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Organic Body Care Recipes
Discover the joys of all-natural body care. Stephanie Tourles shows you how to use fruit, flowers, herbs, and minerals to craft healthy products that promote radiant skin, strong nails, shiny hair, and an elevated mood. Pamper yourself from head to toe with products like Strawberry Cleanser, Pineapple Sunflower Scrub, and Almond Rose Body Lotion. Gentle on your skin and free of harsh chemicals found in commercial products, you’ll want to indulge yourself over and over with these luxuriously aromatic bath blends, face masks, and body scrubs.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published May 30, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
October 7, 2011
I've made four recipes from this, the Aloe and Calendula Cleansing Cream, the Fennel Soother, the Smooth-as-Velvet Vanilla Toner, and the "Out Damn Spot" Antiblemish Elixir. I've not tried the vanilla one yet because it's still got a week and a half to steep until it's ready, but I've been using the others for the past several days.
The cleansing cream is an incredible moisturizer. My husband has eczema on his hands, and this is just wiping it out. It's taken a little getting used to as a facial cleanser since it's more like a cold cream than I'm used to, but I think it will be great for winter.
The soother feels wonderful after a shower, and the antiblemish elixir seems to do a fairly good job of wiping out small pimples.
I love the way all of this stuff smells. I love to just stick my nose into the jar with the cleansing cream and breathe in the rosemary fragrance.
It was a bit of an investment to acquire all of the ingredients (including more obscure essential oils) and storage containers, but I can see my family using the recipes I've made with them. In the end, I think it will cost less than the natural skin care products in the stores, and I have complete control over what goes in them.
Oh, and if I start making this stuff regularly, I might invest in an inexpensive blender just for this purpose. The cleansing cream (which contains beeswax and lanolin) was a beast to get out of my VitaMix.
Update: I've stopped using the cleansing cream on my face; it was just too heavy and left my skin looking greasy. But I still use it as a hand lotion and on my decollete. And the anti-blemish elixir is still pretty awesome. Photos of a couple of the things I made are on my blog in the post entitled "Potions Class."
The cleansing cream is an incredible moisturizer. My husband has eczema on his hands, and this is just wiping it out. It's taken a little getting used to as a facial cleanser since it's more like a cold cream than I'm used to, but I think it will be great for winter.
The soother feels wonderful after a shower, and the antiblemish elixir seems to do a fairly good job of wiping out small pimples.
I love the way all of this stuff smells. I love to just stick my nose into the jar with the cleansing cream and breathe in the rosemary fragrance.
It was a bit of an investment to acquire all of the ingredients (including more obscure essential oils) and storage containers, but I can see my family using the recipes I've made with them. In the end, I think it will cost less than the natural skin care products in the stores, and I have complete control over what goes in them.
Oh, and if I start making this stuff regularly, I might invest in an inexpensive blender just for this purpose. The cleansing cream (which contains beeswax and lanolin) was a beast to get out of my VitaMix.
Update: I've stopped using the cleansing cream on my face; it was just too heavy and left my skin looking greasy. But I still use it as a hand lotion and on my decollete. And the anti-blemish elixir is still pretty awesome. Photos of a couple of the things I made are on my blog in the post entitled "Potions Class."
July 10, 2012
Prompted by less than favorable reviews, I found this book in my local library rather than purchasing it. I'm glad I did- I ended up copying down only about 10 of the 175 recipes. This was because not all the recipes are suitable for all skin types (of course) and because many of the recipes differ only slightly. So it was easy to choose just a few that included ingredients I was already sold on either because I own them or because they are affordable and easy to find. For someone who is looking for completely homemade, preservative free skin-care and is willing to put in the time and effort to perfect it, this might be a good book to own in that you could experiment and try new things as the seasons change, etc. I'm not that person. It has good basic info about a non-synthethic beauty regime and she also provides good descriptions of the ingredients she lists in the recipes. But it's definitely geared towards people who are only looking for recipes for personal use as many of them need to be refrigerated or are for a single use (and not meant to be stored). I would put in the time to make dry ingredients and then mix them as I need them, or make a once-a-week treatment as I need it, but I am probably not going to make my shampoo or face cream on a weekly basis. Have to draw the line somewhere. She also uses a wide variety of essential oils, and some very expensive ones to boot. I'd hate for her to limit her recipes if she believes that these particular oils are the most effective for the purpose, but I am not about to spend $500 (easy) on ingredients without knowing how my skin will react, etc. To be fair, she does provide many "alternatives" for most ingredients, but chamomile and neroli are two common culprits that are very, very expensive. I also would prefer not to use lanolin, and she includes it in most of the lotion recipes. I would contend that it is not an essential ingredient and am willing to try some of the recipes without it, although she warns that every ingredient is in the recipe for a reason. All in all, if you wanted a vegan product, you would have to pick and choose. My last critique is that the title puts me off a bit. I think the current common usage of the word "organic" means raw materials that have been grown and produced without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. So recipes therefore cannot be organic... The ingredients could be organic, but that would be up to the cook, of course. But the meaning is debatable, and it makes a catchy title...
October 6, 2012
Honestly, I skipped the first section touting the benefits of a natural approach and the second section going over all the ingredients. I wanted to look at this book for the actual recipes so that's what I did. :D
Ones I want to try, chosen for simplicity, scent, and general need. (Note: I've omitted directions & application tips from some of the below. Also, I've abbreviated, so the book's wording is different.)
p 122, Cleansing & Rejuvenating Oil (all skin types)
2 tbsp each almond, apricot kernel, avocado, or sunflower seed, and extra-virgin olive base oil; 1 large or 2 small vitamin E capsules; 20 drops sweet orange, lavender, or neroli essential oils
p 126, Strawberry Cleaner (oily, comb, normal)
4 very ripe, medium-sized strawberries, sliced & green stems removed (for juice); 1 drop peppermint or lavender essential oil
p 142, Orange and Rose Toner (Comb, norm, dry, sensitive, etc)
1 cup distilled water; 1 tbsp crumbled, dried orange rind; 1 tsp rose petals; 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin * (In saucepan, bring water to boil, remove from heat, add the herbs, cover, and steep for 45 minutes. Strain into a storage container and add glycerin; refrigerate for up to one week.)
p 156, Peaches and Cream Glow Mask (norm, dry, sensitive, etc)
1/2 very ripe, small peach, peeled, or 1/4 medium peach; 1 tbsp heavy cream * (Leave on for 30 min.)
p 162, Mellow Yellow Banana Cream Mask (")
1 2-inch chunk of a very ripe banana; cream, light or heavy
p 180, Creamy Scrub Cleanser (normal, dry, sensitive, etc)
1/4 small, ripe peach, peeled; 1 tbsp cream, light or heavy (or 2 tbsp cream if peach is unavailable); 1 tbsp ground oatmeal; 1 tsp chamomile flowers, powdered; 1 tsp sunflower seed meal * (Keep on for 20 min.)
p 194, Light Moisturizer
1/2 distilled water; 2 tsp vegetable glycerin; 5 drops lemon, geranium, or rosemary (chemotype verbenon) essential oils
p 215, Honey Fruit-Flavored Lip Balm
7-8 tsp almond, jojoba, soybean, or caster oil base; 2 tsp beeswax; 1 tsp honey; 10 drops lemon, orange, lime, or tangerine essential oil (or oil or flavoring of choice); 1/4 tube or less of favorite natural, synthetic-free, colored lipstick (optional) * (In small saucepan over low heat, warm oil, beeswax, and honey until wax is just melted. Remove from heat; add essential oil & lipstick; stir until lipstick is melted. Set pan in shallow ice-water bath. Stir rapidly for 30 to 60 seconds until honey is completely incorporated & the formula is like thick frosting. Spoon into storage container; let set fr 2 hours.)
p 223, Crazy For Coconut Balm
7 tbsp coconut base oil (extra-virgin, unrefined); 1 tbsp cocoa butter; 40 drops vanilla or sweet essential oil (optional) * (Warm coconut oil & cocoa butter until butter is just melted; let cool for 15 min; add essential oils, stir, pour into containers, set for 2 hours.)
p 342, Bee Clear Sinus Vapor Balm
5 tbsp soybean base oil; 1 tbsp beeswax; 1 tbsp cocoa butter; 1 tbsp shea butter; 25 drops cajeput essential oil; 20 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil; 10 drops each of: lavender, peppermint, balsam fir, sweet birch; 5 drops tea tree essential oil; 5 drops thyme (chemotype linalol) essential oil; 2 drops clove essential oil * (Combine & heat all, except essential oils, until all solids are just melted. Remove from heat, stir, cool 5 min, add essential oils, stir.)
Ones I want to try, chosen for simplicity, scent, and general need. (Note: I've omitted directions & application tips from some of the below. Also, I've abbreviated, so the book's wording is different.)
p 122, Cleansing & Rejuvenating Oil (all skin types)
2 tbsp each almond, apricot kernel, avocado, or sunflower seed, and extra-virgin olive base oil; 1 large or 2 small vitamin E capsules; 20 drops sweet orange, lavender, or neroli essential oils
p 126, Strawberry Cleaner (oily, comb, normal)
4 very ripe, medium-sized strawberries, sliced & green stems removed (for juice); 1 drop peppermint or lavender essential oil
p 142, Orange and Rose Toner (Comb, norm, dry, sensitive, etc)
1 cup distilled water; 1 tbsp crumbled, dried orange rind; 1 tsp rose petals; 1 tbsp vegetable glycerin * (In saucepan, bring water to boil, remove from heat, add the herbs, cover, and steep for 45 minutes. Strain into a storage container and add glycerin; refrigerate for up to one week.)
p 156, Peaches and Cream Glow Mask (norm, dry, sensitive, etc)
1/2 very ripe, small peach, peeled, or 1/4 medium peach; 1 tbsp heavy cream * (Leave on for 30 min.)
p 162, Mellow Yellow Banana Cream Mask (")
1 2-inch chunk of a very ripe banana; cream, light or heavy
p 180, Creamy Scrub Cleanser (normal, dry, sensitive, etc)
1/4 small, ripe peach, peeled; 1 tbsp cream, light or heavy (or 2 tbsp cream if peach is unavailable); 1 tbsp ground oatmeal; 1 tsp chamomile flowers, powdered; 1 tsp sunflower seed meal * (Keep on for 20 min.)
p 194, Light Moisturizer
1/2 distilled water; 2 tsp vegetable glycerin; 5 drops lemon, geranium, or rosemary (chemotype verbenon) essential oils
p 215, Honey Fruit-Flavored Lip Balm
7-8 tsp almond, jojoba, soybean, or caster oil base; 2 tsp beeswax; 1 tsp honey; 10 drops lemon, orange, lime, or tangerine essential oil (or oil or flavoring of choice); 1/4 tube or less of favorite natural, synthetic-free, colored lipstick (optional) * (In small saucepan over low heat, warm oil, beeswax, and honey until wax is just melted. Remove from heat; add essential oil & lipstick; stir until lipstick is melted. Set pan in shallow ice-water bath. Stir rapidly for 30 to 60 seconds until honey is completely incorporated & the formula is like thick frosting. Spoon into storage container; let set fr 2 hours.)
p 223, Crazy For Coconut Balm
7 tbsp coconut base oil (extra-virgin, unrefined); 1 tbsp cocoa butter; 40 drops vanilla or sweet essential oil (optional) * (Warm coconut oil & cocoa butter until butter is just melted; let cool for 15 min; add essential oils, stir, pour into containers, set for 2 hours.)
p 342, Bee Clear Sinus Vapor Balm
5 tbsp soybean base oil; 1 tbsp beeswax; 1 tbsp cocoa butter; 1 tbsp shea butter; 25 drops cajeput essential oil; 20 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil; 10 drops each of: lavender, peppermint, balsam fir, sweet birch; 5 drops tea tree essential oil; 5 drops thyme (chemotype linalol) essential oil; 2 drops clove essential oil * (Combine & heat all, except essential oils, until all solids are just melted. Remove from heat, stir, cool 5 min, add essential oils, stir.)
July 11, 2012
Still memorizing recipes and sorting through the herb lists I can fetch in my region. The flowers were horrid this year, due to the drought, and Bluegrass dustbowl, but I managed to get in touch with a few friends, and my dad(who grows luxurious roses, like you'd never believe), and ask that they harvest the petals for rose oil & water. Great for facials & bath rituals. For a rose toner, I've also learned adding witch hazel for astringent and vitamin E for natural preservation! It's really a remarkable science in itself.
Roses have so many wonderful properties, that are seemingly lost in our daily regimen. Coming from an acne prone person, I can say, without a doubt-- chemicals and additives in our soaps, lotions and cleansers are practically the same as industrial detergents. I've done full field study on the subject, and besides- it's great for people to have simple means of using the resources in their surroundings to enhance their life.
I can remember my grandmother talking of days long gone by, and how the mountain women of the Appalachian(my homeplace) would treat their PMS and menopause with rose tea; not to mention the dried rose petals used as snacks, too!
Presently, I've been testing different types of oil recipes from this lovely guide and online blogs. I must say, a great deal request essential oils in their recipes, but I'll stick to my olive oil. For one of my future projects, I've ordered emulsifying wax for hand lotions and creams! I'm so interested in the crafting of these homemade treasures, especially for holiday gift baskets. :D
Roses have so many wonderful properties, that are seemingly lost in our daily regimen. Coming from an acne prone person, I can say, without a doubt-- chemicals and additives in our soaps, lotions and cleansers are practically the same as industrial detergents. I've done full field study on the subject, and besides- it's great for people to have simple means of using the resources in their surroundings to enhance their life.
I can remember my grandmother talking of days long gone by, and how the mountain women of the Appalachian(my homeplace) would treat their PMS and menopause with rose tea; not to mention the dried rose petals used as snacks, too!
Presently, I've been testing different types of oil recipes from this lovely guide and online blogs. I must say, a great deal request essential oils in their recipes, but I'll stick to my olive oil. For one of my future projects, I've ordered emulsifying wax for hand lotions and creams! I'm so interested in the crafting of these homemade treasures, especially for holiday gift baskets. :D
April 23, 2015
I checked this book out from the library and even extended it once. So, I probably finished this book back in February.
Since I've been making (and using) 90% of my family's body care products for over two years, there really weren't any big surprises in this book BUT I do think it's filled with a lot of great ideas. It provides a good starting place for people who want to use body products that aren't manufactured with tons of (mostly unknown) chemicals.
Since I've been making (and using) 90% of my family's body care products for over two years, there really weren't any big surprises in this book BUT I do think it's filled with a lot of great ideas. It provides a good starting place for people who want to use body products that aren't manufactured with tons of (mostly unknown) chemicals.
November 9, 2018
Endless resource with so many good recipes. I only wish it were more aesthetically pleasing.
March 18, 2018
A must have!
I borrowed this book from the library, and knew I was going to have to buy it. The book is very informative. It thoroughly explains carrier oils, essential oils, butters, and other needed ingredients. The recipes are simple, detailed, and the diversity of the recipes makes this book useful for any body care DIY enthusiast. There are also gift ideas included for sharing your homemade projects.
I borrowed this book from the library, and knew I was going to have to buy it. The book is very informative. It thoroughly explains carrier oils, essential oils, butters, and other needed ingredients. The recipes are simple, detailed, and the diversity of the recipes makes this book useful for any body care DIY enthusiast. There are also gift ideas included for sharing your homemade projects.
March 17, 2021
Received this as a gift and still grateful for it. I use a few of the moisturizing salve recipes still. I even used one or two recipe to prevent stretch marks while pregnant. I consult it fairly regularly still throughout the years to replenish my moisturizers which I sometimes gift to people.
May 11, 2021
I borrowed this from the library on Kindle, and now I plan to buy a copy for reference! There are SO many accessible recipes. The author very much makes one feel like they can tackle these kinds of projects and easily use healthy, clean beauty products made from scratch.
January 4, 2022
Gives excetional recipes I'm glad they're all organic and that there is "nothing bad in them". The fact that she explains different skin and hair types very well and gives an overview of all the ingredients she uses.
March 11, 2012
One of my many New Year Resolutions this year was to go organic. Be more green in every aspect in life. After researching all the negative impacts on commercial projects on my health, was the reason I wanted a change. Most of the chemicals in commercial can HURT you, possibly leading to cancer, infertility, and hormonal problems down the road. The skin absorbs the chemicals in shampoo, lotion, bath products, and everything else that comes in contact with it.
You’ll have to work your way up to making ALL of these. you will just want to start with one or two first. Then when you get comfortable with those, you can progress further into more advanced and making different types. you don’t want to jump in making tons of different ones right off the bat, or you could become confused.
This is a great book and I tend to keep it on my bookshelf for life. I want to continue my handmade business into also offering natural beauty products. I will have to wait until I move into a bigger house because there is NO way I have room for another hobby at this point, but it something I would love to do.
There are tons of companies becoming earth friendly, and offering organic products- but if you could make them in your own home and KNOW exactly how the process is done, and what ingredients are involved- wouldn’t you?
You’ll have to work your way up to making ALL of these. you will just want to start with one or two first. Then when you get comfortable with those, you can progress further into more advanced and making different types. you don’t want to jump in making tons of different ones right off the bat, or you could become confused.
This is a great book and I tend to keep it on my bookshelf for life. I want to continue my handmade business into also offering natural beauty products. I will have to wait until I move into a bigger house because there is NO way I have room for another hobby at this point, but it something I would love to do.
There are tons of companies becoming earth friendly, and offering organic products- but if you could make them in your own home and KNOW exactly how the process is done, and what ingredients are involved- wouldn’t you?
June 5, 2014
This book is way too fat for what it is. The first 113 pages are useless, for one thing.
I love the idea of healthy homemade self maintenance. But I do not love the idea of going out of my way, either by driving or by internet hunting, to find ingredients to allegedly make my life easier. I've priced some of the weirder ingredients in here, and, much like fast food is cheaper than organic food, chemical laden face care and conditioners are entirely cheaper than the weird assortment of crap in this book.
Also they hold up longer.
Yeah, I'm good.
I love the idea of healthy homemade self maintenance. But I do not love the idea of going out of my way, either by driving or by internet hunting, to find ingredients to allegedly make my life easier. I've priced some of the weirder ingredients in here, and, much like fast food is cheaper than organic food, chemical laden face care and conditioners are entirely cheaper than the weird assortment of crap in this book.
Also they hold up longer.
Yeah, I'm good.
February 28, 2011
Fantastic recipes that are easy to follow using ingredients you can actually find. I have greatly enjoyed the reduced steps in my morning using some simple guidelines and reducing the amount of times a week I wash my hair. Who knew dry scalp could be from washing too much.
Some of the items are expensive, but the quantities are small so it doesn't have to break you to try something new out. I hope when I get an oven and range to work on a couple double boiler recipes as gifts for super deserving friends.
Some of the items are expensive, but the quantities are small so it doesn't have to break you to try something new out. I hope when I get an oven and range to work on a couple double boiler recipes as gifts for super deserving friends.
November 12, 2010
A fun collection of body care recipes for total body pampering. I love the fact that these can be made with easy-to-find organic ingredients, and are not too complicated. We used some of the recipes in a recent girlfriends' get-together, and had a fabulous time making wonderful face cleansing creams, masks and scrubs that worked great, and looked so pretty in our little decorated jars and tins. Nice gift ideas for the favorite women in your life.
June 25, 2011
Lots of great recipes and seems like it's a great book on the topic, but I only give it 3 stars because the money investment just seemed too great unless you're pretty serious about it. Most recipes have long ingredient lists and there is equipment needed. I have very little of the stuff needed and I don't have the money right now, so I never tried a recipe, but when/if I ever do, I would definitely pick this up again for consultation.
January 23, 2012
A great book for people looking for chemical-free alternatives to mass-produced beauty products. If you have sensitive, easily irritated skin like me, or if you're looking for a fun weekend gift project, there are plenty of great recipes and ideas here. Can't wait to try the lip balm recipes, now that my favorite peppermint beeswax lip balm (I won't name names) significantly changed their recipe...
March 11, 2012
Very informative book. I am very concerned about all of the chemicals that we continue to put on our bodies with all the products we use as women. This book opened my eyes even more so and showed me how easy it is to make everyday products that are good for my skin and cheaper to make that what the stores sell. Best of all I can pronounce every ingredient I put in them and I know exactly what I am putting on the largest organ of my body, my skin.
January 13, 2009
This book has some fun, easy recipes for homemade beauty products. Even at the health food store I typically don't like the products I find, so lately I have been motivated to try to make the perfect concoctions of my own. Tyler hasn't been overly excited about my new venture, but I am going to keep at it until I find something that he likes!
Want to read
March 9, 2013Nikki and Andreas gave me this book for Christmas. I'm enjoying going through it and finding the recipes for what I want to make. I'm hoping to eliminate commercial skin and hair care products from our house as much as possible, along with commercial cleaning products too. Now to find a good place to buy essential oils!
May 26, 2010
good information about how to avoid using products with harmful chemicals that your skin can absorb--but the recipes for the products are not that convenient, since most have to be made for immediate use. i was hoping to find recipes for things i could make in advance. i don't want to mash up mangoes and oatmeal every morning.
August 25, 2013
I haven't read every word of the book, but I'm ready to move on with it. She has a very natural viewpoint to skincare, but it can be a bit overwhelming. I'm working on incorporating a few bits at a time to see how things go. Some of her recipes are dead-simple and some are more complex. I'll update here if they are awful or tricky when I try them.
February 18, 2013
I love the order in which this book is written. First, the basics of skin, hair and nails then a great glossary of most used ingredients in the book's recipes so there is no double-guessing why the author included certain ingredients in certain recipes. Also, the recipes pretty much stick to well-known and easily accessible ingredients that an amateur bath and body "chef" might find have around.
December 24, 2022
I borrowed this book from a friend, and it's looking like I'm going to end up buying it. The author is friendly, descriptive and just the right shade of crazy for me.
Plus the creamy clay masks make my skin look fantastic. The ladies I love are going to get one hell of a body care package for Christmas this year.
Plus the creamy clay masks make my skin look fantastic. The ladies I love are going to get one hell of a body care package for Christmas this year.
April 25, 2016
This book is AWESOME! It really teaches you a lot about the harmful ingredients in today's beauty products. Written really well and the recipes are simple to follow and will end up saving you money on beauty products. I have already tried a few recipes and love them. Would recommend this book to anyone.
March 29, 2011
Didn't get to actually USE any of the recipes (book was overdue back to the library) but flipped through it a few times and saw lots of great things for creams, lotions, cleansers, masks, and the like. Will definitely take out from the library again!
July 20, 2012
This book explains the dangers of using commercial products. It covers everything from ingredients, preperation and storage to the many recipes designed for babies through the elderly. I have tried some of the recipes and found them to be great alternatives to what I used to buy.
September 11, 2012
Oh wow, I loved this book! I borrowed it from my local library, but I will have to buy it soon. I've already made a few of the recipes and love the results. This is a must-have for anyone who wants to lead a more healthy lifestyle.
January 5, 2014
lots of interesting recipes for facial cleaners, toners, scrubs and lotions, with a few lip balms and a disappointingly short hair care section. a handful of random cold/flu remedies, bug repellents and sunburn treatments as well, and a large introduction to ingredients and their effects.
January 23, 2008
Fun, useful, green, and easy-to-do!
February 15, 2008
If you are interested at all in eliminating some chemicals from entering your body , this is a good place to start. Great recipes for homemade products that are easy to make and great for your skin
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews