[.ca] The Good Earth Bath, Beauty & Health Book (ISBN 0873419545)

From Amazon.com:
You don't have to spend a fortune at upscale toiletries shops to amass a wonderful collection of soul-satisfying beauty products. Beauty consultant Casey Kellar has filled The Good Earth: Bath, Beauty, & Health Book with simple formulas for cleansers, masks, perfumes, lotions, toners, hair care materials, bath items, herbal remedies, eye balms, hand and foot treatments, soaps, and even mouthwash. Tempting recipes and lovely photos help you transform your home into a mini-spa using common household goods like baking soda, vanilla, and spices, and some readily available specialty articles like essential oils, glycerin, and beeswax (which are available at pharmacies and health food stores). Most products have a shelf life of at least a few months, so you can concoct lots of potions at once and then enjoy them for some time to come, and you'll know exactly what you're pampering yourself with, since everything's all natural. If you can bear to part with any of these goodies, you can also assemble one of the suggested gift packages for a friend. --Amy Handy

Scent Sensitivity and the Beauty Products Junkie:
For me, it was love at first glimpse. I grabbed this book and raced to the nearest checkout lane. I couldn't wait to get home and read it from cover to cover. I am a self-proclaimed "beauty Products Junkie" and addict. There are worse things to be addicted to. My one problem is that I have fairly sensitive skin and am sensitive to overpowering scents. I also get migraines on a regular basis. There's nothing worse for a migraineur and cosmetic-junkie than to get home with a fabulous new product, only to realize that the scent makes you sick! This book teaches you how to make your own homemade products with your own custom-blended scents. I am now able to smell good and FEEL good at the same time. I've discovered which scents I like and can tolerate and am able to make products with those scents using fragrance and essential oils. Don't limit yourself to the fragrance and essential oils available to you in your town or city, however. Explore the internet for websites that sell fragrance oils and essential oils. You will find many, many different scents. Choose an odd one and you'll be guaranteed not to wear the same fragrance as your friends and co-workers do!

GOOD INFORMATION - BUT WHO HAS THE TIME?:
What I did like about this book is the fact that it truly is a book based on natural products you can make yourself, and if it is a natural ingredient, it probably is healthy. The one thing that puzzles me, is where on Earth are busy, working people going to find the time to not only go out and purchase some of these little basic ingredients, but find the time to mix up the wonderful little potions and lotions? I have a top-management position and a family that keeps me going from sunup to sundown. Then, there is the clean-up afterward. With all the brands in existence today, I cannot for the life of me figure out why I would want to make my own toothpaste! I barely have time to brush my teeth, let alone make the toothpaste. If I am fortunate enough that my husband has time to give me a message at the end of the day, there are times when I would not know if he was using an exotic message oil or WD-40 for his car! For those people on a limited budget, by the time you run around and buy the basic ingredients(even "basic" can be expensive today,) I cannot see where this would really be a great money saver. "Dollar Stores" sell the finished product for less than some of these basic ingredients, and it is certainly not a time saver. Is it better for you....worth the hassle? I guess that is a matter of personal opinion. As for the book, it was ... in Canadian funds and definitely not worth the price!