Pure Skin: Organic Beauty Basics

by Barbara Close

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...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811843483
• ISBN13: 9780811843485
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (CA)
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An Easy, Informative Read with Gorgeous Photos

This is a lovely book. It's well written, well organized, practical, and filled with gorgeous photos. I feel soothed every time I pick it up! It's perfect for those who like their green to come with a side of chic. Barbara Close outlines her five skin personalities (balanced, hormone reactive, stress reactive, environment reactive and mature) and gives simple prescriptions for each, including what ingredients to look for in skincare care products as well as foods to eat & avoid based on your skin type, which I loved. The book also has short dictionaries of plant oils, herbal extracts, essential oils, and skin-clarifying herbs plus the top toxic ingredients. I most enjoyed her chapter on "Eating for Beautiful Skin." Close is a rarity in the organic beauty industry; she's a foodie, espousing moderation and pleasurable, healthy meals -- not seaweed soups and raw food diets. We're all going to indulge in too much red wine or go for the chocolate walnut brownie every now and then, she says. Don't beat yourself up. She then provides a helpful grocery shopping list. If you're trying to decide between this and Julie Gabriel's self-contradicting and visually dull Green Beauty Guide, go with Pure Skin.

Beautiful Book

This book is a delight. It has beautiful pictures and recipes. I created most of them and they are great like the expensive beauty products. Wonderful recommendations on skin care and the different types of skin. A lot of information on carrier oils and EOs. Create your own spa at home.

Great Resource

The way that skin types are described in this book is one of the most inclusive and helpful set of definitions that I've come across.

GREAT BOOK!

I'm rather picky when it comes to all natural beauty guides--often disappointed by the simple "recipes" I could probably figure out by myself (ie: add five drops of essential oil to unscented lotion). The beauty recipes in this book are limited, but more complex and actually worth trying/using. Good information on essential oils and blending, as well as a few tasty [food]recipes. This is a wonderful natural spa book. I especially love how the author doesn't use [the book] as a tool to push Naturopathica products =)

holistic skin care at its best

I absolutely loved this book. I am an esthetician and getting into holistic facials. I've learned so much and share this book with many people. It explains skin type and what essential oils to use on what type. I also love the easy recipes.