Where to Start with Anne-Marie Faiola
Anne-Marie Faiola is the founder of Bramble Berry, one of the largest soapmaking supply companies in the United States, and the creator of the Soap Queen blog and YouTube channel. She has been teaching people to make soap since the early 2000s, building a community of hundreds of thousands of crafters who trust her clear, encouraging instruction style. Her two books, “Pure Soapmaking” (2016) and “Soap Crafting” (2013), are the most widely recommended introductions to cold-process soapmaking available. Both were published by Storey Publishing and feature the step-by-step photography that has become her signature teaching method.
Start here
Pure Soapmaking
Anne-Marie Faiola · 239 pages · 2016 · Easy
Themes: cold-process soap, natural ingredients, skin care, handmade crafts, essential oils
The single best introduction to making soap at home. Anne-Marie Faiola wrote this book to take a complete beginner from zero to confidently crafting beautiful, skin-nourishing bars. It contains over 30 recipes organized by complexity, starting with simple bars and progressively introducing new techniques like swirls, natural colorants, and specialty additives.
Why Start Here
“Pure Soapmaking” teaches the cold-process method from the ground up. Faiola starts with a thorough explanation of saponification, walks you through every piece of equipment you need, and gives you a clear safety briefing on working with lye. The progressive recipe structure means you build skills naturally rather than trying to do everything at once.
What truly sets this book apart is the photography. Every step of every technique is photographed in full color, so you can see exactly what your soap should look like at each stage. For a craft where visual cues matter enormously, this guidance is invaluable.
What to Expect
A beautifully photographed, progressively structured guide to cold-process soapmaking. At 239 pages, it covers safety, equipment, the science of saponification, more than 30 recipes, and detailed troubleshooting. The tone is practical and supportive.
Alternatives
Anne-Marie Faiola · 239 pages · 2013 · Easy
Faiola’s first soapmaking book takes a project-based approach, built around 31 specific cold-process recipes. Each project is self-contained with its own ingredient list, step-by-step instructions, and photographs.
Why Consider This One
If you prefer learning by doing rather than following a progressive curriculum, “Soap Crafting” lets you pick any recipe and jump straight in. The book is particularly strong on creative techniques: layered soaps, embedded objects, household items as molds, and distinctive additives like coffee grounds, avocado, and beer. The spiral binding keeps the book flat on your workspace.
What to Expect
A project-driven guide with 31 cold-process soap recipes, each featuring step-by-step photography. At 239 pages, it covers the same fundamentals as “Pure Soapmaking” but organizes them around specific projects rather than a progressive structure.