The Holistic Gardener: Beauty Treatments from the Garden

INTRODUCTION

This is the second in the series of Holistic Gardener books, each of which is aimed at promoting engagement with the array of beneficial plants we can easily grow in our back yard or front garden. The first in the series, First Aid from the Garden, was a huge success, hitting best-seller lists and selling fast. At signings and events for the book, I met many people with a genuine thirst for ways to remove chemicals and commercial products from their lives. This encouraged me to make beauty treatments the subject of this second Holistic Gardener book.

Being male, I did worry a little about tackling beauty, but nothing in this book is about conforming to current norms of beauty and attractiveness. I am not expressing personal prejudices or endorsing a societal ideal. Neither am I telling women (or men!) how they should look. I am simply exploring natural ways of maintaining the health of your skin, hair, eyes, etc., which can be considered beauty treatments for both women and men. Apart from things such as cleavage lotion or moustache wax, the treatments are pretty much unisex. To all I say, love your freckles, love your grey hair and, yes, protect your skin from harm and feel good about your smile. That said, if you can't love them completely, this book will help you at least care for them in a manner that won't harm you.

This book, like the first, is about adopting a somewhat self-sufficient and natural approach to health and beauty. There isn't a lot of that in the products marketed by the beauty industry. They use terms like botanical and herbal to create a halo effect, but why have ester of lavender when you can have real lavender? Why have a synthetic floral fragrance or a token extract of green tea when you can make a fresh hydrosol and a potent cuppa at home? It's not about thrift; it's about using the real thing. To my mind it is also about reducing the environmental impact of packaging and industrial pollution created by the beauty industry.

I have spent a lifetime studying and exploring medicinal botany, ethnobotany and holistic practices, so in this book I will borrow from herbalism, nutritional therapy, aromatherapy and even yoga, not just to banish blemishes, but also, hopefully, through the simplicity and beauty of a natural approach, to banish the anxiety of corporate, peer and societal pressure to be beautiful by purchase and be damaged in the process. As a gardener by profession and passion, this book was written with gardeners in mind, but the natural way is open and accessible to everyone, so just as gardeners share seeds and cuttings, I want to share the beauty of this approach to personal care with all.

WHAT IS NATURAL BEAUTY?

This book is about natural - rather than chemical - beauty treatments. It is about enhancing or revealing your natural beauty but also about the beauty that comes from nature - simple treatments from the garden, the hedgerow, the kitchen cupboard or the fridge. Many beauty products contain less-than-admirable ingredients, and the short-term fix must be weighed up against long-term health.

The history of cosmetic treatments is littered with dangerous practices. In ancient Rome women put toxic lead on their faces and during the Renaissance they used poisonous atropine to dilate their pupils. Today there are oestrogens, carcinogens and other nasties in manufactured products, which we can avoid by going natural. Many of the natural treatments I have discovered, and that I explore in this book, work better than commercial versions and can be had at a fraction of the cost. But natural beauty is about more than saving money - the reconnection with nature and natural methods may just save your health and even your sanity. As a holistic gardener, I know they will save your spirit and your soul and allow your natural radiance to shine through.

WHY GO NATURAL?

Gardeners are ecologically conscious. We face ethical choices head-on all the time: home compost versus peat, no-dig or manual methods versus chemical weed control, beneficial insects and biological control versus chemical pest control, the GM debate and so on. We inhabit a natural world, even if we attempt to manicure it and bend it to the constraints of garden design and personal taste. We are still in sympathy with, or at least participating in, nature. So if you bought this book as a gardener, you are probably already of a mind to live a more natural, chemical-free life and you will likely embrace the recipes as readily as you would a comfrey feed or a garlic spray. If this book was bought for you, it may be the first time you have considered the option of going natural over using manufactured products and electronic and chemical treatments. In that case why go natural? is a valid question.

I won't rehash the ethical debates, I won't plead with you to change your lifestyle, nor even push the mind-body-spirit aspect of embracing the natural. All I will say is read the labels on your shop-bought products, and if you see any of the following ingredients, you might want to think twice about sticking with the product.

ACETONE. Industrially manufactured acetone found in cosmetics is a solvent. It is also used to dissolve plastics, thin printing ink and as a paint remover. It is a skin irritant and is harmful to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Long-term or persistent exposure can shorten the menstrual cycle in women and cause kidney damage.

ALCOHOL is used in some natural beauty products to extract phytochemicals or to store them in tincture form. In commercial beauty products it is used to thin the consistency of a product and also to help other ingredients cross the skin barrier. In natural remedies the alcohol used is generally a natural grain alcohol such as that used in vodka, while commercial alcohols tend to be esters and/or chemically enhanced, often derivatives of propane or petrochemicals, such as isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol. In general commercial chemical alcohols dry the skin, thin or erode the skin's natural barrier and affect regeneration mechanisms.

ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, often listed as E-numbers, feature in soaps, shampoos, bath products, hair gels, shave gels, toothpastes, body lotions, face creams, skin toners, face masks and so on. Some colours are derivatives of coal tar and can contain heavy metal salts (including traces of arsenic and lead), others are synthesised using chemicals that can thin the skin and block pores.

BENZYL DIMETHYL STEARYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE is used in lipstick, hair colourants, body lotions, shampoos and conditioners, as well as in some contraceptive formulations. Its industrial application is to boost the efficacy of detergents and industrial cleaners. It is a skin and eye irritant associated with occupational dermatitis.

BUTYLATED HYDROXYTOLUENE (BHT) is a toluene-based cosmetic preservative commonly used in shaving gels and many products aimed at men. Toluene is a toxic chemical linked to eye and lung irritation, hormone disruption and carcinogenic effects.

BUTYLENE GLYCOL is utilised as a solvent and viscosity-decreasing agent to thin products so they can be more easily applied. It can be found in concealer, foundation, moisturisers, sunscreens, eye creams and mascaras. When absorbed through skin or ingested, it is metabolised into gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, a depressant that slows down the activity of the brain and the central nervous system.

CARBAMIC ACID. See iodopropynyl butylcarbamate.

CARBOMER is a chemical made from acrylic acid or petroleum oil. It is found in sunscreen, moisturisers, shampoos and styling gel. It is a plastic and has all the endocrine-altering properties of plastics.

COAL TAR is a by-product of bituminous coal. It features in make-up and haircare products (dyes and anti-dandruff products) but also as a treatment for seborrhoea and psoriasis. Within the beauty industry it is considered a 'safe and effective' cosmetic biocide. However, coal tar is linked to phototoxicity, dermatitis and folliculitis. As a product of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - a set of persistent organic pollutants - there are fears around the risks associated with its mutagenic potential and possible carcinogenic effects.

COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE features in body washes, liquid soaps, bath products, shampoos, toothpastes, contact lens solutions, make-up removers and other skincare products. It is a synthetic detergent that can lead to sensitisation and hypersensitisation. It was named allergen of the year in 2004 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society.

DIAZOLIDINYL UREA is a preservative used in cosmetics and toiletries. It releases formaldehyde and can increase skin sensitivity. Allergies and contact dermatitis are potential outcomes of exposure.

DIETHANOLAMINE (DEA) is often used in the processing of commercial soaps and shampoos, if it is not an actual ingredient. It is also used in industrial cleaners, pesticide sprays, agricultural chemicals and the rubber processing industry.

ESTERS are compounds formed from an alcohol and an organic acid. For the really scary ones, see parabens.

ETHYL ALCOHOL naturally occurs in wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages, but the commercial-/industrial-grade stuff is first denatured and then combined with toxic additives such as methanol (formulated from a combination of carbon monoxide and hydrogen), benzene (a known carcinogen) and paraffin (a petrochemical by-product). It can also be metabolised into acetone in the body.

ETHYLENE GLYCOL is used to make antifreeze, hydraulic brake...