Some of these books are about making your own products from formulations they provide, others are more about reviewing and providing information about natural and conventional cosmetics and personal care products, still others do both.
There are also other books on these topics covered in the library article on books about DIY Household Products, available here.
Beauty from the Garden – Alan B. Hayes – Sally Milner Publishing (AUS) 1991 ISBN 978 1 86351 029 5 – This is a small paperback, but has lots of formulations. The book starts off with a few pages of general advice on things about the recipes and ingredients, how to make gels, drying herbs, allergies and such, followed by a page on skin types and what they look like. The book is then divided into three parts: Part one, natural health and beauty, focusses on treatments for the skin including herbal teas, vitamins and minerals, lotions and preparation for the skin and hair. Also covered are hand and body lotions, bath additives, essential oils and cosmetic herbal teas. Part two talks about fragrances and formulations for pot-pourri, pomanders, sachets and fragrances to encourage sleep including formulations for making sleep pillows. Part three discusses essential oils, floral waters and vinegars. The last part of part three provides a dictionary of fragrant herbs. The book has no photographs or line drawings.
Beauty Masks and Scrubs – Elaine Stavert – Guild of Master Craftsman Publications (UK) 2010 ISBN 978 1 86108 692 1 – The book starts off with a discussion of the history of bathing and is then broken down into three sections. The first section discusses basic techniques for making beauty masks and scrubs and covers the equipment and materials needed, then techniques for face and body scrubs, followed by masks and wraps. The second section goes through all the basic ingredients needed like clays, herbs, honey, eggs and dairy, essential oils and vegetable oils. The third section (which takes up a fair amount of the book) provides recipes for thirty individual products with such interesting names as ‘Bee Gorgeous’, ‘Spot the Difference’, ‘Playing Footsie’, and ‘It’s a Wrap’. Each recipe takes a page and lists what ingredients are needed, how to make it, and how to store it. The book has a large number of colour photos.
Bath Scents – Alan Hayes – Angus & Robertson (AUS) 1994 ISBN 978 0 207 18230 2 – The book has eight chapters with an introduction, the introduction giving general advice on processes and materials using in compounding. Chapter one talks about using herbs and aromatic oils to make ‘scented waters’ for bathing and chapter two talks about preparations for special purpose baths like moisturising, cosmetic or therapeutic baths and foot baths. Chapter three covers soaps and bath oils, chapter four covers the use of aromatic oils and chapter five covers floral vinegars. Chapter six covers herbal hair care, chapter seven covers products to be used after the bath like body oils, body splashes and body powders. Chapter eight covers making colognes and toilet waters. The book has some decorative B&W and colour line drawings.
Natural Fragrances (Outdoor Scents for Indoor Uses) – Gail Duff – Doubleday (AUS) 1989 ISBN 978 0 86824 343 4 – After the introduction, the book is basically divided into two sections – The first two chapters discuss the ingredients that can be used ie herbs and flowers followed by dried and bottled ingredients, which takes up the first third of the book. The rest of the book is devoted to the description and formulations for products that can be made from these ingredients. Twenty one herbs are mentioned, various roses and eighteen other fragrant flowers are mentioned plus ten flowers that can be added for colour. Collections of formulations are grouped under the following headings: Pot-pourri; sweet sleep pillows, sacks and sachets; scented linens and clothes; pomanders and spice ropes; natural fragrances for the bathroom; scented candles and burning perfumes plus fragrances for Christmas. The book has lots of colour photos.
Pure Scents for Well Being – Joannah Metcalfe – Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. (US) 1999 ISBN 0 8069 4813 2 – This is not a large book, and tends to have pages taken up by colour photos and widely spaced writing, which cuts down on the content. It also contains some woo. The book is broken up into three sections, the first being ‘Aromas for Well Being’ and discusses things like aromatherapy past and present, origins of essential oils, inhaling and absorbing, mind body spirit. The second section ‘Balance the Body’ covers topics such as your bodies needs, restorative slumber, cleansing the body internally (!), boosting the immune system, healing vapours, natural first aid and enliven your love life. The third section ‘Harmonising Surroundings’ talks about releasing natural scents, purifying the air, herbs for healthy living, scented and spotless, living room lounging. As mentioned previously there are lots of colour photos.
No More Dirty Looks – No more dirty Looks – Sioban O’Connor & Alexandra Spunt – Da Capo Press (US) 2010 ISBN 978 0 7382 1396 5 – This is not so much a DIY book as a book that discusses the components of current cosmetics, what the can do for (or to) you and what brands are best according to their research. The book starts out with a story of how the authors tried a hair straightening process that they became concerned about, found it was formaldehyde-based and then worried about the entire industry, hence this book. The book has ten chapters, the first two covering how the industry is regulated and discussing the ingredients covering what it is in, how its listed, any issues with it and the risk factor. The rest of the book is divided up into chapters covering specific parts of the body including hair, face, body, nails, diet and lifestyle. There is also a chapter specifically on make up. This is a great book, well worth getting hold of! The book has no illustrations.
The Green Beauty Guide – Julie Gabriel – Health Communications Inc. (US) 2008 ISBN 978 0 7573 0747 8 – This book is about the issues with commercial cosmetics in a similar way to the previous book but takes things a step further, talking first about the nature of skin, then details on some of the toxic chemical present in commercial cosmetics and includes the 12 lessons of smart beauty Shopping followed by a section on what ‘green beauty’ is, and isn’t. This is followed by a section on making your own products, including a discussion of potential ingredients. This is followed by sections explaining, and providing some formulations for ‘green’ cleansers, toners, home facials, moisturisers, sun protection, hair care, baby care, mineral makeup, fragrances and beauty detox. The book has a few line drawings.
The Green Beauty Bible – Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley – Kyle Cathie Ltd. (UK) 2009 ISBN 978 1 85626 851 6 – This is a big book at over 220 pages. While there is advice on what to do for various parts of the body to maintain your health and beauty, and there are a few suggestions of products that can be home made, the greater part of the book is reviews of ‘green’ beauty and personal care products. The book is broken up into ten subjects including six on body parts, (including skin, eyes, teeth, hair, body, hands and feet ) one on fragrances, one on makeup, one on sun and sun protection and one on ‘natural living’. There are lots of colour photos.
