Aromatherapy Books

This book is mostly about making soap from scratch. There are good lists of supplies and formulas included within the book. A good starter book for soap making and precautions in handling your product in process. The scents section is not the main focus of the book but has some good ideas for creating fragrant soaps that should prove helpful.

NOT for the novice soaper but interesting for inspiration, this book has some major errors that may cause a novice headaches and make an accomplished soaper wince.

Oh - I am not addressing the fragrance portion of this book

For starters, please do NOT mix your lye solution in a glass container - even Pyrex can shatter and you could end up with horrid burns. And a dust mask doesn't protect you from fumes so keep that in mind!

Please also, don't use crayons to color your soap... I mean REALL!?!

And while I'm at it, don't line your mold with waxed paper. Or go ahead and try it and then come back and write your own review! It won't peel off easily... I recommend freezer paper myself.

And the last thing I will mention is that her discourse on how much better vegetable oil soaps are than animal fat soaps is just plain wrong. She gives a nicely balanced "basic" recipe for veg soaps, but doesn't do the courtesy of providing one for animal (just tallow alone is not great, but then neither would be just coconut oil). You can use almost any blend of oils & fats to produce a soap to meet almost any needs... don't limit yourself to what she thinks is gospel.

Go online, read a ton of free stuff on a few sites, join a soaping forum online or find a friend who soaps... That will be much more helpful than this book.

Some of the references and suppliers are outdated, but it was published in 1999 so that is to be expected, and some are still around.

Good luck.

This beautiful, slim book is split into two parts:

1) 'Making Soaps,' which begins with a little history on where and how soap was invented (supposedly in Rome from animal fat and ash residue some few thousand years ago), followed by a list of tools and ingredients you'll need, like a scale, paring knife, measuring cups/spoons, large stainless steel/ceramic pot, rubber/latex gloves--oh, the list goes on and on. Then it goes into the techniques and three methods of soapmaking: cold-process, hand-milling, and melting (aka Jell-O method; the easiest of the three). There are even recipes for you to try, like Cinnamon Ginger, Honey Vanilla, Coconut Rosewood, etc, which just made me hungry after reading them. I guess the nice thing about soapmaking is that if you mess up, you can always eat your mistake (j/k). I haven't tried any of the recipes myself, so I can't say they'll work, especially after reading a few other reviews below. As for the shampoo section (which is also lumped here), that's reduced to just 8 pages--half of which are just photos--and doesn't go into great detail.

2) 'Making Scents,' which also begins with a history on fragrances, this time starting around 3500 BC. I wasn't too interested in this portion of the book, but it is a great place for beginners to start since organic perfumes are relatively easy to make, and the tools required are a lot fewer and less dangerous than for soapmaking. However, as the author mentions, don't expect to make a reproduction of Chanel No 5 or the like. There are some good perfume recipes, though, like Rose Water, Vanilla Bean Water, and Pear Nectar Perfume (none of which I've tried, but would try if I ever got around to it).

I received "Making Soaps and Scents" awhile back as a gift. What I liked most about it was the vegetable-based soapmaking recipes since I'm a vegan and didn't want to get involved with any animal products. However, I'm not very good at arts and crafts at all, and forget about getting me in the kitchen: I usually end up burning something when I do. For that reason, I've been a little wary of attempting any of these soapmaking ideas. For now, I'm happy just buying vegan soap/shampoos at the store, like Crystal (a soap), which doesn't include or experiment on animals. But for those who are into arts and crafts, then "Making Soaps and Scents" is certainly worth checking out. It's quite informative, with several tips and troubleshooting pages throughout the book; not to mention it's very colorful and beautifully photographed, even if the photos are mainly just of soap.

This was my first book that I bought on soap making and I really wished I had read the reviews first, before I purchased this book. I should have known something was not right when she didn't have any pictures of her finished soaps with her recipes. Could it be because they don't come out right, so she has none to show? I have attemtped to make two of her recipes so far. The Cinnamon Ginger,pg. 71; which came out a dark, ugly, smelley, mess. My second attempt was her Soothing Honey Vanilla Soap, pg. 73. What a fiasco that turned out to be. She neglects to tell you that when you add the 6 ounces of melted beeswax to the oils that are at 100F degrees(as instructed by her Basic Vegetable Soap), the beeswax will immediately solidify again and float on top. So, now I had to re-melt everything to a temperature around 150F to get the Beeswax to stay melted and blend into the oils. And of course, my Lye was already at 100F, waiting to be added to the oils. I see now why she has the section of water baths to regulate your Lye/Oil tempertures. You are going to need them. Anyhow, in order for the beeswax to stay liquid, I had to keep the temperature around 150F. And now I wasn't sure which temperature my lye should be. She also neglected to warn you that honey can cause your batch to separate, that happened to me also, when I added the warmed honey. I have serious doubts that my soap will turn out ok, it is in the mold now, but it did not look good when I poured it. And, I also just found out, after reading on the Internet, that you should not add more than 1.5% beeswax to a batch, otherwise you will have problems keeping the batch at a liquid state. The other reason is because of Beewax's hardening properties. Since it makes a soap hard, too much is not good, not unless you have a jack-hammer to slice it:). Well, her recipe called for 6oz of Beeswax, which is more than 13%, I am afraid I will end up with a brick in the morning. Again, this is the type of information she neglects to explain to you. Another important note is the use of Essential Oils in her reipes, e.g., again, her Soothing Vanilla Soap says to use 2 oz of Vanilla Essential Oil. I am not sure who her supplier is, but I couldn't find pure Vanilla Essential Oil for under $194.00, for 2 ozs, and that was for Vanilla Absolute. I am so glad now, that I used Fragrance Oil instead. I don't have 200.00 to throw away, while I try to figure her recipes out. Again, this is book is truly lacking in information. I am sure an experienced soaper would have known these things, but than, I think an experienced soaper would have read this recipe,laughed and tossed it aside. And yes, how much lye do you need for the Lemon Lime Coconut Hair Bar on pg. 91, anyway? That's right, somehow the editor neglected to add it. Hopefully, once I become more experienced, I can use some of her recipes, but for now, I think I will stay with the Internet, so I can learn. Buyers beware, is all I have left to say about this book.

This is just another book that was written to cash in on the current DIY craze in toiletries and bath products. The author is not much of a soapmaker, and I ended up selling my copy to a used bookstore within 6 months of ordering it. The book is beautiful to behold, while being a pain to actually use due to the format and size, but is essentially useless next to the few books that actually impart info which empowers crafters to make ingredients decisions because they've learned something. Read Cavitch if you want to learn something.

This is just another abbreviated Martha-esque book.

This book is easy to follow and is very colorful. I was reading my friends book and now I'm putting it on my wish list for the
holiday!

The appearance of this book is reminiscent of a cookbook when looking at the design of its colourful cover and spiral bound contents, separated by index-type pages. The contents of the book are mainly made up of notes from lectures, conferences, videos and audiotapes , according to Pat Leatham, one of the authors who has certifications in Rapid Eye Technology as well as Principles of Personology (I mention this not because it is necessary relevant, but because I never heard of these areas of study and would love to be enlightened!)... Back to the review. In the first chapter 'Basic Facts about Essential Oils' the authors tell us that "Essential oils were humankind's first medicine." When the very first sentence of a book is factually incorrect, one has to wonder. It doesn't get much better I am afraid. Indeed, this work is a disservice to the subject area . There was a time when publishers and particularly the editors they employeed, were knowledgeable about the subject areas of the books that they dealt with. Alas that is no longer the case and this title is one of the best examples of that that I have seen in aromatherapy. Many of the entries in the a-z portion (which in fact is most of the book except for ten pages) has just one word. For example under 'Irritable Bowel Syndrom' it simply "Peppermint". In fact most of the entries are made up of names of essential oils. For example for 'Jealousy' there is "Bergamot, eucalyptus, frankincense, lemon, marjoram, orange , rose, rosemary, sandalwood, thyme." The entry on 'Lung' which falls under the heading of 'Cancer' is more informative. It tells us: "Blend: 15 drops frankincense, 5 drops clove, 6 drops ravensara, 4 drops myrrh, and 2 drops sage. It is best when inserted into rectum." (I'm not kidding.) There are no references whatsoever as to the botanical names of the plants that the oils came from! It is obvious that the authors of this book take no notice, if indeed they are aware, of the various concerns of the industry. For example under the heading 'Direct Application' it states: "Essential oils can be applied directly on the area of concern using one to six drops. More oil is not necessarily better; one to three drops is usually adequate. Some oils may need to be diluted with a pure vegetable oil." That's it. Now for those who may be wondering exactly what lectures, conferences and other sources were used by Pat Leatham when compiling her notes, the references to Grade A oils (not a common term in the aromatherapy industry), frequency of oils and information about how 'raindrop therapy' which is described as dropping essential oils on the spine to help bring the body into balance, may give you a clue. My recommendation about this book is that the authors actually read the titles they list in their bibliography, for a start. A Dangerous book.

This book is basically compiled information from lectures and seminars by D. Gary Young, N.D., and product information by Young Living Essential Oils. Once you read the critical review from Dr. Stephen Barrett about D. Gary Young, N.D. and his businesses at www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young.html, you will probably drop this book like a hot potato.

I thought this book was absolutely wonderful. It is highly informative. It has been well written and easy to understand. The authors have made an extra effort so that the inexperienced can readily understand this information and how to apply it in everyday life. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in aromatherapy as well as essential oils.

The information contained in this book, is to the point without reading paragraphs of useless information or scientific mumbo-jumbo. We are a family of ten and we use this book daily, even my six year old is able to use this book by herself. The illustrations and the colors are refreshing and make this a book an excellent yet easy to read reference guide. A must-have for anyone trying to incorporate the healing power of aromatherapy in their lives.

This book has some good recipes, but not as many along the lines of what I was looking for. I stick mainly to organic and natural recipes, and this book does not have as many along those lines. That is why I gave it 3 stars...but for those who don't mind as much with the ingredients they use, this is a pretty good book.

A great little book of recipes to pamper body and soul. Good recipes with readily available ingredients and easy to follow directions. The end results appear almost as if by magic.

I find the the lotion and cream recipes to be far too heavy and greasy. Also, the solid rose and milk bath tablets did not work well when actually used in the bath. I get the impression that the recipes need some adjustment.

Kelly Reno has done a great job of writing books that are helpful for those just starting out. It is amazing that you can make your own lotions and change the scents to match yourself or your friends. The lotions are heavy and greasy, but I think its because our idea of lotions are those that are so heavy with lotions (with alcohols) that we expect it to soak right in instead of using the healing properties of the oils.

The bath beads turned out great. My first batch was great, but all the rest (go figure) I had to add a little more dry product to it so it wasn't so sticky. Its like cooking, its all an experiment and you just have to "season" it the way you like it.

Highly reccommended!

This book is probably as helpful as her other book that I bought. None of the recipes work. Kelly would have you believe that adding 1/2 teaspoon of table salt to 1/4 cup of shampoo concentrate and 3/4 cup of distilled water will be transformed into a product that you would be delighted to use. You are also expected to be able to grate a bar of Ivory soap (highly improbable that you will succeed). The Ivory soap is to be mixed with other ingredients to end up with a product you will be happy to give or to use.
I have bought many books on soapmaking and other bath and body products.
There is nothing in this book that makes it worth the $12.00 that I spent. Save your money and look for books written by authors who really have excellent credentials regarding bath and body products one can make at home.
One author I particularly like is Susan Miller Cavitch.
Other authors I would highly recommend are Ann Bramson,Norma Coney, and Melinda Coss
I would not even give this book a 1 star rating; actually a minus 5 would be closer to how annoyed and disgusted I was by the book I bought.

I purchased this book 4-5 years ago, being really interested in the author's theory of "tracks". Dietmar Kramer has taken the Bach flower remedies and classified them into what he calls "tracks", e.g. centuary-holy-pine, where the centaury-associated inability to say no, if not treated, leads as compensation into a Holy state and then into a pine state as decompensation. Treatment follows the track, start with Pine and proceed with Holy and then Centaury.

The problem is that the classification of the remedies into tracks is arbitrary. Problems such as the ones that the Bach remedies seek to treat are not linear. A Pine state for instance does not necessarily have to result from something else and if it does, that something does not have to be holy or centaury. It could very well be related and/or caused by a dozen other states. This applies to all Bach flower "tracks".

Great care must be taken when proposing such theories.

This book has a really easy way of explaining the usage of Bach Flowers, plus the advantage of including the "tracts" which improves the way we treat ourselves or our patients. Is really useful along with the "Body Maps' book from the same author.

I agree with the two posted reviews. The descriptions of the individual flowers ('tracks' aside) are quite good. I'm not in total agreement with how he 'assigned' his 'tracks' - it is quite linear, but he does give you a different perspective that could be helpful when faced with a client to give further possibilities in explaining the nature and possible history to reveal the reasoning behind their behavior- as with everything, don't take his interpretation as law. Trust your own knowledge, experience and intuition.

I too really enjoyed the astrology piece, the missing flower for Leo by process of elimination is Vervain.

I am looking forward to reading Peter Damian's "The Twelve Healers of the Zodiac".

I liked the perspective of astrological remedies. Does anybody know what the remedy for the sign Leo? It was (mistakenly?) left out of the 12 astrological remedies on page 120. Please respond to: missyflynn@maui.net. Thanks!

On one level, this book gives a wealth of detail on how to perform panchakarma, perhaps enough to do it on your own. But it's far too scattered. Using the knowledge in this book will require reading it a dozen times to dissect it and then rewrite it so you can do everything in the proper order. She needs to create an updated edition. But if you don't mind extended research and reorganizing it, you'll love it. It's still the most thorough book I have found so far.

Other than the words to live by, the book was too complicated to either understand or put into action. Unless I totally misinterpreted the text, the proceedures had to be done by at least one other person to help. My spiritual journey is personal, I don't expect others to understand, how would you find other people to help out if they don't get it?

I started reading this book along with the original scripture on Ayurveda. I stopped reading the scripture when I realised that this book is authentic repoduction of sashtra (scripture). Maya Tiwari is highly meticulous and writes in lucid langauge. She writes like Hindu Godess Saraswati (Godess of Wisdom). This book is a must for all those who think Allopathy is a joke.

Dr. Alan Hirsch has a brilliantly simple aromatic approach to appetite suppression, but leaves little for the reader upon which to act, once he has finished convincing his readers of the success of his methods. A quick and easy read for the layman, but it was frustrating for me personally, having a moderate knowledge of aromatherapy and wanting to try his theory first-hand.

The book is one more example of pseudo-scientyfic, "magic" solution to the common problem. No real answers in the book. Described inhalers that are supposed to be used in the program are not available on the market. Easy to read, but not woth it.

Very interesting, fun to read. Great, natural answer to the serious problem of so many Americans!!!

What a great little book. This book is worth much more than I paid for it. Christine brings such an honesty to her book. The way she explains each oil and gives a little review is so very refreshing. A paper back book I can carry with me for quick review. Thanks Christine

This book doesn't have enough recipes or enough ways to use essential oils. I havent found anything i was looking for in it. I wanted to know how to use the essential oils for applying to hair and skin, etc and I couldn't find the answer.

There is a lot to reccomend in this book. It is a nice adjunct to Mandy Aftels "Essence And Alchemy". This book predates Aftel's book by several years. It covers subjects that her book doesn't, I like how she gets into the effects of odors on the psyche, and the classifications of odor effects. I found the subjects of synethesia, aphrodisiacs,the narcotic properties of oils,and types of scents for types of people fascinating. However the largest flaw of the book is that Ms. Wildwood is an aromatherapist, and thus this book has that particular bent. Her array of oils is limited to the common aromatheraputic oils, other than some florals, and doesn't delve into any terribly exotic scents, which to my mind, are essential to a modern natural perfumers pallette. And this is the first and only time I've heard that tuberose absolute is toxic! I did like the section on Ayurveda, however. Her suggested blends sound interesting, I made one once, but not any others.
Personally, I find Aftels book a little more inspirational, but overall I think this would be a nice addition to a natural perfumers library.

I got this in a flurry of purchasing perfumery books, and this is okay if you're not looking to learn much about a wide range of essential oils, but if you're looking for serious recipes it's like the rest of the books out there: good luck!

Still, this book does something that no other "current" perfume book does: it addresses the chemical compounds present in essential oils and comes close to driving home the point that these are active ingredients one is playing with.

My basic complaint is that it tries to be too much. I'm not an aromatherapist, and have no plans of branching into that, so I don't need to hear about that when I'm blending for purely aesthetic reasons. Nor do I need to read about ayurveda necessarily.

I recommend this book over the Aftel book, and indeed, can see where sections of that book found their inspiration in this volume. My hope is that Ms. Wildwood rewrites this and updates it with her current interests in mind, such as ethical harvesting of essential oils and sustainable agriculture of fragrant plants.

I have the repint of this book ( published in Great Britain in 1992) and as a certified Aromatherapist and Reflexologist have found this book very helpfull. I have not seen the new one so I can't say about it. The older one (1992)was for someone that has experience with the oils and wanted a quick guide for Family, Actions, anf Principal Constituents of the oils. This is a book for someone that is wanting to go beond the every day use of Aromatherapy

The research ability of this book is not set up as well as some. The information also is not as advanced or as extensive as some other authors. My preference would be Worwood over Lawless.

This book is a mixed bag. The style is very readable. The organization is well done - an introduction to Madagascar and its people, smoothly segueing into a materia medica of herbs.

However, the author's passion for Madagascar and its essential oils left me a bit uneasy - how much of the information about the essentials oils is hype and how much of it is fact? Because the author didn't document the sources of information, I couldn't resolve my concern that the book is an extended sales brochure.

The author did include some imprecise safety information (which is better than nothing). However, those who use oils professionally do not have the information they need to safely use the oils with clients.

I consigned this book to the sack for the used book store. It is too bad, because I do like the author's writing style and the book has some potential for providing detailed information about these oils. I simply don't trust the information present and find the lack of safety information and references disturbing.

The other reviewer was unfair to this book when he criticized it for a lack of references. The introduction clearly says, "In the back of this book, in case you are interested in looking further into a study we cite, you will find references listed under chapter headings." The last two-dozen pages of the book are references.

Unlike every other book that touches on aromatherapy or essential oils, this one was written by a medical doctor. It is refreshing to read an aromatherapy book written with a degree of scientific skepticism. Also, I greatly enjoyed the chapters about Madagascar, its history, and its botany.

Finally, this book doesn't engage in New Age jargon. Now that is truly refreshing!