Soapmakers may love to add a variety of materials to soap, but they find that some cause more trouble than others. In the heat of the chemical reaction, an ingredient might discolor, or lose its scent, or develop a bad smell. Or it might cause problems during soapmaking, giving off noxious fumes, or making the soap harden so fast that there's no time to pour it in the mold. Help has arrived. Anne L. Watson extends the low-temp techniques from her book "Milk Soapmaking" to making soap from a variety of special ingredients, including cucumber, citrus, pine tar, beer, and wine. Soaps that have long challenged home soapmakers will now pose no problem at all. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// 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. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// CONTENTS GETTING STARTED (From High-Temp Soapmaking to Low) WHAT DO I PUT INTO IT? (The Ingredients of Cool Soapmaking) WHAT DO I USE TO MAKE IT? (Gathering the Equipment You Need) PROJECT #1: MILK SOAPS Recipe: Anne's Cool Milk Soap COOL SOAPMAKING STEP-BY-STEP (From Prep to Cleanup and Beyond) PROJECT #2: CUCUMBER SOAPS Recipe: Basic Cucumber Soap Recipe: Cucumber Yogurt Soap Recipe: Cucumber Green Clay Soap Recipe: Cucumber Apricot Soap Recipe: Cucumber Avocado Soap Sidebar: Designing Cucumber Soaps PROJECT #3: CITRUS SOAPS Recipe: Basic Citrus Soap Recipe: Orange Yogurt Soap Recipe: Citrus Honey Soap Recipe: Ruby Red Grapefruit Soap Sidebar: Designing Citrus Soaps PROJECT #4: SOAPS WITH ACCELERANTS Recipe: Sweet Bay Soap Recipe: Pine Tar Soap Sidebar: Designing Soaps with Accelerants PROJECT #5: BEER and WINE SOAPS Recipe: Basic Beer Soap Recipe: Chocolate Ale Soap Recipe: Red Wine Soap Recipe: White Wine Soap Recipe: Anne's Coconut Beer Soap Sidebar: Designing Beer and Wine Soaps WHY? WHY? WHY? (Frequently Asked Questions) WHERE TO FIND MORE