I admit I was hesitant to buy this book based on previous reviews. No one seemed really crazy about it, but I couldn't find too many other books specifically about making bath bombs, so I figured I would give it a chance. I am so glad I did! I am not quite sure what the other reviewers were looking for in this book, but I am a complete novice- I know NOTHING about making bath bombs or soaps of any kind. So I'm starting from scratch here. And for a complete newcomer like myself, I thought this book was perfect. Here's just SOME of what you'll see inside:
-the book is visually pleasing; the pictures are really pretty and instructions with photos are step by step
-a history of baths, bathing, perfumes, oils, including info about where all of these things come from and how one can craft their own scents with oils or herbs. There are even spots for you to write down what scent combinations you use if you planned on crafting your own
-section by section description of what ingredients you'll need (along with pictures of what all of these things look like)
-a section about what kinds of molds you can use, including great descriptions of easy household molds you can make or find yourself
-a basic recipe for bath bombs and step by step instructions on how to make them (including trouble shooting section in case you screw up!)
-a section on colors and what kind of coloring you can use in your bath bombs
-about 30 basic bath bomb recipes (the whole back section of the book contains recipes which are perfect for the newbie like me. You can make bombs like "Snowtime," "TeaCakes," "South Pacific," "Mulled Wine," "Winter Warmer," etc. Each recipe has a photo of finished product, tells you exactly what ingredients you'll need, and suggestions of mold shapes). The recipes make such visually pleasing bath bombs that they look like they'd be great gifts, too.
-there is a recipe guide in the back of the book and an index of everything you're looking for. Most importantly, there are listings of suppliers for the ingredients, which was very helpful to me, since I was clueless about everything. Most of the suppliers have online stores, as well.
I haven't made my first bath bomb yet, but this book has set me up so well for it. I will post a follow-up review when I complete one of the recipes. In the meantime, if you're a novice like me and looking for a good step-by-step instruction book with beautiful photos and creative recipe ideas, then this is IT!! I chose to give it 4 stars instead of 5 because I haven't actually made the bath bombs yet to see how GOOD the recipes are, but I will come back and add more to my review soon!