Over the last years, the Internet has become a proverbial well of skincare wisdom that never runs dry. And fair enough. The knowledge you can get from reading skincare/beauty columns, blogs, and even Instagram captions (feels surreal to say this) is invaluable.
It’s plenty.
It’s easily accessible.
It’s relevant and up-to-date.
But as with everything instant and immediate, information fished out of the Internet has its limits. It often provides quick-fix solutions for your concerns rather than equipping you with an in-depth understanding of how your skin works so you can make an informed decision. Plus, all that hottest and trendiest knowledge right at your fingertips often leads to spontaneous purchases that neither your budget nor, frankly, your skin needs.
That isn’t to demonize beauty blogosphere or say that all online content is inherently flawed. But if you feel uninspired, overwhelmed or lost, we recommend to turn off your computer and pick up a book instead.
But what book?
To get you started, we’ve put together a list of five books that anyone interested in beauty and skincare should read. Whether you’re a skincare newbie or a savvy enthusiast, looking for an entertaining read or a serious dive-in into how our skin works, there is a book for everyone!
1. Clearing Up Skin Care: A No-nonsense Guide to Finding a Routine that Works
New to skincare and feeling overwhelmed? Skincare addict who got sidetracked by all the marketing noise? Then this book is for you. Board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Jennifer Janiga offers sensible advice on how to approach your skincare regimen – from building to sustaining it long-term. She will guide you through a bizarre world of skincare ingredients, sharing useful insights about skin, health, and busting a few beauty myths along the way. After reading this book, you’ll feel empowered not to be bothered by distractions, set clear skincare goals, and choose products that work for you.
2. The Beauty Geek’s Guide to Skin Care: 1,000 Essential Definitions of Common Product Ingredients
If you’ve always been wanting to “clean up” your act vanity and possibly even venture into the world of DIY beauty, this book is for you. It offers a realistic perspective on what clean, nontoxic beauty is without being preachy or patronizing. The author, Deborah Burns, won’t tell you that natural is better, nor that synthetic is toxic. Instead, she’ll arm you with essential knowledge on how our skin works, common ingredients, and their functions, so you can choose what’s right for you. And in case, you decide au naturale is the way to go; she’s got ten easy DIY recipes to get you started.
3. Skincare Bible. Your No-nonsense Guide to Great Skin
While the books introduced above focus more on the ingredients and how to spot those that work for your skin, this book dives deeper into various skin conditions. Dr. Anjali Mahto has long recognized that beauty blogosphere is saturated with conflicting (and sometimes straight-on harmful) advice. With this book, she aims to offer unambiguous, scientifically-backed advice for common skincare conditions, such as acne, rosacea, age spots, and moles. Despite being chock full of scientific facts about our skin and body, the book is written in simple language that’s easy to follow and understand.
4. Great Hair Days and How to Have Them
Technically, this isn’t a skin care book, but it deals with a topic surrounded by as much mystery and pain as skin care. And this topic is hair. Specifically, how to care for and style it. This book is for everyone who have you ever left hair salon feeling cheated. Or stood in front of the mirror for hours trying to tame unruly locks without much luck. Written by an acclaimed British hairstylist, this book is full of easy-to-follow, no b.s. advice on how to take matters into your own hands and become an expert in your hair. A great hair day every day? Yes, please.
5. Pretty Iconic. A Personal Look at the Beauty Products that Changed the World
An entertaining, spritely written page-turner that any self-respecting #beautyjunkie must-read. Sali Hughes, an eloquent British beauty journalist, presents her take on what’s become iconic in the beauty industry. Each iconic product is a personal story that is masterfully interwoven with nontrivial historical facts that altogether make for a very entertaining read. Sali acknowledges that her answer to “what makes an icon” is heavily biased – by being a woman in her forties and British to the core. But it is this bias that makes the book well worth the time because it makes us, readers, wonder: “If I were to write this book, what stories would I tell?”
THE MOTHER MADE EDIT 