Free answer · Soapmaking
Why did my soap accelerate?
Certain ingredients and conditions speed up trace: some fragrance oils, citrus essential oils, sugars, milks, honey, juices, a water discount and high-coconut recipes.
The Big Book series · by Nigar Rustamova
The Big Book of Homemade Products
For Your Skin, Health & Home
Soap and face care in one volume — ten soap formulas and nine facial formulas, 106 pages.
The complete soapmaking course plus the face half of the skin care book: cleansers, elixirs, barrier cream, toner, peptide serum and eye complex. Bought separately, the two books cost $79.98.
10,000+ students have taken the author’s courses in natural cosmetics and home fragrance
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$59.99 106 pages · PDF · English
Bought separately, The Big Book of Homemade Soap and The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care cost $79.98 — you save $19.99.
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What's inside
The combined edition. It carries the whole soapmaking book — the safety protocol, seven theory chapters and all ten soap formulas — and follows it with the face-care half of the skin care book: the chamomile foam cleanser, cellular renewal elixir, barrier repair cream, omega facial elixir, bio-balance toner, velvet veil cream, biphase cleansing elixir, copper peptide serum and peri-orbital complex. One protocol, one method of reasoning, applied to two crafts.
What you'll learn
- Run one professional protocol across both crafts
- Handle lye safely and design your own oil blends
- Control gel phase, superfat, water discount and cure times
- Build oil-in-water emulsions phase by phase
- Set and adjust pH for cleansers, toners, creams and serums
- Dose preservatives, antioxidants, actives and peptides
- Troubleshoot acceleration, seizing, soda ash and emulsion failure
What every formula gives you
- Everything in The Big Book of Homemade Soap, unabridged
- The nine facial formulas from The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care
- One shared safety, sterility and professional-mindset protocol
- INCI names, percentages, phases, temperatures and target pH throughout
- Soap-calculator theory and lye maths for the soap half
19 formulas, chapter by chapter
The complete table of contents.
Foundations
- Introduction: A Journey of Personal Care
- The Non-Negotiable Protocol: Safety, Sterility & the Professional Mindset
Soap theory
- Fragrances and Colorants for Cold & Hot Process Soap
- Cosmetic Properties of Essential Oils in Soapmaking
- The Gel Phase in Cold & Hot Process Soapmaking
- Natural & Functional Additives for Handmade Soap
- Curing Times for Different Soap Formulations
- Macerated Oils
- Interpreting Soap Calculator Quality Values
The ten soap formulas
- 100% Coconut Oil Soap
- Castile Soap
- Marseille Soap
- Black Seed Luxury Soap
- Rosemary & Citrus Luxury Bar
- Four Spices Layered Exfoliating Bar
- Jasmine-Infused Hot Process Soap
- Goat Milk & Honey Soap
- Coconut Milk & Orange Soap with Chocolate Embed
- Fresh Cut Rose Luxury Bar
The nine face formulas
- Calming Chamomile Foam Cleanser
- Cellular Renewal Elixir
- Barrier Repair Cream
- Omega-Renewal Facial Elixir
- Clarifying Bio-Balance Toner
- Velvet Skin Veil Cream
- Biphase Cleansing Elixir
- Copper Peptide Renewal Serum
- Peri-Orbital Renewal Complex
Who is this book for
- Anyone who wants both crafts and would otherwise buy two books.
- Makers building a small product range who need soap and face care under one hygiene protocol.
- Readers who want the widest possible foundation before choosing a specialism.
Topics covered
- Lye safety
- Saponification
- Superfat
- Gel phase
- Curing
- Soap calculators
- Hygiene & sterilization
- Emulsions
- pH
- Preservation
- Actives & peptides
- Troubleshooting
Sample educational content
Try the knowledge, free
Real questions, answered from this book. The chapters go further.
Free answer · Formulation
Why is pH important in skincare?
Healthy skin's acid mantle sits at about pH 4.5–5.5. Products in that range protect the barrier, and pH also decides whether some actives and preservatives work.
Free answer · Formulation
What is an emulsion, and how do I make a cream?
A cream is an oil-in-water emulsion: oil droplets held evenly through a water phase by an emulsifier. Both phases are heated to the same temperature and combined under high shear.
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What format is the book in?
A PDF, formatted as two-page spreads. It opens on a phone, tablet, laptop or e-reader, and there is no app or account to install.
What language is it written in?
English.
Can I print it?
Yes. The PDF is not locked or DRM-protected, so you can print the whole book or just the formula you are working from. Every page carries a small stamp with the email address and date of your purchase, which marks the copy as yours.
How do I get the book after paying?
Instantly. Checkout runs on Payhip, and the download link appears on the confirmation screen and arrives by email the moment payment clears. Nothing is shipped and there is nothing to wait for.
Is there a refund?
Yes, within 30 days. If the book is not what you expected, write to us through the contact page with your order email and we will refund it.
Is it suitable for a complete beginner?
Yes. Each book opens with the safety and sterility protocol and assumes no prior experience. The formulas are ordered so the simplest come first — in the skin care book the first project needs no heat and no emulsifying at all.
Can I ask the author questions?
You can ask this site's Knowledge Assistant any question and get an answer drawn from the books, with the chapter to read next. For anything it cannot answer, write to the author through the contact page.
Can I sell what I make from these formulas?
You can sell the products you make. Be aware that products made for sale need additional stability, microbiological and safety testing, and must meet the cosmetic regulations of your market. The books teach the formulation, not the regulatory process. You may not resell or redistribute the book itself.
About the craft
How should I approach formulation as a beginner?
Learn the protocol, then learn what each ingredient does and why it goes in at a particular phase and temperature, before you start changing recipes.
The skincare book is built around understanding. Every formula lists each ingredient's INCI name and function, groups ingredients into phases, and gives target temperatures, a target pH, shelf life and a 'key improvements' note that explains the formulation choices.
Four foundations run through every product: hygiene (sterilized tools, a disinfected workspace), preservation (anything with water needs a broad-spectrum preservative), pH (matching skin's acid mantle, around 4.5–5.5) and patch testing. The first formula, a chamomile foam cleanser, is mixed without heat or emulsifying, which makes it an approachable first project.
Source: The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care — The Non-Negotiable Protocol · Calming Chamomile Foam Cleanser · Open the article
What is superfat?
A deliberate excess of oil that the lye can't saponify. It stays in the bar as free oil, making it milder and ensuring no free lye remains.
The standard safety superfat is 3–10%, and most recipes in the book use 5–7%. Coconut oil is the exception. Because it's so saturated and stable, it can carry a 20% superfat for a skin bar without going rancid, while 0–3% makes a household or laundry bar. Oils high in unsaturated fats, such as olive or sweet almond, would go rancid at 20%.
Source: The Big Book of Homemade Soap — 100% Coconut Oil Soap: A Masterclass in Single-Oil Formulation · Open the article
Do I need a preservative?
Any product containing water does. Anhydrous products (oils, butters, scrubs, bath salts) don't, as long as water never gets in.
Water, including hydrosols, lets microbes grow, so every water-containing formula in the book has a broad-spectrum preservative. The book names specific systems: Geogard Ultra (about 1%), Leucidal Liquid (2%, a 'natural' option), Geogard 221 (1%), Geogard ECT (0.5–1%, stable at acidic pH), Euxyl PE 9010 (0.8%) and LiquaPar Optima (0.8–1.2%). Caprylyl glycol boosts preservatives, and disodium EDTA protects peptides by binding metal ions.
Oil-only products rely on antioxidants such as vitamin E and rosemary CO2 extract to slow rancidity.
Source: The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care — All water-based formulas in The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care · Open the article
How long do homemade skincare products last?
From the book: cleanser, creams and toner 9 months; peptide serum and eye gel 6 months; facial oil 9–12 months; cleansing oil and shower gel 12 months; butters, scrubs and bath salts 6 months unopened, 3 months opened.
These shelf lives assume the book's full protocol: sterilized tools and containers, the named preservative systems in water-based products, and antioxidants in oil-based ones. Airtight, suitable packaging matters too: airless pumps for gels, dark glass for oils.
Source: The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care — Use and storage notes in each formula · Open the article
✦ AI Knowledge Assistant
Ask about the complete collection
Get an answer grounded in the books, with the chapter to read next.
Other books by Nigar Rustamova
The Big Book of Homemade Soap
Included in this volumeSeven chapters of theory before the first recipe.
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The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care
Included in this volumeSixteen professional formulas, and the reasoning behind every one.
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The Big Book of Homemade Hair Care
Surfactant chemistry first. Then nine formulas you can adapt.
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The Big Book of Sweet Dessert Candles
Waxes, wicks and temperatures first. Then cakes, cocktails and botanicals.
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The Big Book of Homemade Products
Soap and skincare are usually taught as separate worlds, yet they share one protocol, one set of oils and one way of reasoning about a formula. This volume puts them side by side so that foundation only has to be learned once.
Start reading today
$59.99 106 pages · PDF · English
Bought separately, The Big Book of Homemade Soap and The Big Book of Homemade Skin Care cost $79.98 — you save $19.99.
Buy now — $59.99Look inside — free preview
Instant PDF download · Secure card payment via Payhip · 30-day refund
Already bought it? Sign in to read online