisions regarding lather, moisturizing properties, scent and color. I myself have dabbled in the craft using goat milk, and have been pleased with the results, but have always desired more background in order to advance my skill and product appearance.

Milk Soap is written by Anne-Marie Faiola, the founder and CEO of Brambleberry. If you are at all interested in making soap of any kind, Brambleberry is your best friend. The book itself focuses on the basics of soap making, briefly touching on the math and chemistry underlying the process, before moving onto a plethora of recipes that include milk in one way or another. What surprised me about the recipes were the breadth of milk types used! There were the expected goat and cow milk recipes, but donkey and split pea were a bit of a shock! But that’s half the fun of making soap, you can do whatever you want with it, go crazy!

Faiola included recipes that varied the ratios and types of fats and oils used to react with lye to create soap. While I loved the descriptions of each fat independently, I feel the recipes would have benefited from a brief description in any form of the qualities the finished product would have, like lather, hardness, and texture.

Most of the techniques focused on in the book surrounded varying aesthetic properties of the soap making process. So if you want run of the mill, uncolored soap, this book probably isn’t for you. However, if tie-dyed, sparkly, or scalloped soap sound appealing, there are more methods described in this book than I could even imagine. The recipes immediately sparked my creative flair, and you can surely bet I will be making soap in the coming days inspired by this book!

*I would like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

As an avid and self-taught soap maker, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! It presented a wonderful view of adding milk and milk-type products to the process and provided a lot of wonderful recipes for doing it. The details of the various types of milks and oils that can be used to make soaps and the explanations of the SAP percentages were some of the best and easiest to understand that I've seen.

An excellent addition to any soap-makers recipe books!

Completely new to the world of making your own soaps and all of the intricacies involved this is a fabulous book for both beginner and expert. I thoroughly enjoyed learning throughout each step of this book and will enjoy pouring over it again as I improve my skills.

This is a great book on making milk soaps. It has step-by-step instructions and lots of recipes. There is a ton information for both the beginner and the advanced soap maker. Highly recommend!

If you want to try making your own soaps, this is the book to use. Photos expand upon the written explanations to help clarify the steps of the process. There are in-depth explanations for the type of molds, milks, dyes, and scents. I can't imagine needing any other book to get me from the planning stage to the final product!

I have a new appreciation for the prices I see for home-made soaps. There is a lot more to this process than I thought!

A nice starter book for soap making at home. The book is full of information on natural alternatives to use for your body than commercial products. I was a little overwhelmed with how many steps are in making soap, but am willing to give a few recipes a try.

I am happy to have been given the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.


I have had only one attempt at soap making previously with some success so this really appealed.
The information is excellent and has detailed shopping lists for both equipment and ingredients.
Health and safety is paramount.

The variety of milks that can be included in soap making is fascinating and before you know it you just must make soap.

I have made exfoliating lemon soaps and am eagerly waiting 6 weeks for them to cure. That part of he process is essential but so far my soap looks very hopeful.

If you are looking for some alchemy in your kitchen do read this book and try the recipes, making sure to keep all equipment strictly for soap making. then enjoy.

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The title quite intrigated me as I am used to oil soap such as Marseille soap or Alep soap, which I love to use and plan on trying to replicate by myself. I am really interested in natural cosmetics and this book is really perfect to learn something new about making soap!

I liked how the soapmaking process was clearly explained as it is the basis of every soapmaking. Every step of the process is illustrated and I loved that. There are lots of different recipes to help you get into soapmaking with different types of mil.

One of the first things that I noticed about this book is the organisation, or rather the division of the recipes in Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced soap making skills. The second was the wonderfully crafted soaps in different colours, with swirls, texture and different layers. It was a joy to look at the pictures.

Mammal milk and nut and grain milk recipes can be found in all three categories. The advantages and special techniques for working with milk are especially interesting, since soap making with milk is different to working with water.

This guide is interesting for any soap maker, whether they have tried making soap before or are experienced soap makers and want to try making milk soap.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book. It was well written, easy to read and the recipes were easy to follow. The photographs really lovely. As a beginner to soap making, I was pleased with the experience and it was enjoyable and a nice challenge to give it a whirl. Thank you NetGalley.

Lovely book, full of next and fun looking recipes that I can't wait to try!! The recipes themselves are easy to read and clear about the steps involved in the recipe!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for an electronic advance of this book. I was so delightfully surprised! I thought it would be about JUST milk, in the general sense of the word. Instead, this book gives ideas and how to information for everything...cow's milk, goat's milk, but also coconut and almond milk. Honestly this opened a whole new world for me. Plus, the book is beautiful. I really want to leap in and start making soap now. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas?

This beautiful book contains 35 unique recipes making soap with milk! The first thing I'd like to point out is when referring to milk we're not just talking cows milk or goats milk, the book includes nut and coconut milk and discusses the drawbacks and the benefits of the different types.

The recipes have been designed to be nourishing to the skin and laid out in a simple format become more tricky as the book goes along. The book is great for people who want to progress from melt and pour soap making to something that is truly your own handmade soaps.

There are a number of different chapters before the recipes including a chapter on oils, giving a description of them and their uses. It goes on to talk about the pros and cons of the different types of molds that can be used to create the soaps. Safety is also covered, outlining the risks of using some materials.

The first recipe given is a shea and aloe bars, making 8 individual bars. Each recipe has details of any specialist tools needed, oil amounts, Lye-Water, Fragrance Oils, colourant and additives along with preparations, making the batter, mixing and pouring then the final steps.

As you dive deeper into the book the soaps become more challenging. Throughout the book, there are detailed pictures showing each process step by step to reassuring you as you progress through a recipe

The book ends with a glossary of the different terms that are used along with a question and answer section that is very helpful!

With thanks to Netgalley, Anne-Marie Faiola, and Storey Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy.

There are a lot of books out there on soapmaking. This one stood out to me because it includes plant-based milks in the recipes. The author even includes instructions for making your own milk from grains, seeds and nuts and examples are shown of.soaps made with various milks to show the impact on color. Many recipes call for a specific type of milk, but it is noted that any type of milk can be used for these recipes. The properties of various oils, milks, fragrances and colorants are discussed, giving the reader the information needed to choose ingredients to produce soap with the desired qualities. There is an FAQ section as well that addresses common problems and explaining what likely went wrong. The recipes themselves vary widely so there's a bit of everything, from a shampoo bar to exfoliation bars to beautiful general use bars and more. Recipes are categorized by difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced) so the maker can choose an appropriate project to suit their skill and experience level. Recipes are accompanied by photo tutorials showing the steps to creating the different bar shapes and designs. There are some really beautiful designs here and it was fun to see the process. While I'm not sure I'll ever jump into soapmaking myself, I definitely have a better appreciation for the work involved in producing those bars I see at farmers markets and my local co-op! I think this would be a valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn to make soap.

Thank you to the author, Anne-Marie Faiola, Story Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All comments are my own, unbiased opinion.