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The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances
Go green and get gorgeous The promise of beauty is as close as the drugstore aisle--shampoo that gives your hair more body, lotions that smooth away wrinkles, makeup that makes your skin look flawless, and potions that take it all off again. But while conventional products say they'll make you more beautiful, they contain toxins and preservatives that are both bad for the environment and bad for your body--including synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, and even formaldehyde. In the end, they damage your natural vitality and good looks.
Fortunately, fashion writer, nutritionist, and beauty maven Julie Gabriel helps you find the true path to natural, healthy, green beauty. She helps you decipher labels on every cosmetic product you pick up and avoid toxic and damaging chemicals with her detailed Toxic Ingredients List. You'll learn valuable tips on what your skin really needs to be healthy, glowing, and youthful.
Julie goes one-step further--and shows you how to make your own beauty products that feed your skin, save your bank account, and are healthy for your body and the environment, such as: - Cleansing creams and oils - toners - facials - under eye circle remedies - anti-aging serums - lip balms - scrubs - exfoliators - clay and cleansing masks
- moisturizers - acne treatments - makeup remover - teeth whiteners - shampoos, conditioners - fragrances - sun protection - bug repellants - baby products - and much more!
With her friendly, thorough, and helpful advice; fabulous beauty recipes; product recommendations and ratings; Toxic Ingredients List; and a complete appendix of online resources, Julie Gabriel gives you all the information you need to go green without going broke and become a more natural, healthy, and beautiful you.
Fortunately, fashion writer, nutritionist, and beauty maven Julie Gabriel helps you find the true path to natural, healthy, green beauty. She helps you decipher labels on every cosmetic product you pick up and avoid toxic and damaging chemicals with her detailed Toxic Ingredients List. You'll learn valuable tips on what your skin really needs to be healthy, glowing, and youthful.
Julie goes one-step further--and shows you how to make your own beauty products that feed your skin, save your bank account, and are healthy for your body and the environment, such as: - Cleansing creams and oils - toners - facials - under eye circle remedies - anti-aging serums - lip balms - scrubs - exfoliators - clay and cleansing masks
- moisturizers - acne treatments - makeup remover - teeth whiteners - shampoos, conditioners - fragrances - sun protection - bug repellants - baby products - and much more!
With her friendly, thorough, and helpful advice; fabulous beauty recipes; product recommendations and ratings; Toxic Ingredients List; and a complete appendix of online resources, Julie Gabriel gives you all the information you need to go green without going broke and become a more natural, healthy, and beautiful you.
400 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2008
34 people are currently reading
901 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 9, 2013
A useful book, but a little didactic. I agree with the author's contention that we surround ourselves with way too many potentially harmful chemicals in all our personal care products and cutting down on them seems like common sense, but the tone of this book-- that everything on your bathroom counter is basically plotting to give you a cancerous tumor-- is a bit extreme.
For example, at one point Gabriel contends that it's important to use all-natural toothpaste because the average person swallows the equivalent of a tube of toothpaste a year, and that just sounds ridiculous to me. Sure, I swallow some toothpaste residue here and there, that stands to reason, but an entire tube? Really? I barely use an entire tube in a year.
Personally, I think you have to pick your battles; going all-natural for the ingredients in moisturizer, which seeps into my skin, seems wise. For some other products, having some chemicals in there for germ-killing effectiveness might not be such a bad idea. After all, as a doctor friend of mine likes to say, "There's nothing more natural than dying."
That criticism aside, if you're looking for information about what products are safer to use on your skin and hair, this book does the job. I admit that I'm not going to photocopy the list of 100 harmful cosmetic ingredients and carry it with me everywhere I go, but just seeing what brands of organic products get the Green Beauty Guide seal of approval as "real" organic products (as opposed to those that just use the word organic as a marketing ploy) is helpful.
The many recipes for making your own beauty products look intriguing, but I know that I will never, ever end up using them. If you're the kind of person who likes to experiment with your own homemade potions though, this book could be incredibly valuable for you. For me it was just a "what stuff to buy and what stuff to avoid" guide, which is fine.
For example, at one point Gabriel contends that it's important to use all-natural toothpaste because the average person swallows the equivalent of a tube of toothpaste a year, and that just sounds ridiculous to me. Sure, I swallow some toothpaste residue here and there, that stands to reason, but an entire tube? Really? I barely use an entire tube in a year.
Personally, I think you have to pick your battles; going all-natural for the ingredients in moisturizer, which seeps into my skin, seems wise. For some other products, having some chemicals in there for germ-killing effectiveness might not be such a bad idea. After all, as a doctor friend of mine likes to say, "There's nothing more natural than dying."
That criticism aside, if you're looking for information about what products are safer to use on your skin and hair, this book does the job. I admit that I'm not going to photocopy the list of 100 harmful cosmetic ingredients and carry it with me everywhere I go, but just seeing what brands of organic products get the Green Beauty Guide seal of approval as "real" organic products (as opposed to those that just use the word organic as a marketing ploy) is helpful.
The many recipes for making your own beauty products look intriguing, but I know that I will never, ever end up using them. If you're the kind of person who likes to experiment with your own homemade potions though, this book could be incredibly valuable for you. For me it was just a "what stuff to buy and what stuff to avoid" guide, which is fine.
December 8, 2008
Most women will look in Cosmo or other beauty magazines for the latest cosmetic and fashion tips, but what many of these magazines don't tell you is that the products manufactured by these companies are using chemicals and other compounds that once your skin absorbs them could cause other ailments or problems. While I don't readily wear makeup or use cosmetics, I gladly took on a TLC Book Tour stop for Julie Gabriel's The Green Beauty Guide. I love holistic looks at our everyday lives and books that seek to provide an alternate perspective to how we live our lives whether its from turning holiday celebrations green or learning how to reduce our own carbon footprints.
The Green Beauty Guide goes beyond the typical fad advice given by glossy magazines, providing the reader with recipes to create their own natural shampoos, facials, and other products, while at the same time providing readers with the know-how to become savvy cosmetics shoppers. Check out the Ten Commandments of Green Beauty at the end of Chapter 2.
Through a combination of science, insider information about the cosmetic industry and government regulation, and common sense, Gabriel dispels some of the myths espoused by the cosmetics industry. For instance, did you know that the skin absorbs about 60 percent of the substances applied to its surface? I didn't, but now that I do, I plan to be more careful about what solutions I use. Think about your morning routine. . .how many cleansers, lotions, and gels do you use before you leave the house each day? Examine the ingredients of those bottles, and you'll see exactly how many chemicals you expose your skin to every day. Given the complexity of skin and other systems throughout the body, it is no wonder that diet, exercise, and other behaviors can influence how well those systems function. Beauty or the health of your skin is tied to all of those things and more.
One of the best sections in the book discusses green washing, which will help those newly interested in the "green" movement to discern which products actually are safer for them and made from natural products, and which are merely using the presence of natural products to claim they are "green" or organic. Gabriel even provides Green Products Guide with a one-, two-, three-leaf system that categorizes how natural a product is. Other helpful sections of the book provide ways to make your own green beauty products, with a list of necessary tools, ingredients, and tips on where to purchase the ingredients. I also was surprised to find green beauty tips for babies in terms of diaper area care, massage oils, baby wipes, and bathing for babies.
Overall, this guide has a great many tips for those looking to expand the care of themselves and their environment into cosmetics and beauty care. I recommend this for those who wear makeup, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and other products, which is pretty much everyone. We all should take better care of our planet and ourselves, and what better way than to start with the beauty products we use.
The Green Beauty Guide goes beyond the typical fad advice given by glossy magazines, providing the reader with recipes to create their own natural shampoos, facials, and other products, while at the same time providing readers with the know-how to become savvy cosmetics shoppers. Check out the Ten Commandments of Green Beauty at the end of Chapter 2.
Through a combination of science, insider information about the cosmetic industry and government regulation, and common sense, Gabriel dispels some of the myths espoused by the cosmetics industry. For instance, did you know that the skin absorbs about 60 percent of the substances applied to its surface? I didn't, but now that I do, I plan to be more careful about what solutions I use. Think about your morning routine. . .how many cleansers, lotions, and gels do you use before you leave the house each day? Examine the ingredients of those bottles, and you'll see exactly how many chemicals you expose your skin to every day. Given the complexity of skin and other systems throughout the body, it is no wonder that diet, exercise, and other behaviors can influence how well those systems function. Beauty or the health of your skin is tied to all of those things and more.
One of the best sections in the book discusses green washing, which will help those newly interested in the "green" movement to discern which products actually are safer for them and made from natural products, and which are merely using the presence of natural products to claim they are "green" or organic. Gabriel even provides Green Products Guide with a one-, two-, three-leaf system that categorizes how natural a product is. Other helpful sections of the book provide ways to make your own green beauty products, with a list of necessary tools, ingredients, and tips on where to purchase the ingredients. I also was surprised to find green beauty tips for babies in terms of diaper area care, massage oils, baby wipes, and bathing for babies.
Overall, this guide has a great many tips for those looking to expand the care of themselves and their environment into cosmetics and beauty care. I recommend this for those who wear makeup, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and other products, which is pretty much everyone. We all should take better care of our planet and ourselves, and what better way than to start with the beauty products we use.
March 27, 2011
For those who are already taking action to eat more clean, green and local, this is the next logical step - caring for your body in the same manner. Since our skin is the largest organ of the body some may argue this is equally as important as eating organically. This book delves more deeply and more scientifically into caring for the outside of your body in a green manner than any of the other natural beauty titles I've read so far. For that, I give it four stars.
I'm unsure if it was a conscience effort, but things are hammered home repeatedly. I could see the author and editor deciding it was necessary since the information is much more scientific in nature than most other titles in this genre. As someone with a fairly extensive background in science I found it a bit aggravating and at times felt things were repeated just to meet arbitrary page counts.
Many reviews of this title at major booksellers pan the book for the author contradicting herself on her blog. I can overlook that, as the title is now several years old and there is new knowledge about chemicals and their impact on humans discovered everyday. Things could have changed rather dramatically from when she first drafted the manuscript to when it actually hit shelves, not to mention what has been learned in the several years since it was first released. That said, I did find she also contradicted herself within the book at times. Either that, or she was unclear between telling the reader what an specific ingredient's role was and telling us it was an okay ingredient for our homemade beauty concoctions. There were definitely ingredients I took as being okay that they showed up in the 100 Ingredients to Avoid list at the back of the book.
The book has a very thorough index, as well as bibliographic information for each chapter which I really appreciate so that I can do my own research into some of the things myself. The resources section for suppliers of some ingredients called for is helpful, though I expect could have been a bit more extensive. The format and layout of the book makes it pretty easy to use as a reference. Though while I checked the title out from my local library I think I will be purchasing an electronic version of it for my own library because of the ease at which I can take notes that are searchable.
Sprinkled throughout the book are some recipes for creating your own green beauty products. They were pretty standard and did not stand out to me as being terribly different than many other natural beauty titles that are more focused on recipes. Some of the recipes do call for harder to source ingredients, however.
Overall, this is one of the most comprehensive natural beauty titles I've found. Though I do think one has to be prepared to make their own judgements about product ingredients and such. But it is a good place to start researching the ingredients in your commercial beauty products.
I'm unsure if it was a conscience effort, but things are hammered home repeatedly. I could see the author and editor deciding it was necessary since the information is much more scientific in nature than most other titles in this genre. As someone with a fairly extensive background in science I found it a bit aggravating and at times felt things were repeated just to meet arbitrary page counts.
Many reviews of this title at major booksellers pan the book for the author contradicting herself on her blog. I can overlook that, as the title is now several years old and there is new knowledge about chemicals and their impact on humans discovered everyday. Things could have changed rather dramatically from when she first drafted the manuscript to when it actually hit shelves, not to mention what has been learned in the several years since it was first released. That said, I did find she also contradicted herself within the book at times. Either that, or she was unclear between telling the reader what an specific ingredient's role was and telling us it was an okay ingredient for our homemade beauty concoctions. There were definitely ingredients I took as being okay that they showed up in the 100 Ingredients to Avoid list at the back of the book.
The book has a very thorough index, as well as bibliographic information for each chapter which I really appreciate so that I can do my own research into some of the things myself. The resources section for suppliers of some ingredients called for is helpful, though I expect could have been a bit more extensive. The format and layout of the book makes it pretty easy to use as a reference. Though while I checked the title out from my local library I think I will be purchasing an electronic version of it for my own library because of the ease at which I can take notes that are searchable.
Sprinkled throughout the book are some recipes for creating your own green beauty products. They were pretty standard and did not stand out to me as being terribly different than many other natural beauty titles that are more focused on recipes. Some of the recipes do call for harder to source ingredients, however.
Overall, this is one of the most comprehensive natural beauty titles I've found. Though I do think one has to be prepared to make their own judgements about product ingredients and such. But it is a good place to start researching the ingredients in your commercial beauty products.
March 17, 2009
I didn't expect to read this as thoroughly as I did. Part reference book, part editorial, it's easy to read as sections or as a whole. A good place to start to educate yourself on what to avoid, and what to look for if you want to go green with your beauty. While a few DIY recipes are included for the ambitious, each section lists author recommendations of products you can easily find at stores or online and range from drugstore to luxury brands.
November 26, 2017
Loaded with some good research and information but not so many recipes.
The recipes that are included may may be a bit harder to make in some cases.
Not sure I agree with all the recommended products listed in this book.
The recipes that are included may may be a bit harder to make in some cases.
Not sure I agree with all the recommended products listed in this book.
January 3, 2020
Very eye opening. I had no idea that all the things we put on our skin can be just as bad as eating it. There’s things that need to be taken with a grain of salt but it’s informative either way. Could imagine myself re reading this with kids as I think about what they should/shouldn’t be using.
July 17, 2020
the author be like: ingredients to make your own cleanser
4 cups fresh water from a rose
babes do i own a garden ?
but very inch resting to read obviously i will be trying this because being sexy is important to me
4 cups fresh water from a rose
babes do i own a garden ?
but very inch resting to read obviously i will be trying this because being sexy is important to me
December 5, 2019
Fuckkkkkkkk....getting rid of all my skincare/makeup stat!
But, seriously, this is a scary book to read so thank god she includes diy recipes and some go-to products.
But, seriously, this is a scary book to read so thank god she includes diy recipes and some go-to products.
Read
October 7, 2021if i have to read this for my thesis, this is counting for my challenge
October 1, 2008
The Green Beauty Guide (GBG) is a wonderful reference that will have a place on my shelf for quite some time. I personally found this book particularly useful because I have an allergy to the paraben preservatives that are commonly used in beauty products and cosmetics so I have a little experience with what the author is talking about. However, thanks to the GBG I am now aware of several other ingredients that I should also be watching out for when I read labels and I've been able to add several new items to my beauty routine with confidence.
However, the Green Beauty Guide doesn't just put the spotlight on the things you shouldn't be putting on your face and body, but it gives you guidelines on how to actually find the products that don't contain the harmful ingredients which, believe me, is not as easy as it sounds. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent searching through beauty aisles and cosmetic cases looking at itty-bitty ingredient lists - only to find parabens hiding away in products labeled as "pure", "natural", or "allergy-free". The GBG goes a long way towards debunking all of these common buzz word claims and gives the reader straight facts on the whole advertising/marketing game.
Which brings me to the part of the Green Beauty Guide that I love the most - a list (with ratings) of several recommended products grouped by function and suggestions on where these products can be purchased. And for those do-it-yourselfers out there - a list of recipes for making your own green beauty products including information on how to obtain, mix, and store any ingredients you need for the products you want to create.
I highly recommend this book to all women. Even if you don't have allergic reactions to your beauty products like I do, this guide will really help open your eyes to what you are actually putting on your skin everyday and might just inspire you to make some changes to the products you use. Over the just the past few years that I've been aware of this issue, the natural/organic/green cosmetics have really made some steps forward into the mainstream beauty aisles. It can only get better from here.
However, the Green Beauty Guide doesn't just put the spotlight on the things you shouldn't be putting on your face and body, but it gives you guidelines on how to actually find the products that don't contain the harmful ingredients which, believe me, is not as easy as it sounds. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent searching through beauty aisles and cosmetic cases looking at itty-bitty ingredient lists - only to find parabens hiding away in products labeled as "pure", "natural", or "allergy-free". The GBG goes a long way towards debunking all of these common buzz word claims and gives the reader straight facts on the whole advertising/marketing game.
Which brings me to the part of the Green Beauty Guide that I love the most - a list (with ratings) of several recommended products grouped by function and suggestions on where these products can be purchased. And for those do-it-yourselfers out there - a list of recipes for making your own green beauty products including information on how to obtain, mix, and store any ingredients you need for the products you want to create.
I highly recommend this book to all women. Even if you don't have allergic reactions to your beauty products like I do, this guide will really help open your eyes to what you are actually putting on your skin everyday and might just inspire you to make some changes to the products you use. Over the just the past few years that I've been aware of this issue, the natural/organic/green cosmetics have really made some steps forward into the mainstream beauty aisles. It can only get better from here.
August 31, 2008
From the founder and owner of the organic skin-care line, Petite Marie, comes a revealing look at cosmetics and skin care that the most of the beauty industry would love to keep secret. For instance, all that a product needs to be labeled as “Organic” is a drop of organic essential oil. This is called greenwashing and most greenwashers spend more money on promoting themselves as environmentally friendly than they do on formulating toxin-free, environmentally sound products.
With The Green Beauty Guide, Julie Gabriel starts with the basics of learning all about your skin and guides you through what you should look for in all your beauty products. She teaches you the how tell the difference between a good marketing campaign and truly organic products. You’ll also find The Ten Commandments of Green Beauty, How to Go Green Without Going Broke and even recipes for your own organic beauty products such as cleansers, toners, facial masks, moisturizers and even acne zappers with simple easy to find ingredients.
For me, a not so environmentally conscious consumer, the realization what most of us are doing to our skin and the environment was initially a bit intimidating and scary really but Gabriel’s information makes it easy to make the green switch. I’ve already been through my cabinets checking labels and packaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making a difference.
With The Green Beauty Guide, Julie Gabriel starts with the basics of learning all about your skin and guides you through what you should look for in all your beauty products. She teaches you the how tell the difference between a good marketing campaign and truly organic products. You’ll also find The Ten Commandments of Green Beauty, How to Go Green Without Going Broke and even recipes for your own organic beauty products such as cleansers, toners, facial masks, moisturizers and even acne zappers with simple easy to find ingredients.
For me, a not so environmentally conscious consumer, the realization what most of us are doing to our skin and the environment was initially a bit intimidating and scary really but Gabriel’s information makes it easy to make the green switch. I’ve already been through my cabinets checking labels and packaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making a difference.
February 20, 2013
Good book but I think they need to work on the electronic editing, as I read it on Kindle & there were definitely some typos! The author rambles at times about her personal beauty stories which I found a bit tiresome. Also, some of the recipes are a bit complicated for my liking...sorry but I'm not bringing out the double boiler to make diaper cream!!!
On the positive side, this book was excellent at opening my eyes to the chemical world we live in! I really liked the suggestions of products she gives as well as the various DIY recipes. I would recommend this book if you want to get get rid of harmful chemicals in your life & especially if you have kids. I have already seen a difference in my son's very dry skin using natural oils/lotions instead of the processed, so called, gentle/hypoallergenic ones.
On the positive side, this book was excellent at opening my eyes to the chemical world we live in! I really liked the suggestions of products she gives as well as the various DIY recipes. I would recommend this book if you want to get get rid of harmful chemicals in your life & especially if you have kids. I have already seen a difference in my son's very dry skin using natural oils/lotions instead of the processed, so called, gentle/hypoallergenic ones.
January 21, 2014
This book has a lot of good info and ideas, if you are looking to go the more natural route when it comes to body care products (and also has lots of good reasoning backing up why it's a good idea). My one complaint is that every once in awhile, the author will get a little caught up in sounding dire, rather than just imparting information, and there are a few points I just don't agree with (usually in areas I've researched pretty heavily myself), as well as a few things that sound like great advice from her OWN experience, but may not apply to everyone (we all have different hair/skin, it's impossible to know if what works for one person will work for the next). So, though I mostly enjoyed it and will keep it around as a reference, I would also take some of her recommendations with a tiny grain of salt, and don't get caught up in the language when it starts to sound too absolute.
April 19, 2010
There is great recipes that you can do yourself for skin care and hair care. It was very informative about the beauty industry, dematologists and animal testing. Being fair-skinned, I love the section about using sunscreen and sun block. After reading this book I'm leaning towards the "green" lifestyle for skin/hair care.
August 3, 2010
Eh. I got a little pissed off that she suggested that "even if you're a diehard no-makeup person, you should try mascara!" If I'm a diehard no-makeup person, there is no way I'm going to try mascara because you said to. I was looking in this book for "green" acne cures, but I didn't find that. Oh well.
June 24, 2011
This is definitely a must-have for anyone wanting to go green. We think of all the chemicals in our homes but completely ignore the fact that we put even more chemicals on our heads, faces, hands, and our entire body without thinking twice about it. Julie does a great job of balancing products on the market with homemade recipes from shampoo to facial toners and moisturizers to sunscreen.
September 20, 2011
Were working on eliminating chemicals from our house and making our own beauty products is at the top of the list. If you are interested in living a chemical free life or just in natural beauty products this is a great book. I do recommend purchasing the Green Beauty Recipe book, as this one is short on actual recipes.
June 15, 2010
I absolutley loved this book. It made me examine what is in all the beauty and skin care products in my house. It not only gives you information about common toxic ingredients but also gives you recipes to make your own personal care products. I have tried many of them and have loved making my own.
October 23, 2011
This book is absolutely amazing when it comes to natural, organic beauty products and tips. I now make all of my own moisturizers, scrubs, masks, toners, hair serums, and bath products. And when it comes to buying a product I now know what to look for and what to avoid. I LOVE this book!
March 5, 2014
A good reference book for natural and organic health and beauty products with recipes for multiple items to make yourself. It even has a three day beauty detox diet at the end you can do but it seems a little too extreme.
Read
August 29, 2008Helpful book. I ended up throwing out a bunch of stuff from my cabinets that I didn't realize were bad for me.
Want to read
December 14, 2008 646.72 GAB
April 30, 2009
Read my full review here:http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.bl...
July 20, 2010
If you're interested in natural care, I recommend this as a reference book. The copy I read is due back at the library, and I don't feel like I've absorbed enough of the content.
August 10, 2009
Practical, easy recipes. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in alternatives to what the beauty industry offers!
January 23, 2010
This was a good book. I have read others just like it, so I don't think I really learned anything new, but it was stocked full of good information.
July 23, 2015
good information, but some of recipes seemed complicated for a beginner
am looking forward to this author's second book with more recipes
am looking forward to this author's second book with more recipes
September 28, 2010
Had some decent recommendations for products to try, but I'm not going to make my own cosmetics any time soon. Well organized and easy to find the useful info.
Read
July 31, 2011Helpful start into "green" beauty. While I may not throw out all my chemicals, it got me thinking.
March 23, 2012
Great explanations on the do's & don'ts of organic skin care. Recipes are easy to follow.
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