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The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You

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As a new mom, Jessica Alba wanted to create the safest, healthiest environment for her family. But she was frustrated by the lack of trustworthy information on how to live healthier and cleaner—delivered in a way that a busy mom could act on without going to extremes. In 2012, with serial entrepreneur Brian Lee and environmental advocate Christopher Gavigan, she launched The Honest Company, a brand where parents can find reliable information and products that are safe, stylish, and affordable. The Honest Life shares the insights and strategies she gathered along the way.

The Honest Life recounts Alba’s personal journey of discovery and reveals her tips for making healthy living fun, real, and stylish, while offering a candid look inside her home and daily life. She shares strategies for maintaining a clean diet (with favorite family-friendly recipes) and embraces nontoxic choices at home and provides eco-friendly decor tips to fit any budget. Alba also discusses cultivating a daily eco beauty routine, finding one’s personal style without resorting to yoga pants, and engaging in fun, hands-on activities with kids. Her solutions are easy, chic, and down-to-earth: they’re honest. And discovering everyday ways to live naturally and authentically—true to you—could be honestly life-changing.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

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2225 people want to read

About the author

Jessica Alba

20 books53 followers
Jessica Marie Alba is an American model, television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in Camp Nowhere and The Secret World of Alex Mack (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series Dark Angel (2000–2002). Alba later appeared in various films including Honey (2003), Sin City (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), Into the Blue (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck, both in 2007.

See also: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004695
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_...

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5 stars
602 (29%)
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782 (37%)
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512 (24%)
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130 (6%)
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47 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
Profile Image for Jaclyn Day.
736 reviews350 followers
March 20, 2013
I’ve blogged prolifically (annoyingly?) about our use of Honest products. When I pre-ordered this book, I expected it to be a long advertisement for Honest products with a few eco-friendly tips thrown in here and there. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it’s actually a good book in its own right and I found it useful and applicable to my life. There are a few throwaway sections, but it’s an engaging, thorough book and one of the more approachable ones I’ve found about making eco-friendly changes at home.

Much of the book is geared toward parents, but there are other chapters—sections on food, style, cleaning, home decor and beauty—that would be interesting to anyone. But, if you are a parent, this book is a goldmine of information on how to make small, healthy changes that could have a big impact. Alba’s Honest business partner, Christopher Gavigan, wrote the original (and best) book on creating an eco-friendly, healthy home—Healthy Child Healthy World. But where that book is dry (no photos!) and full of research tidbits, The Honest Life feels like reading a magazine. There are huge glossy photos of Alba’s gorgeous family and home and each page has a colorful, eye-catching layout—it’s Healthy Child Healthy World for short attention spans, basically.

I think the best thing about this book is that Alba acknowledges on the very first page that she’s trying to make healthy living accessible and affordable, which is admirable seeing as she really didn’t have to. She admits she eats meat, doesn’t have time to wash cloth diapers and won’t grow their own food because she has a “total black thumb.” With that disclaimer up front, the rest of the book presents ideas softly—no scare tactics, no guilt trips.

The food section was one of the best. Each page lists seasonal produce with a few easy ways to prepare it. For example, “Asparagus - Roast it! Just drizzle trimmed asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast at 450 F for 10 to 15 minutes.” Shopping seasonally can be overwhelming if you’ve never done it and these quick and easy preparation suggestions for fruits and vegetables that can be intimidating—like radishes—is really great. (Other foods, like whole grains and meats, are also covered.) There’s a short section on baby food, but I wish it had been expanded a little. Another part talks about eating for weight loss, with Jessica’s weight loss green drink recipe included.

Obviously, the mentions of Honest get more frequent in other chapters (especially the Kids and Clean chapters), but the mentions are off-hand and it doesn’t feel like reading a brochure. Thank god. There’s also a bit of refreshing realism: Jessica admits that she tries to use natural products on her face, but can’t escape her addiction to Retinol products.

The Style and Home Decor chapters are less useful, and the latter especially so if you’ve already read Healthy Child Healthy World. Gavigan discusses healthy home products and resources at length in that book and Alba’s round-up seems skimpy in comparison. The Style tips are good, but the chapter is short and the message doesn’t seem to click compared with the other parts of the book. Did her editors request that she include something about fashion because people might expect it? I don’t know. Either way, it’s the shortest chapter in the book and given the tone of the whole thing, I expected something about organic cotton or natural clothing brands. She does mention how many companies are perusing more sustainable production methods, but then recommends J.Crew, Topshop and H&M on the next page. (There is a sidebar later about children’s clothing and she says that she tries to buy only organic or natural-fiber clothing for her daughters.)

One more thing: the Baby chapter includes a section about diapers that is, of course, pretty much a throwaway. She dismisses cloth diapers with, “I can’t begin to work out the logistics.” If you’re looking for a more reasonable discussion of the pros and cons of cloth diapers or nontoxic disposables, Healthy Child Healthy World devotes significant time to comparing the two. (Gavigan wrote it before Honest existed, so his writing and/or recommendations aren’t tainted with any affiliation to the company.)

I’m glad I bought this book and I’ve already used it several times as a reference—once for food, another time to check the ingredients glossary in the appendix. It’s worth buying the real book instead of the Kindle version (it will be easier for reference purposes, plus it’s full of photos). If this type of book interests you at all, I’d highly recommend it…along with Healthy Child Healthy World. I think they’re a good pairing and worth reading side-by-side. If you’d rather an eco-friendly tips book that’s less baby-oriented, try Beth Greer’s Super Natural Home (another great book).
Profile Image for C..
Author 32 books35 followers
July 16, 2013
I began this book with a cynical attitude. What has an actress, with youth, money, looks, and fame that I will never see, got to teach me about living honestly?

A lot, actually.

While this book is part springboard for Ms. Alba's "The Honest Company," which offers non-toxic products for the family, it would be a mistake to take that as the only purpose of the book. Inside of a veritable encyclopedia of information on living non-toxically in a chemically-laden world, and while The Honest Company's products are promoted, they are done so along with half a dozen other products and free websites and resources as well.

Ms. Alba's writing style is down-to-earth and approachable with maybe just a touch of trying too hard, which gives it a friendly voice rather than a cloying or preachy one. She uses many of her own experiences as a child, young adult, and new mother. There is very little aspect of home and family life she does not touch upon, with special sections dedicated to pregnancy, new motherhood, and babies.

Throughout the book, she shares what she has learned researching home and healthcare products, highlighting the dangerous chemicals to be avoided and the ones to embrace. As I have been researching this subject myself in recent years, I found much of the information redundant. However, I can honestly say that if this book had been published a couple of years ago, it would have become my bible for living non-toxically. It includes all the major toxins that are used in our daily products, and introduced a few I hadn't heard of before. And with lists of what to avoid, what to use, who to shop, and where to find more information handily referenced in the back of the book, I can say that this is probably the best book to start with if you are new to going non-toxic and living more healthy and sustainably.

Plus she includes a few recipes, crafts, and diy beauty care recipes to make the book as useful as it is informative.

And she's just a likable person on the page, with a gorgeous family, a great sense of humor, and a driving goal toward living naturally without compromising health, beauty, or fun.
Profile Image for Trisha David.
74 reviews5 followers
April 29, 2013
I'm so happy I bought this book. I was skeptical at first, but I love Jessica Alba and personally I think she always looks great and takes great care of herself so I thought I'd give this book a try. Being a mom of two myself and trying to navigate in the world of organics and less toxic chemicals for my family, I found this book to be refreshing. She starts the book with a great introduction on her life: childhood, being pregnant for the first time, her relationship as a mom and with her own mother, etc. She explains why she started The Honest Co. and the products they strive to make for consumers. Chapter 1 is all about Honest Food. She goes into the challenges of food and gives great lists of What honest eating is and what it is not, and what types of foods are piled with chemicals. She talks about the Farmers Market and shopping. She talks about GMO's. She also has some great recipes and tips, a pantry list, honest feeding for your baby, honest eating for weight loss, etc. Chapter 2 is all about cleaning and not using toxic cleaners. She has so much amazing information on products and things to avoid in this chapter you really must read it for yourself. Its really great. Chapter 3 is all about Honest Beauty. The Honest Makeup Bag is one of my favorite reads in this chapter, whats good and what is loaded with chemicals and what types of make up have certain chemicals you should try and avoid. She talks hair products and much more too. Chapter 4 is all about fashion. I'm sure you can guess where this chapter goes...but just in case...its all about style and personal looks for you. Must have accessories and more. She also discusses pregnancy style too. There are more chapters too and lots of helpful information in this book to get your life on an honest track. I find this book to be packed with easy to remember information, helpful grocery and cleaning tips. Great comprehensive lists of chemicals and why or why not they are harmful. Amazing book and I'm absolutely going to recommend this to all of my friends. An absolutely fabulous book from start to finish.
Profile Image for Louise.
968 reviews317 followers
November 4, 2013
2.5 stars

(Disclaimer: I have friends who work at The Honest Company, and I am in love with their new office, so I may be biased. Also, reading this may make you want to buy their products.)

This is not something I would typically pick up to read, but I was trying out Oyster and it was one of the few books available that caught my eye. As soon as I started reading it, I found similarities between the book and those magazines you'd read while waiting for your appointment at the dentist's office. None of it is anything new -- eat organic foods when possible, don't use toxic things to clean your house, try to buy used if you can and it's safe, etc. If that type of stuff is still news to you, then maybe you'd find her tidbits about what types of harmful substances to avoid useful.

The book covers not just why she started The Honest Company, but a wide range of things that people think about in everyday life: dinners, kids, bathing, beauty, clothes, etc. There was some breastfeeding and parenting advice, but sorry Jessica, I wouldn't trust that type of advice from a celebrity. I'd take those bits with a grain of salt.

I mostly read this for entertainment factor. While she tries to "keep it real," some parts were pretty unreal, like when she suggested Dolce & Gabbana as a good maker of Little Black Dresses, or Tory Burch for ballet flats. I don't think those things are in the budget of most people. Yes, she does offer more affordable alternatives, but even her affordable alternatives are in my higher range, special occasion things to buy, like West Elm organic cotton sheets ($100).

I'd read this more as a thing to aspire to, but I wouldn't mold your life to it. After all, not everyone can be Jessica Alba, jet setter, super mom, eco-chic extraordinaire.



(Not sure if this was a bad digital edition or not, but I found some editing problems in the book. A couple of sentences would be repeated word for word in different paragraphs.)
Profile Image for Katie Gainey-West.
555 reviews5 followers
April 14, 2020
I loved this book. It did give me increased fear in just about every product I currently own, but I appreciate the information and advice. Jessica does seem down to earth and fairly realistic about parenting, cooking, decorating, etc. However, it’s obvious that not everyone can afford this lifestyle right out of the gate, if ever, myself included. I will definitely keep this book to reference it. She’s given me A LOT to think about. I plan on using what I have until it’s gone and will then try to incorporate clean products and foods, little by little.
Profile Image for Lindsey Rojem.
1,028 reviews20 followers
November 4, 2019
This wasn't bad, it was mostly a list of all the chemicals found in things, why they're bad, and how to avoid them. A lot of the suggestions were products made by her own company, but not all. It was easy to read and I didn't feel that I had to force myself through it.
Profile Image for Ariunaa Munkhbat.
44 reviews10 followers
May 13, 2020
A light read with enjoyable high quality visuals. Didn’t learn much new things but it provided a kindly reminder to think twice about what we eat, wear and use daily.
122 reviews
March 19, 2021
A nice book with a good outlook and interest in the environment. At times it is a bit out of reach in terms of some of the products available, or an over reliance on her own company. As a male reader, the middle of the book was not so useful either. I did like the last chapter which used specific examples of how to live the honest life, this chapter could have been more fleshed out.
Profile Image for Henry.
928 reviews34 followers
June 3, 2021
- Alba suffer numerous allergies growing up

- Alba went into an all vegan diet at an early age however had to stop due to not getting enough nutrients from her diet

- Alba believes that a healthy life involves eating organics, avoid lots of unproven chemical components (hence starting the Honest company)
Profile Image for Sondra.
116 reviews1 follower
June 29, 2014
Alba gives a lot of really solid advice on cleaner and healthier living in home care and heath and beauty. Where the book doesn't entirely make sense is in the fashion section. There's nothing really 'clean' or 'honest' about most of her designer choices, so to me it didn't make sense to make that part of the book. Not to mention some of her examples, like Tory Burch, are not really affordable for most people. The cleaning section was very well done, as well as the beauty. I just wish that in these sections she gave more examples of companies that are doing safe products. She also devotes a lot of time to children, which was informational and pretty well done. There (and maybe it's because her company doesn't do children's decor or clothing) she gave better examples of other companies' products. The end of the book is set up well with a glossary and cheat sheets for chemicals to avoid and a ton of websites to explore for further research.

So I'd recommend focusing on the beauty and cleaning sections of this book and skimming the rest. I started using some her products from www.honest.com. (Probably also a good point of the book is to get new customers, which for me worked). So far, I'm pleased. Another great resource to check if your products are TRULY safe is www.ewg.org (Environmental Working Group). They review most of these products--and most of them seem to get a 0 to 1 rating, which is pretty darn healthy. Also I used this website to basically check all of my make-up and personal products. Anything with parabens was tossed out immediately and replaced with something safer. Some safer cosmetic options--Tarte, Josie Maran. Safe deodorant--Tom's of Maine--aluminum free. EWG also reviews all sunscreens every year as well. So while Alba's book offered some great advice and made me more aware, the EWG's website allows me as a consumer to check if what she is really selling me, is truly safe.
Profile Image for Ash.
595 reviews115 followers
March 15, 2013
I was surprised on how much I liked The Honest Life by Jessica Alba. This book offers clear, sound and non judgmental advice on all aspects on how you live your life including food choices, clothes, skincare, maternal, home improvement, etc. Alba backs up her sources with websites and references and also from hands-on experience. She is the President of The Honest Company, Its mission is its dedication to giving non toxic but effective products to harried mothers everywhere in a cheap and ecomonic way.

Alba practices what she preaches. It's evident in her lifestyle and how she looks absolutely gorgeous after two kids! The book, itself, was printed with soy inks on 30% PCW recycled paper. I am still trying to figure out my personal style and branch out and The Honest Life is a good reference.
Profile Image for Nikki.
238 reviews20 followers
June 2, 2013
4.5 stars. I really, really liked this book! I had already been doing some research before starting this book so some of the information I had already learned, but it definitely doesn't hurt to read it again. There is so much misleading information out there, making us think we're buying safer products when we really aren't. I think this is a really good resource to refer back to as needed. I liked how she covered all the topics that are important to women in their home/personal lives. Of course some women will need to skip the kid/baby stuff, but that part was really important to me. I will definitely be going back through this book (probably with post-its next time), and I definitely recommend it to anyone trying to make their home or life more Eco-friendly and healthier.
Profile Image for Berfu.
66 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2013
I wasn't sure what to expect of this when I picked it up, but I am happy to say that I enjoyed it. It was informative without being too technical. The information was also interesting and relevant to each of the sections. The organization of this book was well done as well and it is easy to reference back to information. In addition, I enjoyed the little anecdotes and stories throughout as I am a fan of Jessica Alba.

That being said, there were sections that I skipped over. Namely the parts on kids and pregnancy. However, they would be nice to refer back to in the future.

Overall an interesting, informative and visually appealing reference tool/book.
Profile Image for Emily.
2 reviews
June 3, 2013
Fabulous book filled with easy to understand information, advice and facts about the dangers of chemicals. Covers everything from home cleaning products to baby products to makeup. Loved how she recommends products not just from the Honest line. And her organization and style tips too. great reference book
Profile Image for Brandy R.
9 reviews
Read
February 3, 2014
Birthday present from my aunt. So far, my son really enjoys the pictures of food.
Profile Image for Emma Sotomayor.
278 reviews3 followers
December 12, 2025
Jessica Alba systematically goes through each area of the home, exposing toxins in everyday objects that we use, such as mattresses or household cleaners. She offers suggestions for living a cleaner life while still giving grace for those conveniences that are hard to give up.

I very much enjoyed the tone of this book. Alba recognizes that people are human, after all, and we all can't be expected to quit processed garbage cold turkey. She herself admits to using some "toxic" conveniences, making the book feel truly honest. I also appreciated the brand recommendations she had for nontoxic products.

I only wish this book were a little longer and encompassed more topics and details about nontoxic living.
1 review
July 20, 2019
I parked Mrs. Alba’s car while working valet today. Not only did I leave it up front I also helped her with her groceries. Living in a box apartment working 2 jobs, Mrs. Alba kindly gave me 5 dollar tip. To be honest I didn’t even read this book. Mrs. Alba was honest about how trash of a writer she is, therefore not giving me enough to purchase her book. My shift just started so I’m feeling good that I won’t go home with just enough to afford half a Spicy Deluxe from Chick-fil-A. Therefore I give this book 5 stars. One for each dollar Mrs. Alba chipped in for lunch.
Profile Image for Yari.
13 reviews
March 29, 2019
This is a really great guide and intro to living a greener and cleaner lifestyle. Whether you're interested in doing a whole lifestyle change or just looking for some clean products and tips on how to cut chemical and toxin exposure from your life, definitely read this book. It's filled with Jessica's personal tips, tricks, and suggestions. She shares her knowledge and she's not preachy about it. Very relatable.
Profile Image for Blair.
121 reviews5 followers
July 22, 2023
This was the first book I read that turned me completely “ crunchy “

Right before my daughter was born . I already did a lot of swap outs 5 years prior with my son being born but this book was so helpful to other things i had no idea about in our home . Helped finalize so many decisions & help show me the right way to have a non toxic home .

10 years later & honest is still one of my favorite brands !
Profile Image for Ali Farra.
37 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2024
I LOVE Jessica Alba and enjoyed learning more about her company and how she got to that place of wanting to change to more natural products for her family! Though I was hoping for more alternatives than just her products and some things felt out of date given the book is 10 years old. If you are interested, it’s the type of book I would’ve preferred in paper than kindle since it has lots of photos and pages I would like to go back and reference in the future.
103 reviews
July 15, 2020
As someone who's interested in living a more natural life, I found this book to be a good reference in different life aspects (ex beauty, home, food, etc) The reference sections in the back are gold. I rented this book from the library but there is so much great advice that I will be ordering this book with my next online order.
Profile Image for Candy.
125 reviews61 followers
November 6, 2020
Owned for a long, long while & have read multiple times. Everyone has a different view on what a healthy lifestyle looks like and I'm glad she brought massive awareness to the field of environmental health by allowing people to see what the impact of their choices are as well as great alternatives to try.
Profile Image for Christy.
279 reviews
July 12, 2021
I enjoyed all of the great information this book contained. Jessica seems to have really done her research. I liked her "do-the-best-you-can" attitude--which kept me from getting completely overwhelmed. My complaint about this book is that the print is so small and hard to read. I would have enjoyed it so much more and would refer to it for future reference if the fonts had been bigger.
Profile Image for Amelia.
370 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2022
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, but the timing never worked out. I wish I read it before I had my first baby to avoid so many of the toxic chemicals and waste-of-money items we got with her, but better late than never. There is so much in this book, it’s impossible to remember it all, so I will definitely have to come back to reference it at some point.
Profile Image for Julie.
219 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2017
Not a whole lot of new or riveting info, but still a lovely book. Even I feel this book was written mainly to be a marketing tool for Jessica Alba's Honest products, I appreciate her realistic approach to making gradual changes.
Profile Image for Katie.
162 reviews
May 20, 2018
3.5/4 ish stars. Lots of good information (some I knew, while some was new to me) that I found myself highlighting and putting post-it notes near. I will likely refer back to some of the information in the future.
Profile Image for Al Swaney.
6 reviews
March 31, 2020
If you are interested in making your life more natural/chemical free, this book is an excellent resource! I felt I was already living a pretty toxic-free life but realized you can always be better! This book inspired me to make some really positive changes.
Profile Image for Mariel.
11 reviews7 followers
December 10, 2020
An easy-to-follow, practical read.
I don't think it is fair to judge it with the same judgmental standard as if you were reading written by an immunologist. Jessica Alba tells her honest story, duly citing her sources, and additionally provides a colorful array of cooking and fashion tips.
Profile Image for Kelli.
1,387 reviews41 followers
January 12, 2021
I had this one for a couple years but never really did much with it. Her health insights were good but other than flipping thru it from time to time, I didn’t really go back to it much. It got dusty on top of my frig.
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