Posted on June 12, 2010 - by Leslie Billera

Create Your Green Personal Care Library

Whether you’re rocking a Kindle or committed to published paper and ink, there’s plenty of reading resources when it comes to greening your bath and beauty routine.

Style, Naturally

Summer Rayne Oakes

Green style guru and eco advocate Summer Rayne Oakes gives you a luxury-kissed directory with lots of product photos (think eco chic catalog). It includes the best and brightest in green and organic personal care. Other categories beyond beauty include clothing, shoes, handbags and jewelry.  Ms. Oakes is everywhere these days – from Planet Green correspondent to eco shoe designer (her label is Zoe & Zac for Payless); thanks to her deeply-felt commitment sustainability and her spirited, honest persona, you can never get enough!

Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Business

Stacy Malkan

Winner of Treehugger’s Best of Green Awards 2010 in the Fashion & Beauty category, this book is brought to you by one of the founders behind the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. The book covers the science and politics of chemicals in personal care products, and offers an inside look at the five-year campaign by environmental and health groups to pressure the U.S. cosmetics industry to use safer ingredients. Malkan is particularly committed to the vulnerability of teens, a topic we’ve covered on NapaValleyBath.com.

The Green Beauty Guide

Judy Gabriel

One of my favorite resources, this book offers a fantastic combination of solid, well-researched facts about the toxins in personal care products and tons of DIY recipes, many of which have been reposted on Napa Valley Bath. With her smart green beauty style, Gabriel wants green beauty to ‘save the world, one face at a time.’ Julie will help you to say good riddance to phthalates and parabens and hello to a toxin-free beauty routine. And she makes it both fun and interesting.

The Beauty Myth

Naomi Wolf

It may have been penned in 1991, but the premise holds up: images of beauty are too often used to make women feel bad. Although not green in nature, this book reminds us to consider the source of the beauty message – and reject its negative impact. Millions of women dare to compare themselves to unrealistic ideals of beauty; on this topic alone, The Beauty Myth still has a lot to offer.

What books inspire you to up your organic ante and toss toxins out of your life? Let us know here!