Look Great, Live Green: Choosing Bodycare Products that Are Safe for You, Safe for the Planet

By Deborah Burnes and Frank Lipman

Body care and eco-consciousness need not be mutually exclusive, according to Deborah Burnes. In Part I of this timely book, she explains the historical roots of the search for beauty, and how it has led to a $60 billion cosmetics industry that misleads and confuses consumers on everything from product effectiveness to toxicity. In Part II, Burnes details options for buying natural and organic products in a range of budgets, with each graded on a good,” better,” or best” scale in terms of chemical content and overall health impact. Part III discusses the positive effects chemical-free products have on overall health, and how those effects are expressed in the appearance of our skin. Part IV contains a wealth of facts, tips, and shortcuts to help consumers experience living green and enhancing personal beauty. Written in an engaging style but based in science, Look Great, Live Green offers a fresh perspective on living an eco-friendly, body-friendly, beauty-friendly lifestyle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9781630266196

Reviews for Look Great, Live Green

[reflexandresolve · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's taken me quite awhile to review this book -- partially because on an initial flip through, it isn't at all what I thought it was. It's more along the lines of Paula Begoun's books -- IE -- reviewing products already on the market. For what it is, I suppose it's adequate.I share some of the concerns that other readers have documented. Her research doesn't seem backed up by evidence. The information also isn't presented in a particularly reader friendly, or even research friendly method.

[anniehidalgo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an interesting book. I thought she plugged her own products WAY too much, but I'd never really thought about the chemicals in moisturizers and shampoos and makeups before, and what she says makes sense. I was surprised that my Pantene shampoo appears to have only what Burnes considers to be potentially harmful chemicals, and really nothing (except maybe citric acid) that she thinks is GOOD for your hair. The recipes for making your own products were neat. I'm trying one tonight, and when I do, I'll update this review. I thought it was really sad though when she took away the single mom's drugstore products and replaced every single one of them with items that cost at least $20 a bottle. Yes, she apparently gave the woman a free basket, but now she'll be convinced she needs that stuff, and spend lots more on cosmetics. I think a lot of recipes to make her own - or low-cost alternatives would have done much better. I was disappointed throughout the book at the lack of healthy options the author appears to think that you can find at your local drugstore or supermarket. I, for one, don't have the time and money to track her expensive alternatives down. Well, thanks to the internet, everybody has time, but I am not likely to replace my $7 shampoo with one that costs $20, honestly. At least not on a regular basis. I'd be interested in reading a second opinion, as far as the helpfulness and harmfulness of drugstore cosmetics and toiletries goes. Surely they can't ALL be bad for you, across the board. So, I probably won't change my entire life as a result of reading this book, but I will try a few new things.

[sprucely-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Look Great, Live Green by Deborah Burnes is an excellent beginner to intermediate eco-green-conscious bodycare products user guide. It contains a lot of the common-heard lessons and “no-no’s” in “healthy” living, but there’s much information, lists, ratings, recipes, suggestions that even the highly researched “Green Living” person could integrate into their lifestyle. A smooth read, I recommend you read it now before some of the lists become outdated, however there will always be sections of this book that you’ll want to refer to if you choose to embark on the path to living a greener, more chemical-free life. Read the book, and even the skeptics could be converted.

[elysabeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book took me a while to do more than flip through - I made a mistake. I thought I was well-informed and product savvy, but am grateful now to have replaced that arrogance with the wealth of information here. Now that I've read it, I have pulled it out to reference multiple times. I did find the celebrity input unnecessary, and the presentation of information might have been organized in a better way. All in all, this book has changed the way I purchase products and is a valuable resource.

[journeys_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book arrived at a very good time, as a friend of mine had just gotten the news that her skin problems were likely due to ingredients in the products she had been using. She had to eliminate a lot of products from her usual daily bathing/cleansing/make-up lineup. I loaned the book to her. She found it extremely helpful, and took the "top ten" lists to the store with her when shopping for new products. Happily her skin problems are almost gone. Most useful about this book were the lists of ingredients to avoid. The formulation of cosmetics and hair products changes so often that a list of specific products to buy becomes quickly outdated.

[amysan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a love/hate relationship with the book the moment I picked it up. Although I try to live a healthy life, I was blissfully ignorant about the chemicals in my beauty products. And while I do continually want to make changes for the better, I wasn't necessarily ready to throw out all the products I currently use.That being said, I found this book very eye-opening and I would recommend it to everyone. Reading it made me want to throw all my current products in the hazardous waste and start new. She urges you to find your comfort zone with the products you use and provides a list of good, better, best products. I really appreciated the suggestions for safe products to use and especially the chapter with recipes to make your own. I found the author very knowledgeable and down to earth. While she makes a good case for using more natural products, she also lists quite a few resources in the back of the book and always urges you to do your own research.If you have any interest in living a cleaner, greener life, I would highly recommend this book!

[t1peggy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I asked for this book because I’m learning to appreciate organic food. This book seems the next step. Also I noticed I'm loosing a great deal of hair. I though it might be related to the hair product I've been using the past three years. Unfortunately I still don't have the answer to that question.I received this book during the holidays. This review is very delayed because of two things - the holidays and finding the information I wanted not easily accessible. I just didn't want to give up on the book. It seems well intentioned.This book does not read in one sitting, nor should it, with all the chemistry involved in beauty products. But I just could not get through the first chapters. Within them I read that talc and baby wipes are not recommended to be used, but did not see information that gave details of why not.The author did give tidbits of interesting information, like the chemical used in treating hair lice was banned for that product, but not in any other hair care product! And that the beauty industry first develops the marketing, then the product.I see from other reviews that the recipes have been enjoyed. I have to try again and start from that chapter.

[rbtwinky · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have been interested in breaking the addiction to chemical-based products for many years. I have tried, on various occasions to switch to natural products, but have always gotten such terrible results that I couldn't stick with it for long.Then comes Deborah Burnes's Look Great, Live Green, and I think I've found a solution at last. An entire book all about how to choose body care products that are natural and still help you to "look great." What I got instead was a poorly-written thesis about which chemicals are bad and good, how to spot them, and a list of products that meet those criteria. Burnes even makes the statement that she can't vouch for the efficacy of any of the products she recommends because she hasn't tried them.Most frustrating is the convoluted way in which Burnes presents the chemicals that she feels are not healthy. In the opening chapters she does a fair job of discussing some of the most infamous chemicals, such as sodium lauryl sulfate. Only when I got to the end of the book did I notice the listing of ingredients with guidelines to follow. Never does she comprehensively list ingredients one is likely to find with the S (safe), P (potentially harmful), H (harmful) categorizations she gives in the makeover section. The sections about specific types of products are the worst. Burnes provides a listing of ingredients from the "dangerous chemicals" side next to a listing of ingredients from a wholesome, healthy product. Sounds like a fine idea, until you realize that there are frequently ingredients that show up on both lists. How does that help anyone?!I have yet to implement any of the suggestions that she makes, so I cannot speak to their efficacy (either). I suspect the most useful information I will obtain from Look Great, Live Green are Burnes's insider tips about key ingredients for a given problem or area. I do intend to try out some of her recipes and enjoyed her recommendations in that section of the book immensely.

[marywysong · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very much in line with my own feelings regarding chemicals and misleading advertising, so I am happy I was chosen to review it! First a warning: this is not really the kind of book that you sit down and read all the way through. Instead, it works much better as a reference guide. I would recommend reading the initial chapters, but a large portion of the book consists of lists and details about specific products or types of products. If they aren't products you use, you really don't need to read every page. I think it is great that the author suggests we look beyond labels and ads to really see what is in the product. I admire this type of free thinking and self education. With that in mind, I was a little leery of the author's techniques. For example, she lists examples of good and bad ingredient lists; however, there is not enough accompanying information as to why the ingredients are good or bad. In her defense, there is a glossary at the back where you can read about each individual ingredient; however, I didn't find it until I'd already looked at the ingredient lists with no way to decipher them. Maybe it would help to flip through the book and see what all it contains before sitting down to read it?As I said above, I admire the author's desire to look beyond marketing tools to dig into the truth about products. But that leads me to an aspect of the book that made me uncomfortable. She "names names" and mentions brands and products, some positively and some negatively. I didn't like this idea because, one, it seems tacky to disparage certain brands, two, it bypasses the reader's ability to think for herself and three, it dates the information and makes it irrelevant should the brands go out of business. I think the text would work a LOT better if the author first explained (in depth) the pros and cons of ingredients so we could analyze for ourselves without being told what to use and not to use. I think that would be more in keeping with the spirit of the book.Those criticisms aside, this is still a helpful book filled with good information and ideas. I hope it will inspire more readers to analyze the products they use rather than just believing what ad agencies want us to blindly accept. As the author points out, our skin absorbs the toxins around us and we should be careful about what we use.On a fun note, there are body care recipes at the end, so once you've learned about products to use and avoid, you can try making your own. I was inspired to make a bunch of bath fizzies and salts and was so happy with the results! They go very well with aromatherapy and essential oils and are just as nice, (if not better,) than what you find in a store.In conclusion, the author is very well informed and may well be right about everything she says, but in keeping with the book's spirit of learning and thinking for oneself, I would encourage readers to read critically rather than just taking every word as perfect truth. Although I agree with most of her ideas, I think it's good for us to use the information and create our own opinions :)

[crazy4reading · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first started this book I thought it was just going to be someone trying to tell me how I should be using certain types of personal care products and pushing their own products on me. I was truly mistaken. Look Great, Live Green is a book that teaches and informs you of the misconceptions we have been raised to believe. I found the book well written and easy to follow while reading. If you are trying to figure out why your skin keeps looking older, dryer or just not what you are use it is most likely due to the so called 'natural' products you are currently using. Most of the cosmetics out there are not as natural as you may think. I learned that some of the products that I have now are not as natural as I thought. Anyone that is interested in saving money, time, their skin, and the environment should take a look at this book.Deborah Burnes has her own line of personal care products that are natural. She did not force her products on you as you read the book. Deborah rates products from, Good, Better and Best. Some categories do just have Better or Best because she felt that was adequate. She also tells you not to try and change everything at once, you need to find your comfort zone and the products that are right for you. There is a chapter on recipes to create your own natural products which I hope to try sometime. The end of the book lists resources to do research on your own. There is also a section that lists the natural products and there benefits plus a list of toxic ingredients and the cautions on how to handle them, if they are accidentally ingested or make contact with certain parts of the body and some diseases they are linked to. Now just reading those sections makes me not want to use the non natural products just out of fear of really causing severe injuries.

[katyphoenix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have been struggling to read this book. Not because it isn't well written, but because there is just so much information. I fear that it will be months before i finish reading the entire book. Don't be turned off by the amount of information. The author is very knowledgeable and her over all goal is wonderful.

[kaykwilts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For a while now I have been trying to be green with the environment and inside my home. There is a lot of information out there on how to be green and lots of useful information on how to clean your house with green products. I don't think there is much information out there on what we put on the biggest organ on our body which is our skin. This book brings an awareness of how we can take better care of our body by using green products. It informs us of which products contains ingredients which could bring harm to our bodies.It informs us of companies that are doing a good job and lists products for some of these companies. It lists products that have the least amount of toxins. There are some chapters which recipes on how to make some of your own products. I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipes.There is also a chapter on what you can do as a consumer to help tighten the safety standards for beauty products.I really do like this book. Not sure if I am going to implement every single thing because of the cost involved but will do as much as I can.

[pioneercynthia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was most intrigued by the sub-title of this volume, "Choosing Beauty Solutions That Are Planet-Safe and Budget-Smart." All too often, it seems, choosing to live in a manner that is more eco-friendly means choosing to live without something altogether, rather than just choosing a greener alternative (i.e., hybrid cars and solar heating, both of which require a substantial amount of money up front, thus being out of the range of most consumers). Having worked in the beauty industry as a young woman, I am well aware of both the lure of cosmetics and their often unpleasant ingredients. I read Ruth Winter's book, "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients," in its first edition, and found it to be quite eye-opening. Then I happened upon Debra Lynn Dadd's "Nontoxic & Natural" (1984), another gem.But what I like most about this recent foray into the world of green beauty is that the author readily admits that she isn't "completely" green herself. She says, "I am not an extremist who things we should all sew all our own clothes and eat only what we grow ourselves. I believe in affecting change through moderation, and I want consumers to have accessible, healthy choices .... I try to be 85 percent healthy and reserve 15 percent for some vitamin J--junk." (p. 13) I like this, because it reflects a healthy attitude, and that allows for a guilt-free, easy-to-swallow approach that prompts readers to make real, and lasting, changes in their lives.The book is organized into sections beginning with "Beauty Product ABCs," and then venturing into "Let's Go Comparison Shopping," followed by "What's a Busy Woman To Do?" and then "Recipes--and a Dash of Activism." There are comprehensive appendices for resources, ingredients and bibliographical information, as well as an index.This is a great book. Not too technical, but not too light-weight. I heartily recommend it.

[randirousseau · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I requested this book out of curiousity, but with a lot of skepticism (I like my $4 shampoo and bar deoderant, for example). BUT if there are better products I can still get around home that won't break the bank, and are maybe better for me, what the heck. So I requested the book.The skepticism rose when I noticed that the author of the book is the owner of Sumbody products. talk about bias, right? I have to give credit where credit is due, and in this case I have to add some kudos - this is a very well researched book, with a lot of clear explanation of products and ingredients, and why some things are "bad" while other things are "good." It's also very balanced - while, yes, there are Sumbody products recommended in each category, there are also a lot of other obtainable products, and I loved the "good, better, best" format for those. I also liked the note that if an ingredient was "iffy," WHY it was iffy. Very thoughtfully laid out and presented, and very thorough. Again - terrific research and attentiont to detail was obvious.I did go ahead and try one of the recipes in the book - the one for hair vinegar. I found an apothecary within driving range and got the herbs, cooked them up, and used the tonic. I did find a difference with my hair - more body, great texture! One word of caution, though - if you make it ahead and refrigerate it, leave it out long enough to be room temperature before you use it. Unless you really need to wake up in a hurry, pouring refrigerated liquid on your head isn't a good idea. I attribute this "duh" moment to not having had any coffee....Anyway, I do intend to try some of the other recipes, as they do seem to work!

[staria_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever thought about what ingredients are used in the make-up we use everyday? Or have you read the ingredient list and realized you don't know what most the ingredients are? These questions and many more don't get easily answered by the cosmetic products companies, still Deborah Burnes sets out to not only answer them in this informative book but also teach us that beauty does not mean sacrifice. At times it borders on preachy and it goes on and on about the harm big companies do, so be prepared to read a lot; this is not a book for light readers. Yet it never stops enlightening the reader about what is good and bad for your skin. What makes this book really great is the make-up recipes that anyone can make at home for a fraction of what we are usually are charged at stores. Overall, I hope that in the near future Burnes will enlighten us (and save us some money) with more recipes to try at home.

[anniejanicki · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an interesting book. I thought she plugged her own products WAY too much, but I'd never really thought about the chemicals in moisturizers and shampoos and makeups before, and what she says makes sense. I was surprised that my Pantene shampoo appears to have only what Burnes considers to be potentially harmful chemicals, and really nothing (except maybe citric acid) that she thinks is GOOD for your hair. The recipes for making your own products were neat. I'm trying one tonight, and when I do, I'll update this review. I thought it was really sad though when she took away the single mom's drugstore products and replaced every single one of them with items that cost at least $20 a bottle. Yes, she apparently gave the woman a free basket, but now she'll be convinced she needs that stuff, and spend lots more on cosmetics. I think a lot of recipes to make her own - or low-cost alternatives would have done much better. I was disappointed throughout the book at the lack of healthy options the author appears to think that you can find at your local drugstore or supermarket. I, for one, don't have the time and money to track her expensive alternatives down. Well, thanks to the internet, everybody has time, but I am not likely to replace my $7 shampoo with one that costs $20, honestly. At least not on a regular basis. I'd be interested in reading a second opinion, as far as the helpfulness and harmfulness of drugstore cosmetics and toiletries goes. Surely they can't ALL be bad for you, across the board. So, I probably won't change my entire life as a result of reading this book, but I will try a few new things.

[manybooks_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book! But I have to explain that I AM the target market: I make lye soap and bath products, I compost and garden, I believe in spending my money frugally and politically.This book ha great tips and suggestions for what to look for (and probably avoid) in your skin care products. My largest complaint is that the chapter of recipes is too small.

[ann_louise_7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Overall, I felt the Look Great, Live Green had a lot of good information on what's actually in the cosmetics we use. Just having that information can help readers made better choices. In this economy, having the "Recipes" section gave me economical alternatives to many products. However, I would've liked to see price ranges, or dollar signs - something to let me know how expensive the "Better" and "Best" products were.

[bethanynummela · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Man, there are a lot of chemicals in personal care items. I think the author does well at presenting her argument for natural products in a non-sensational manner. It's a tough topic. Tough to get facts on. Tough to stay calm about. So I applaud her efforts. She runs her own beauty/personal care line so her products are certainly visible in the book, but she's pretty open about her decisions to include them and criticize them when appropriate. My favorite part of the book has to be the recipes though. I'm not going to be spending lots of money on products when I'm currently spending maybe $20 a month on these things, but I will make my own stuff, see how it compares, and see if the trouble of making it merits taking a closer look at the more expensive albeit natural products. I'd almost argue for just reading the last chapter and skipping on all the "look how much toxins you are consuming" stuff.