Rating : - Not for beginners
This book has a lot of great info and recipes, but if you are not an experinced soapmaker, you probably will not have the ingredients you need. First there are a lot of things you have to get at the grocery/drug store: distilled water, glycerine, corn meal, oatmeal, olive oil, baking soda, cornstarch, honey, vegetable oil, vodka, witch hazel, epsom salts, castor oil, etc. Then you have to get a lot of things from mail order or specialty stores, like essentail oils, jojoba oil, coconut oil, herbs, sea salts, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, benzoin, beeswax, cosmetic clays. These items can get very expensive.

From a beginner's point of view, the recipes in this book can be overwhelming because they contain ingredients which are not commonplace. However, this book does offer an exceptional ingredient guide which carefully describes each one and its uses. The Mail Order Buyer's Guide found in the back of the book is also useful in locating and purchasing the hard to find ingredients.

The author divides her book into sections: Hand Care, Foot Care, and Skin Care. In each, she takes the time to carefully outline the resons behind many beauty problems, such as Athlete's Foot, Adult Acne, Brittle Nails, Eczema, etc. Learning what may cause the problems and how they can be resolved is a great reason to read the book.

If you are an experienced herbalist then the recipes found here can be a great addition to your already natural lifestyle. For beginners, take the time and spend the money if you are inclined to learn how to make your own home spa. This book successfully teaches how to achieve a natural approach to beautiful hair, skin, hands, and feet.