Natural Beauty Basics: Create Your Own Cosmetics and Body Care Products

by Dorie Byers

Every day, television and magazine ads tell us that beautiful skin and hair are available only through the use of expensive brand-name products. But the fact is that you can attain a radiant, healthy appearance by using products made inexpensively at home. That’s what Natural Beauty Basics is all about. First, author Dorie Byers guides you to the equipment and ingredients you’ll need to make your own products. She then presents easy-to-follow recipes for over 150 hand creams, body powders, shampoos, soaps, and more―products that are effective, all-natural, and allergen-free. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the best possible care for your hair, skin, and nails. Whether you enjoy making your own beauty products at home, you are in search of products that are allergen- and chemical-free, or you simply love to pamper yourself, your first stop should be Natural Beauty Basics.

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2001

Reviews

[Gini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a surprising amount of recipes for the body, face, and hair. Most of the natural recipe books are limited. So that was a plus. The reason I didn't rate this book 5 stars was because the availability of some of the items. Some items requested for some of the recipes could be hard to find and/or cost a whole lot. Some may require specialty licensing to purchase. The other drawback is that unless you're willing to make these to sell, you will have a lot sitting around and as most of these recipes don't have a preservative of some time, you might be wasting more money than saving. I realize that people reading this book aren't looking to create cosmetics for themselves in an attempt to save money but rather to use more body friendly ingredients. I totally get it. But unless you're ready to commit financially to this endeavor, I think you might find this book unusable. All in all, it's a good book to have around if you're looking to make your own cosmetics and you want less chemicals.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its all black and white, no pictures ... only sketches at the section headers. I'm a full-color glossy girl, so this made the book less appealing, especially compared to the other spa books I checked out with it. Anyway, the book itself has an extensive ingredient reference, as well as many recipes for most body/face applications (such as soaps, facial care, hand care, mouth care, etc.), and the recipes look decent enough. I haven't tried any of them, though.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would love to own a copy of this for when I get ambitious! There are some wonderful recipes for skin care that can include or not include fragrance. Great for someone like me who tends to be allergic to everything that is in most commercial preparations. Highly recommended.

[Molly]

I have always been interested in creating my own line of cosmetics and this book truly inspires me to take my passion farther!

[Mish]

Phone.