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| Photographer: Michelle Cehn, Image provided by Robert Rose Inc. |
I was looking for something
different to write about. In the past I
had seen ads for gluten-free make-up, so I thought I would give that a
try. Of course, now that I was looking
for gluten-free make-up, I had a hard time finding it. So I took a look at the library to see if
there were any books on how to make some.
What I found was The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty: 125
Recipes for Vegan, Gluten-Free, Cruelty-Free Makeup, Skin & Hair Products. Full of recipes for personal care products
you can make at home, I must say this is one of the best books I have found on
the subject. As I went through the
pages, all of the recipes seemed really easy to do. Most of the ingredients lists are short and
easy to find. If you do, however,
struggle to find an ingredient, there is a resource list in the back.
Not
only does this book have recipes, but it also has great information
throughout. The beginning chapters
discuss how and why to get started with making your own products, as well as
the differences between the ingredients in store-bought personal care products
and those in the recipes. In the recipe
sections, little facts about the ingredients used are scattered amongst the
pages, making the reader really know and understand what they are putting on
their body. Also included is the shelf
life of each recipe (the recipes that don’t have one, it is explained, are
one-time use) and how to care for it.
This may not seem like an exciting item to include, but there have been
many times where I have come across recipes where the shelf life is not
included, making me wonder how long I would actually be able to use what I made
before it goes bad. In this book I don’t
have to guess, making it easier for me to decide which recipes to try, as I frequently
base that on shelf life and the care that is necessary.
One
concern I did have as I went through this book was the frequent use of lavender
essential oil. There is a family allergy
to it, so the use of lavender is not something I am able to do. Since lavender is used so prevalently in this
book, especially in the cosmetics section, I reached out to the author, Sunny
Subramanian. I asked her if the use of
lavender could be substituted or eliminated all together. After hearing back from Ms. Subramanian, I am
happy to say the answer to both questions is yes. The
essential oils in these recipes can either be eliminated or substituted. Some substitutions Ms. Subramanian gave me
were tea tree, geranium, frankincense, and neroli. There is a list in the book of the most
popular essential oils and their benefits to help you choose.
The
Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beauty is a really exciting book if you
like to make your own beauty products or want to avoid the chemicals and other
ingredients that are frequently in store-bought products. All the recipes are vegan and gluten-free,
however, Ms. Subramanian does warn that to make sure these recipes stay
gluten-free, read all the packages of what you are purchasing. Verify that they are gluten-free as well as made
in gluten-free facilities.
If you want to
try this book out before purchasing, check it out from the library. When you’re ready to purchase, you can order
this book from Boswell Book Company, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
