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

This book is 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 brands 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 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 nut oils (e.g. peanut oil), their pricey products are infamous for breaking people out in milia or causing irritations. 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), Jurlique (biodynamic) and L'Uvalla (a lovely new line at Whole Foods). It's 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?

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.

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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.

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From the founder and owner of the organic skin-care line, Petite Marie, comes a revealing look at cosmetics and skin care that the most of the beauty industry would love to keep secret. For instance, all that a product needs to be labeled as "Organic" is a drop of organic essential oil. This is called greenwashing and most greenwashers spend more money on promoting themselves as environmentally friendly than they do on formulating toxin-free, environmentally sound products.

With The Green Beauty Guide, Julie Gabriel starts with the basics of learning all about your skin and guides you through what you should look for in all your beauty products. She teaches you the how tell the difference between a good marketing campaign and truly organic products. You'll also find The Ten Commandments of Green Beauty, How to Go Green Without Going Broke and even recipes for your own organic beauty products such as cleansers, toners, facial masks, moisturizers and even acne zappers with simple easy to find ingredients.

For me, a not so environmentally conscious consumer, the realization what most of us are doing to our skin and the environment was initially a bit intimidating and scary really but Gabriel's information makes it easy to make the green switch. I've already been through my cabinets checking labels and packaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making a difference.

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The author lost me the first time she used the phrase "chemical free". You will never find a product free of chemicals. Chemicals are everywhere. H2O is a chemical. Just because a chemical is produced doesn't make it better or worse than a chemical found in nature. And many chemicals found in nature are very bad for you... "natural" doesn't necessarily mean "desirable".

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