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The Complete Idiot's to Making Natural Beauty Products
A natural treasure for every body. Whether it's about saving money, living greener, or treating sensitive skin, The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Making Natural Beauty Products has everything the hobbyist will need to create organic, natural beauty products. ?Includes everything from face creams to mineral makeup to shampoo and more ?Each formula is clearly presented in recipe style, with notes on prep time, storage, and uses ?All products are made from natural ingredients which will appeal to people going green as well as to people with sensitive skin
- GenresNonfictionHealthCrafts
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2005
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153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 8, 2021
This book includes a lot of recipes to make make-up and skin and body products from scratch, and as someone who really enjoyed Chemistry experiments at uni (and baking xD), that kind of thing generally interests me.
However, I wish the aim of this book were just about 'here's how you you can learn to make all these yourself, for funsies!', and not also the 'natural is always best and store-bought is always bad!!' kind of discourse, which can often fall in line with pseudoscience and/or tradlife (everything must be made from scratch at home, preferably by women, apparently, and technology and synthetics are always bad!!) :S
I think it's important to note as well that if we see the aim of these recipes as 'the healthiest way to use make-up and lotions, you never know what the store-bought stuff has', vs 'these are tutorials to learn how to make make-up and lotions if you are crafty, and there's also the pro you control what you want to add to the products, which can be helpful to some people, but that doesn't mean all store-bought products are *bad*'...Well, there's also these factors to consider: It's way more time-consuming and way less affordable to make all make-up and skin and body products from literal scratch (many ingredients are hard to find and are probably steep as well). While I am also an advocate for avoiding harsh and potentially dangerous ingredients in the hair and skin and body products I use, it's also problematic to state that people (women, more like :S) should be making it all from scratch because 'natural is always best and all synthetics are always bad'. Because that last statement is misinformed (yes, you can have a pretty healthy skin and hair routine with store-bought products), and because not everyone has the time, the funds or the motivation/liking to cook, sew or make lotions and soaps from scratch, and that is totally and perfectly valid as well. It can be very fun, but it can also veer dangerously close to the tradwife mindset as well if it's not a legit liking.
Also, this 'natural is always best' tenet of the intro kinda contradicts the rest of the book, with recipes including preservatives and synthetic micas and iron oxides! Which is all well and good, imo, because one thing that bugs me a lot about 'all-natural is the only way to go' is that not all synthetics, in their right quantities, are bad for you, same as not everything that is 'natural' is necessarily good for you (poisons are natural too xD). There are unnecessary and harsh chemicals in quite a lot of hair, skin and body products, yes, and I personally also filter what I buy according to that, especially when it comes to hair products. But we need a minimum of preservatives to avoid bacteria in the products, and there are synthetics and chemicals that are not necessarily bad for you, also depending on your requirements (SLS, aka sulphates, in their right amount, are not the demonized entity many want them to be, for example, and people with greasy hair like me deeply appreciate them). So the 'natural is best' thingie is often a misinformed tenet, tbh, and extends to more problematic areas such as the farmaceutical and medicine grounds (no, 'natural remedies' are not and will never be the same as modern meds. It's not the same to sip willow bark tea than take modern aspirin, for example!). So yeah, that aspect of the book, apart from the inconsistencies (they do actually use synthetic ingredients in many recipes!) bugged me a bit.
There's also ye olde sexist stereotyping (not as bad as I expected it to be, tho) with the 'manly' section with products 'for men'. Apart from the fact that women are supposed to make these recipes from scratch to 'pamper them' (wtf), there's a bit of 'choose manly scents, you don't want your man to smell of lavender' (scents should have no gender!! My fave fragance, and one of the few scents I am not allergic to, is incidentally a 'masculine' blend of suede, wood, citrus and mint xDD), and also a bit of 'let's choose manly names so that the products sound more manly' going on :S xD Literally every single one of the recipes of this book can be used by women, men and everyone, so. Although at least this book rightfully acknowledges that men should be caring about their skin as well and it's not a gendered thing that way, so there's that, but.
However, I wish the aim of this book were just about 'here's how you you can learn to make all these yourself, for funsies!', and not also the 'natural is always best and store-bought is always bad!!' kind of discourse, which can often fall in line with pseudoscience and/or tradlife (everything must be made from scratch at home, preferably by women, apparently, and technology and synthetics are always bad!!) :S
I think it's important to note as well that if we see the aim of these recipes as 'the healthiest way to use make-up and lotions, you never know what the store-bought stuff has', vs 'these are tutorials to learn how to make make-up and lotions if you are crafty, and there's also the pro you control what you want to add to the products, which can be helpful to some people, but that doesn't mean all store-bought products are *bad*'...Well, there's also these factors to consider: It's way more time-consuming and way less affordable to make all make-up and skin and body products from literal scratch (many ingredients are hard to find and are probably steep as well). While I am also an advocate for avoiding harsh and potentially dangerous ingredients in the hair and skin and body products I use, it's also problematic to state that people (women, more like :S) should be making it all from scratch because 'natural is always best and all synthetics are always bad'. Because that last statement is misinformed (yes, you can have a pretty healthy skin and hair routine with store-bought products), and because not everyone has the time, the funds or the motivation/liking to cook, sew or make lotions and soaps from scratch, and that is totally and perfectly valid as well. It can be very fun, but it can also veer dangerously close to the tradwife mindset as well if it's not a legit liking.
Also, this 'natural is always best' tenet of the intro kinda contradicts the rest of the book, with recipes including preservatives and synthetic micas and iron oxides! Which is all well and good, imo, because one thing that bugs me a lot about 'all-natural is the only way to go' is that not all synthetics, in their right quantities, are bad for you, same as not everything that is 'natural' is necessarily good for you (poisons are natural too xD). There are unnecessary and harsh chemicals in quite a lot of hair, skin and body products, yes, and I personally also filter what I buy according to that, especially when it comes to hair products. But we need a minimum of preservatives to avoid bacteria in the products, and there are synthetics and chemicals that are not necessarily bad for you, also depending on your requirements (SLS, aka sulphates, in their right amount, are not the demonized entity many want them to be, for example, and people with greasy hair like me deeply appreciate them). So the 'natural is best' thingie is often a misinformed tenet, tbh, and extends to more problematic areas such as the farmaceutical and medicine grounds (no, 'natural remedies' are not and will never be the same as modern meds. It's not the same to sip willow bark tea than take modern aspirin, for example!). So yeah, that aspect of the book, apart from the inconsistencies (they do actually use synthetic ingredients in many recipes!) bugged me a bit.
There's also ye olde sexist stereotyping (not as bad as I expected it to be, tho) with the 'manly' section with products 'for men'. Apart from the fact that women are supposed to make these recipes from scratch to 'pamper them' (wtf), there's a bit of 'choose manly scents, you don't want your man to smell of lavender' (scents should have no gender!! My fave fragance, and one of the few scents I am not allergic to, is incidentally a 'masculine' blend of suede, wood, citrus and mint xDD), and also a bit of 'let's choose manly names so that the products sound more manly' going on :S xD Literally every single one of the recipes of this book can be used by women, men and everyone, so. Although at least this book rightfully acknowledges that men should be caring about their skin as well and it's not a gendered thing that way, so there's that, but.
January 18, 2024
This book has been referred to for over 10 years and I'm indebted to the author for the recipes that create fantastic creams for the body and face. I've a number of other books in the same genre, but remain impressed by the easy-to-understand process and directions. Thank you for this wonderful book.
August 21, 2012
The name "Complete Idiot's Guide to" is a bit misleading. Most of the recipes have long ingredients lists and preservatives. The measurments are too small for most kitchen scales (.035 ounces sometimes) and some recipes require special measuring spoons from a specific company. Many of the ingredients are difficult to find, as are the special containers and molds for the make up. At one point in the book it states that all micas and iron oxides are synthetically made, which for me along with the preservatives defeats the purpose of "natural" products.
The recipes may work fine, but you will need a significant investment of stuff before you even start, so I wouldn't call it a beginners or "idiots" guide. Being I don't wear makeup often, I will stick to the "natural" store bought stuff.
The recipes may work fine, but you will need a significant investment of stuff before you even start, so I wouldn't call it a beginners or "idiots" guide. Being I don't wear makeup often, I will stick to the "natural" store bought stuff.
July 5, 2012
Very informative and a definate keeper for my library. When I start making lotions and other natural cosmetics I will absolutely turn to this book.
April 13, 2015
Amazing!
It is worth every penny. So much information. I'm too excited to test some things out! Great descriptions of all the butters, oils, and herbs. Highly recommend.
It is worth every penny. So much information. I'm too excited to test some things out! Great descriptions of all the butters, oils, and herbs. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews