Customer Reviews

Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair: Natural and Healthy Bodycare for Every Body

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is AWESOME! It is one of the better books I've read on the subject of natural skin/hair/body care with homemade products.

It's very informative,very well organized according to sections (Face Care, Body Care, Mouth Care, Hair Care, Healing Salves and Balms)with special attention given to men, women and different life stages. It's very thorogh.

Dina Falconi provides countless recipes for creams, oils, balms and lotions as well as what those products can do for you and for whom they're most useful (i.e. mature/dry skin etc.)

Not only are recipes provided, but basic recipes for salves and creams are also provided so you can incorporate oils, butters and waxes that you particularly like. Say you don't want to make a beeswax and canola oil based lip balm (which is one of the recipes) you can flip to the back of the book and learn the proper oil/wax proportions for balms and you can try something else instead.

Falconi also explains the benefits of certain essential oils, herbs, butters and oils which is also very beneficial to those just beginning to make personal care products.

A great book!

Ms. Falconi's indepth knowledge of theraputic herbs, essntial oils and carrier oils assures me that any or all of the recipes are effective as stated. I've had excellent results. The number recipes given for the body is a good guarantee that more than one recipe will suit the need and the budget. I am grateful for her knowledge.

The book is hard to read with narrow margins and little "white-space" relief. Two indexes are confusing, techniques are at the end, not enough page number references, chapters for babies, men yet most of the products apply to anyone. When this book has a second publication, I hope the editors will expand the layout and clarify the organization.

I bought this book based on its many positive reviews - so it's only fair that I now report on it. I like the book very much and recommend it. Because I'm an aesthetician I have lots of books on skin care, making body products, etc., and this one has a lot of appeal because it jumps right into the recipes without a lot of other information to take up space. There are 14 sections, such as Facial Care, Lip, Mouth & Tooth Care, Hair & Scalp, Body Treatments, etc., etc. There's even a section Especially for Men. After just a couple introductory pages and some info on skin types we jump right into our first recipe Basic Cleansing Oil with Essential Oils and off we go.... The recipes are laid out clearly with the list of ingrediants and directions.

What I appreciate the most are the recipes for natural deodarants. I've made the Witch Hazel and Essential Oil deodarant using Rosemary & Peppermint and I absolutely LOVE IT - so fresh and natural. I've been wanting to get away from those chemical clog poring deodarants. I'm glad I purchased this book and I recommend it highly. I can't wait to make some hand creams and lip balms as well.

Out of all the skin and body care books I own, I would say that if you can only get one book - get this one.

I've recently gotten into making my own lotions and potions because so much of what is on the market to buy is full of ingredients that are harmful for a body. Some recipes and procedures take more time than others but are so well worth it. I found this book quite by accident but now thank the powers that be for it. The ingredients and methods for mixing and fixing are simple enough for a beginner like me, but indepth enough to let me know why and how it all works. Herbs and oils are explained as well and as extensively as anyone could ask without going into too much detail and added information that I can't and probably won't use. I'd suggest this wonderful and informative book to anyone that in interested in making alternative products for body and hair care. They are truely wonderful. Out of the many books I own on this subject, this is by far the most comprehensive and concise one to have.

Like one of the other reviewers, I have suffered for years from eczema. Reading that the other reviewer's eczema improved after consistent use of the recipes in the book, I decided to purchase it. What a huge improvement! My hands used to get literally raw looking...so ugly it was embarrassing. After only six weeks or so, I have only a small patch of eczema left on one of my fingers but it, too, seems to be improving. Furthermore, this is at the time of year when my hands would normally be worse because I'm an avid gardener and gardening irritates the eczema. I have tried many different kinds of beauty products over the years, but they must have had some common ingredients to which I am sensitive. I can't say how grateful I am for this book!

This book is overflowing with recipes and choices. And unlike other natural cosmetics books that give recipes by type, ie. creams, scrubs, ect.., this book lists recipes according to body sections--The Joy of Facial Care; Lip, Mouth and Tooth Care; Beautiful Hair/Healthy Scalp, ect.. whcih I find extremely useful when looking to find a formula for a certain body part.

Also, this book has chapters entitled "Especially for Men" and "Especially for Teens" two topics that are rarely addressed in other cosmetics books. All-in-all, I believe that "Earthly Bodies" is a well written, I got my moneys worth type of book.

The recipes in this book reflect the author's obviously considerable knowledge in herbalism, cosmetic and natural product chemistry and aromatherapy. All the recipes I've tried unerringly result in fabulous, professional-looking products that do what they say they will do. I am also very grateful for the generosity of the herbalists who shared their treasured recipes and health tips in this book. It's good to know that there are so many giving people out there. Even though I already know a fair amount about herbs (for a sort of advanced amateur, that is), I learned quite a bit from reading Ms. Falconi's little herbal at the end of the book (she focuses on the cosmetic applications of herbs) and the resource list is invaluable! I appreciate her efforts and the efforts of all the contributors. This is an important book in my library (and kitchen!)

I have struggled with eczema my whole life and just in the last year turned to herbal remedies to help. This book has been unbelievably helpful. Within weeks after using the recipies in this book to make my own natural lotions, shampoos, bath soaks, and cleansers, my eczema (which was at it's worst in many years) began clearing up. After a couple of months, it was almost completely under control. I never realized the extent to which the chemicals in commercial products aggravated my skin.

Not only has my skin cleared, but I love the relaxing bath soaks! I feel like a new person after soaking for a while with one of Dina Falconi's recipes. I'm also using the knowledge I've gained from this book to create my own customized versions of her recipes. I give this book my highest recommendation. Out of all the books I have purchased, this one is the absolute best!

As a natural cosmetic hobbyist, I have many books on the subject. This book stands out because of the easy-to-do formulas, the sheer number of formulas, and the explanations of ingredients. I also appreciated the fact that the formulas don't have a lot of ingredients. I found information that I had wondered about for years: the amount of vodka needed to preserve a high water content formula. I appreciated the source list and the layout. The line drawings added a nice touch to the text. I am happy with this purchase!

I found this book very easy to read and the recipes are easy to follow. This is a great reference book. I really liked that there were complete recipes and basic ones you could adjust to your liking. My first batch of hand lotion is wonderful and I can't wait to try more recipes