The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances [Paperback]

Julie Gabriel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Go green and get gorgeous

The promise of beauty is as close as the drugstore aisle—shampoo that gives your hair more body, lotions that smooth away wrinkles, makeup that makes your skin look flawless, and potions that take it all off again. But while conventional products say they'll make you more beautiful, they contain toxins and preservatives that are both bad for the environment and bad for your body—including synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, and even formaldehyde. In the end, they damage your natural vitality and good looks.

Fortunately, fashion writer, nutritionist, and beauty maven Julie Gabriel helps you find the true path to natural, healthy, green beauty. She helps you decipher labels on every cosmetic product you pick up and avoid toxic and damaging chemicals with her detailed Toxic Ingredients List. You'll learn valuable tips on what your skin really needs to be healthy, glowing, and youthful.

Julie goes one-step further—and shows you how to make your own beauty products that feed your skin, save your bank account, and are healthy for your body and the environment, such as:

• Cleansing creams and oils • toners • facials • under eye circle remedies • anti-aging serums • lip balms • scrubs • exfoliators • clay and cleansing masks
• moisturizers • acne treatments • makeup remover • teeth whiteners • shampoos, conditioners • fragrances • sun protection • bug repellants • baby products • and much more!

With her friendly, thorough, and helpful advice; fabulous beauty recipes; product recommendations and ratings; Toxic Ingredients List; and a complete appendix of online resources, Julie Gabriel gives you all the information you need to go green without going broke and become a more natural, healthy, and beautiful you.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this thorough, practical guide, writer and registered nutrition specialist Gabriel (Clear Skin) recommends subjecting everyday cosmetics to the same scrutiny with which we subject our food: "each cosmetic chemical ends up in thousands of hungry mouths covering our skin-pores." Navigating labels is a true problem, because cosmetics come under no government regulation, unlike food and drugs; as such, skin products sold as "natural" or "organic" may contain numerous unsafe chemicals, with a few token ingredients to justify their claims. Gabriel provides a list of dangerous ingredients to watch out for (and why), identifies the safest products on the market (free from "synthetic dyes, fragrances, preservatives or detergents"), and takes readers step-by-step through cleansers, toners, facials, moisturizers, sunscreen, hair care and baby care. Her sophisticated daily regimen (two daily cleansings, exfoliation, toning, moisturizing and sun screen) may be too much for some readers, but those with the wherewithal will also find some useful, surprising tips for home-brewed cosmetics (eggs for masks, lemon and sour cream for exfoliants, organic mayonnaise for a moisturizer and foot mask). Though aimed at women, Gabriel also covers products used by men and children, including shaving cream, soap, shampoo and powders.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Julie Gabriel is a registered nutrition specialist (RHN) educated at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She launched a series of workshops titled 'New Mom's Diet' in Toronto. She is in the process of launching her own organic skincare line called Petite Marie Organics. Julie has been writing and editing fashion and beauty for about 15 years. In 1992 she worked in production at CNN's Style with Elsa Klensch. She was the associate beauty editor in Harper's Bazaar (Eastern European editions, 1998-2000), beauty editor in Atmospheres (2001-2001) and has written over five hundred articles and features on fashion, beauty and lifestyle.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: HCI (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757307477
• ISBN-13: 978-0757307478
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,081 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julie Gabriel is a holistic nutritionist, the author, and the founder of Petite Marie Organics (www.petitemarieorganics.com) natural skincare range for acne-prone, problem and sensitive skin. Julie lives in Switzerland with her daughter Marie.

Julie's fascination with beauty began nearly twenty years ago. As a beauty writer and editor she worked at such amazing publications as Harper's Bazaar, L'Officiel de la Mode et de la Couture, Atmospheres, WWD, and many more - including Style with Elsa Klensch (CNN) in the early 1990s.

When Julie's daughter was born, Gabriel has trained as a holistic nutritionist at Canadian School for Natural Nutrition. "I believe that cosmetic products are food for our skin, and if you take great care to eat healthy, wholesome foods, you must treat your skin and hair with the same respect," says Julie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

278 of 283 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Self-contradicting, August 7, 2009

By 

Alexandra (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (Paperback)

This book is somewhat enlightening -- it includes thorough dictionaries of both beneficial and potentially harmful cosmetic ingredients -- but the writer seems to be schizophrenic or to have not thoroughly researched the topic, which, as a former journalist, is highly concerning. I was disappointed with her recommendations of products by Avalon Organics, JASON Naturals, Stella McCartney CARE, and Kiss My Face. These lines are hardly superior and were sued by Dr. Bronner's last year for deceptively using the word "organic" and containing petro ingredients. However, the writer later retracted her recommendation of the Kiss My Face brand on her blog.

The retractions continue. She recommends bismuth oxychloride-containing powders by Bare Escentuals in the book (which I was shocked to read since she claims to be such a purist) but later says on her blog that bismuth oxychloride can "irritate sensitive skin like mad." Half the people who've used BE and developed red, itchy skin can tell you this. She spends an entire page on avoiding toners with alcohol(duh), then recommends an alcohol-packed toner by Dr. Hauschka.

Speaking of Dr. Hauschka, Ms. Gabriel recommends nearly every Hauschka product made. (By the book's end, one suspects her of having too-close relations with the company.) I respect Dr. Hauschka's biodynamic farming practices, but they use a high amount of alcohol as preservative. Combined with their heavy plant oils (e.g. peanut oil), their pricey products are infamous for breaking people out in milia. There are FAR better organic lines these days.

The book is packed with DIY recipes that require impractical & expensive ingredients, like rose oil, elderflower water, and calendula blossoms. What full-time working woman with a kid has the time or money? And tips like "shampoo your hair with plain egg"? How would that begin to cut oil and grime??

UPDATE: In addition to her questionable expertise, the writer has begun using her blog to bash other organic skincare lines hoping, most likely, of selling her own organic skincare line. There are now retractions on Juice Beauty (certified organic, solar-powered facilities), Jurlique (biodynamic) and L'Uvalla (a lovely new line at Whole Foods). It's completely bizarre that she would attack these brands while gushing about Bare Escentuals' mediocre and conventionally farmed skincare line. Not to mention, this is the same Bare Escentuals that's being sued in California for making false and misleading statements about its sales. Where are Ms. Gabriel's allegiances and what is her agenda?

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Contradictions, May 2, 2010

By 

doublefueltanker - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (Paperback)

As other reviewers have noted, there are contradictions in this book that undermine it's overall credibility. Here's one that's particularly egregious: On page 189, Gabriel describes lecithin as a "green emulsifier"; yet, in Appendix B ("100 Toxic Cosmetic Ingredients You Don't Want in Your Beauty Products") ingredient #55 is--believe it or not--lecithin. This is inexcusable to me.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A few issues., April 30, 2009

By 

Jeannine Wegmueller (Temple, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (Paperback)

I found this book to be a bit trendy. Do American women really have the time to mix their own beauty products? No one I know does. Page 57 warns of celebrity endorsements, yet page 75 refers to all the celebrities who use Suki Naturals. She consistently quotes opinions from the makers of natural products, but they are stated like facts. Conventional products do this too, and it is wrong. She loves Dr. Hauschka mascara in the book, but says it runs on her website. Little things like this bugged me. I did learn about ingredients to avoid so all was not lost.