Pure Skin: Organic Beauty Basics

by Barbara Close, Gentl & Hyers Gentl & Hyers (Photographer)

Spa expert Barbara Close has created a holistic guide to beautiful skin, covering everything from organic products to detox to stress relief. In the tradition of her popular Spa Deck and Well Being , Pure Skin is a natural, no-nonsense approach to skin care. Demystifying beauty-industry hype, Close helps readers understand what makes their skin unique, how skin really functions, and how to make sense of the multisyllabic minefield that is a cosmetics label. With balance as a main ingredient, readers develop a skin-care regimen to suit their individual needs. Forty recipes for natural beauty treatments introduce luxurious alternatives to industrial products. Sensible and accessible sections on food and detox reveal simple and effective ways to nourish and restore skin from the inside out. Special attention is given to curatives such as homeopathy and Bach flower remedies, offering invaluable resources for those with hard-to-treat skin problems. Evocative photography and clear advice make this indispensable guide to naturally beautiful skin the next best thing to being born with it.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2005

Reviews

[raccoon reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for your personal library. It has lots of from scratch healthy skin products you can make. They are not overly complicated. It also had some words I’d never heard before like “greenwashing” which according to page 46 is when a products adds a few natural ingredients to an already chemically filled product. They’re luring you in with a few key words but its not really any better for you when you know what the bad stuff is. And this book will tell you what it is! There are lots of charts to break it all down.

I really liked how she divided skin types. It makes a lot more sense and goes into a lot more detail than just saying “oily, combination, dry, normal." She goes into detail about what causes your skin to be that way and how you can change it. This book was so much better than the 10 minutes, 10 years fiasco book.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read this before, but with all of the hot, dry weather was thinking about it again. I think the information is fine, knowing how to read a label for harmful chemicals is good. Some of the information is pretty obvious, (eating well and sleeping are two major components of having nice skin). But I was mostly looking back to the section where you can make your own things. However, I found them to be way too time consuming. The idea that I would make something that would take half and hour that would be one ingredient in a face wash that would take another half and hour to make and that I would then have to do it again the next day because it won't keep is crazy to me. So, my recommendation on this would be to read up on the info online then go to a nice health food store and get beauty products with a little bit of a shelf life.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've actually had this book out from the library before. I like her approach to skin care. She has a great list of scary chemicals found in most "beauty" products, another list of what good things to look for, what changes to make to diet & lifestyle to help combat particular skin problems, and lots of recipes to make your own products. I've always wanted to make-my-own lotions and potions. Something very romantic about the idea...

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIghly recommend for anyone searching for natural skin care. Recipes are easy to understand. Haven't tried making any of them yet, but plan to soon! The book is not just recipes for making your own products. Also includes several lists of natural and commercial ingredients, their purposes, what to look for and avoid. Very helpful whether you plan to make your own, or look for a commercially-available natural/organic product that works for you.

[Bronwyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book on how to make a variety of cosmetics for various skin types. So many of these DIY beauty books regurgitate the same iterations of basic lotions, creams and serums that sometimes I feel as if I've read them all. Close has a completely unique approach to beauty and treating the skin from within. A good read.

[Astrila · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't so great. I didn't really learn anything from it. I'm sure there are probably better books out there on the subject.

[Siona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun recipes and great ideas for beautiful skin.

[Krystal Esmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm all about eco beauty and natural beauty, this book was right up my alley. I LOVED the food recipes and the natural beauty product recipes. I would read this book again and I would recommend it.

[Isis Isis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for those wishing to move away from traditional cosmetics and skin care regimens

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIghly recommend for anyone searching for natural skin care. Recipes are easy to understand. Barbara did an wonderful job!