For your Christmas list

Plenty of what I write about is bad news and downbeat types of stuff, but here's something upbeat. I absolutely love, Organic Body Care Recipies, a new book by licensed holistic esthetician and certified aromatherapist, Stephanie Tourles. Everybody should put this book on their wish list for Christmas, a birthday, or just an I-want-to-treat-myself-to-something-nice day!

Tourles has several older books on the subject, which I have used in the past, but I really love this brand-new book, because it's so comprehensive: it features 175 recipes for totally natural lotions and potions that help you care for skin, body, and hair, as well as improve your mood, provide comfort when you are sick, or repel pesky bugs. The first third of the book provides important background on A Natural Approach To Beautiful Skin, Hair and Nails; The Natural Apothecary; and Tools of the Trade for the Kitchen Cosmetologist. The next two thirds is recipe central, and the back of the book includes helpful appendices that point the reader to resources and additional reading.

When you make your own skin-care products you are assured that there aren't hidden, nasty chemicals, such as parabens and phthalates. And the cost is significantly lower than for store bought concoctions (investing in some of the essential oils is pricey at first, but they will last a long time, and they are typically used by the drop).

So far, I've tried Salt of the Earth Body Scrub, Tangerine Toner, and the Balancing Scrub and Skin Lightner. They're quite wonderful, and I can't wait to try more recipes. The book has cool ideas sprinkled throughout for creating gifts from your homemade goodies, something I plan to do this year at the holidays!

[Note: To make it easier for you to check back on this and previous reviews, I've added a Reviews page to the Toxic Burden website. I've also updated the Tips page. And, I welcome comments, questions, and discussions. Just click the "comments" link at the bottom of the post to get involved!]