The Compassionate Chick's Guide to DIY Beauty: 125 Recipes for Vegan, Gluten-Free, Cruelty-Free Makeup, Skin and Hair Care Products

by Sunny Subramanian, Chrystle Fiedler

Part DIY vegan beauty how-to, part cookbook, and part self-improvement manifesto, The Compassionate Chick's Guide to Beauty showcases non-toxic, rejuvenating and restorative skin care and beauty products that you can whip up in your kitchen with simple ingredients for pennies per treatment. Why spend $40 on a facial mask or $8 on a package of organic facial wipes when you can make these products yourself for just a dollar or two. With Sunny's witty, whimsical, edgy and inspirational style, easy-to-follow instructions plus step-by-step photos that detail how to make and use the products, this book is a delight to read. The recipes are easy, inexpensive and provide real beauty results. Everything you need to know about making your own vegan cosmetics is here -- from the benefits of going vegan and why it's important to only use products that haven't been animal tested to a complete list of what you'll need to get started from the ingredients to the equipment. And then of course, there are over 115 recipes that will make you feel fantastic from head to toe. You'll discover how to take care of your skin the right way. Included are recipes for normal, oily, combo, dry and mature skin as well as daytime/ night time beauty regimens. Recipes from the bath and body section offer a spa experience in the comfort of your home and the hair care section addresses everything from conditioning to dandruff. And then there's the cosmetic/make up section where you'll learn how to make everything from mascara to liquid foundation and lipstick with natural, non-toxic ingredients. This head to toe natural beauty guide will become your go-to guide when it comes to vegan beauty. It's fun and informative and even features a gift section, an alphabetical ingredient list and their beneficial properties as well as a listing for vegan resources.

Genres: Nonfiction, Vegan

272 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2016

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Got me thinking about all the chemicals I have been slathering all over myself for years. Threw away all my chemical based face washes, lotions, make-up, shampoos, conditioners, ect....I never got the results I really wanted from them anyways! The first 57 pages has great information about oils and ingredients to use in your own skincare line. It also talks about all the different toxins in the products we buy and how to read your labels. A lot of great easy recipes to make your own beauty products. At the end it lists companies that sell all natural vegan products if you decide you would rather purchase than make your own products. My skin thanks me for reading this book :)

[Honesty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guilt-free beauty products that work as well as the ones in the store. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? Unfortunately, acutally making many of these products turned out to be a nightmare. With often vague directions (how in the world do you get your finished mascara in the tube?) and quickly-cooling ingredients (the lipstick cools before you even get it into the tube if heated as directed), most of these products were too complicated to actually be worth your time. Plus, some of the yields were smaller than estimated.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED how this book really got me checking what is in my currently used beauty products. I am very excited to try out some of the recipes, I love how open the author is about switching scents from the essential oils she picked to whatever you like the best. In some cases she writes to specifically use the ones she picked due to the health benifits of them which is super cool.

[Melissa Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic guide to DIY beauty! Aside from the recipes, it’s packed with information on the benefits of natural ingredients as well as the nasty chemicals found in many products. I have only made the pore de-gunking coffee facial scrub so far and it made a noticeable difference to my skin for days after. I’m looking forward to trying out many more of the recipes.

[Donna Zigmont · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but wanted to like it more. I like making my own bath products. And when I saw this in the library I picked it up right away. There were some good recipes for facial masks and hair masks that I plan to try. That being said the rest left me unimpressed.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read better books on DIY. Most of these ideas are not practical. If someone is thinking of creating powder makeup I would look at other books/websites. I do not recommend using a spice or food product in a foundation for colour. Iron oxide (as in mineral makeup) works better.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great compilation of recipes for natural skin and beauty products. Even though I don't follow a vegan diet, I have sensitive skin, especially in winter, and have become more aware of the chemicals and additives in the products I use daily. With combinations of essential oils, salts/sugars, waxes, and butters, anyone can customize a variety of items scented and formulated for your specific preferences and needs. Many ingredients are already in your kitchen, and have multiple uses for food and cleaning as well.

[Beth White]

Found a couple good recipes