Handmade Beauty: Natural Recipes for your Face, Body and Hair

A bit disappointed in this book. While it has some decent recipes; I find any that I would actually make or use. Especially when they say their chosen preservative is a "entirely natural broad-spectrum antimicrobial that is safe"; grapefruit seed extract is NOT a broad spectrum preservative. Which this makes me second guess all the other things in this book.

I real crap

Checked this out at my local library and had to have it for myself. Excellent skin care recipes. I am a collector of natural health books and this is one of the best.

Arrived quickly, was a gift, so not sure about how helpful yet. but all looked great.

natural

Great book.

Excellent book

A beautifully laid out book with gorgeous photos and a great variety of recipes. Keep in mind that the authors are British, so some of the ingredients used in these recipes may not be readily available in the U.S. One ingredient used quite a bit in this book is Sucragel CF -- even searching online I didn't find a U.S. supplier.There is a helpful section on Sourcing Ingredients where they list the products most likely to be found in a health food store, ethnic grocery store, the garden, the pantry, and on the internet (though there are good-quality U.S. companies in their internet supplier list, none had the Sucragel).The first 1/3 of the book provides info on all the raw ingredients and their usage, along with basic techniques. One thing I found unique about this book is using actual vitamin supplements in the recipes. I've done this many times with Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil capsules, but hadn't thought of doing this with other dietary supplements for added benefits to the product. (Note that all of the "special ingredient" supplements used in the recipes can be found on Amazon, if not at a health food store.)The remaining 2/3 of the book contains the recipes, which are separated into sections for:– Face (25 recipes): cleansers, toners, creams & lotions, scrubs & masks, eyes, lips & cheeks– Body (16 recipes): bath additives, scrubs, butters & lotions, hands & feet– Hair (6 recipes): shampoo & rinses, treatments, stylingThere is an extremely useful Glossary of Ingredients section spanning 16 pages that includes the common name, Latin name, where you can find it (grocery store, etc.), and a couple sentences describing the therapeutic properties and/or benefits of the ingredient. A very handy resource.The reason that I deducted one star is because Grapefruit Seed Extract is used throughout the book as a preservative in the water-based recipes, but it is not a full-spectrum preservative. It's an antioxidant, which may *help* preserve your oil-based recipes or add a little longer shelf life to your raw ingredient oils (sweet almond, olive oil, etc.), but generally doesn't protect your products from bacteria or mold. I would use full-spectrum natural preservative(s) to be safe, unless you'll use the product quickly. LotionCrafter and Brambleberry have an assortment of these available. Just do your own research and be sure to check the MSDS & Tech Data sheets on products used for skincare.Note that the authors include an informative Safety section where they mention that each recipe/product has been microbe-tested, but it never hurts to do your own research.

A lovely book that is well laid out and a pleasure to read. I have a couple of observations: (1) reference to grape seed oil as a preservative is not strictly correct; it is, rather, an antioxidant that slows down the rate of deterioration of oils. Recipes containing water (or hydrous ingredients such as aloe vera) will also need a preservative to prevent microbial growth. (2) it would have been better if the ingredients had been listed as percentages rather than as a mix of weight (gs), volume (mls) and teaspoons. This way iterations of the product might be more consistent. Nevertheless, the recipes look achievable and I look forward to trying them.

Beautifully laid out book with wonderful photos and interesting and easy to follow recipes for you to follow and make healthy skin friendly products for yourself and friends. Perfect little gifts and a really lovely new hobby. Very pleased with this book.

What an informative and well written book. It presents a solid guide not just in terms of how products can be made but also offers a wealth of sound advice in terms of raw materials and products and their possible uses and benefits. All this is done in a way which is easy to understand, friendly and relaxed and will appeal to readers and enthusiasts across a wide spectrum of the population. The reader is never patronised but included in the whole process of discovery.A great reference book for all, even those who work in the industry.

Looks really good if your into handmade recipes. Will have a go at a few when I have more time but the book is a good way to learn about it all, if you just make them for yourself.

Looks a beautiful book. Cannot wait to delve into it. Good price too.