Customer Reviews

The World Beauty Book: How We Can All Look and Feel Wonderful Using the Natural Beauty Secrets of Women of Color

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book. It is full of interesting recipes for various beauty treatments you can make at home, and each one is accompanied by a story about an exotic place, and/or historical information about the recipe. I want to try every one in the book!!!

I've bought many copies for gifts. I also have two copies for myself. Though it could have been so much better with illustrations and some photos, it is still one of my absolute favorite beauty books!

This is because of the rich diversity of beauty treatments, adornments, fashion, and grooming tips described. It would be a particularly great book for a young woman/teen of non-European or multiracial descent living in the United States where the beauty standard is still quite shockingly narrow.

This book teaches pride in one's own unique beauty and cultural aspects (from China, Africa, India, Brazil, Japan, the Caribbean, Mexico, Indigenous Americas and more)

There's also a great intro history of beauty and adornment from ancient times to the present, "Beauty Throught the Ages" which I totally love!

"The World Beauty Book..." presents unconventional and exotic beauty treatments that can be found across the globe - treatments which are sometimes inherent in their culture and have spiritual or societal implications, or simply methods of beautifying oneself.

While preparation of the recipes is easy, exercise discretion in determining proportions of the ingredients. (I found this the hard way when I tried the petroleum jelly hair conditioning - I found that the portion called for is too much for my hair. However, the conditioning treatment turned out fine when I reduced the portion significantly.) In addition to this, some of the recipes call for ingredients which I have difficulty looking for.

What I like about this book are the relaxation tips that are included in addition to beauty recipes - I especially liked the bit that teaches you to de-stress yourself by simple hand strokes and visualization. And in presenting beauty recipes and rituals of women across the world, I appreciated knowing more about women worldwide, and how much and how little my culture and theirs have in common.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Anyone can use it, not just women of color. The recipes are simple and most are ingredients we have or can acquire at the store. The book also gives an interesting tidbit with each recipe, showing how each on worked for someone. It also gives advice on what not to do in terms of beauty. I recommend this book to everyone!