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zhzhang's review against another edition
4.0
Minimalism about cleaning - do less and gain more. I guess I will still shower, but not using so much chemical products.
yungdipshite's review against another edition
4.0
I mean I won’t be giving up low pH synthetic detergents either from my laundry or from my shower routine but it was interesting to hear more about the history behind the soap industry and some related public health issues as well as the cautionary tale about the dire lack of enforceable regulation of consumer products in the United States.
Edit 14th august - NO MENTION OF SUNSCREEN? Yeah no waterproof sunscreen use necessitates some type of detergent this whole do nothing to your skin sounds great until you realize they’ve avoided the whole well studied fact that sun UV exposure does tend to cause skin cancer. Like sorry to my micro biome but that’s a gaping hole in the argument.
Edit 14th august - NO MENTION OF SUNSCREEN? Yeah no waterproof sunscreen use necessitates some type of detergent this whole do nothing to your skin sounds great until you realize they’ve avoided the whole well studied fact that sun UV exposure does tend to cause skin cancer. Like sorry to my micro biome but that’s a gaping hole in the argument.
benrogerswpg's review against another edition
4.0
Intriguing read! Good way to save the earth. Been getting into this method during the pandemic.
3.8/5
3.8/5
10_4tina's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
So interesting!
It had a similar, though less dark, vibe to the Secret Life of Groceries. As a recovering germaphobe, chronic health fighter, and skincare minimalist, this piqued so many areas of interest for me. If any of these areas interest you, read this accessible, meandering deep dive. :)
Favorite tidbits that I've brought to conversation from the book:
Ch 6
-cohabitating partners start to have similar biomes
Ch 7
-health benefits of physical touch include strengthened immune system, lowering blood pressure, improving memory, reducing pain, and more - McMillan - addiction support in Portland, Oregon - Treehouse Recovery - predicated heavily on physical contact
Ch 9
-playground with cows, chickens, goats, and ponies - Wondergarden Farm - Danish government park
-Nature-based programs - Brooklyn forest - parent child class for preschoolers meant to help kids build a meaningful connection to nature and wildlife with vigorous physical work and nourishing food, with simple rhythms and constant singing, with feeling at home in the forest. Prospect park.
It had a similar, though less dark, vibe to the Secret Life of Groceries. As a recovering germaphobe, chronic health fighter, and skincare minimalist, this piqued so many areas of interest for me. If any of these areas interest you, read this accessible, meandering deep dive. :)
Favorite tidbits that I've brought to conversation from the book:
Ch 6
-cohabitating partners start to have similar biomes
Ch 7
-health benefits of physical touch include strengthened immune system, lowering blood pressure, improving memory, reducing pain, and more - McMillan - addiction support in Portland, Oregon - Treehouse Recovery - predicated heavily on physical contact
Ch 9
-playground with cows, chickens, goats, and ponies - Wondergarden Farm - Danish government park
-Nature-based programs - Brooklyn forest - parent child class for preschoolers meant to help kids build a meaningful connection to nature and wildlife with vigorous physical work and nourishing food, with simple rhythms and constant singing, with feeling at home in the forest. Prospect park.
niniane's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting analysis of skincare industry. All this Korean skincare is pretty unnecessary. We can apply much less products to our face and hair.
But we need to wash our hands more. The author points out how toilet paper is not the best way to clean, and a bidet is much better.
But we need to wash our hands more. The author points out how toilet paper is not the best way to clean, and a bidet is much better.
xtrasaus's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.5
The author made some really obvious mistakes calling pseudo fluorescens a parasite and referring to c diff as the disease instead of the organism that causes the disease. This is really disappointing because he’s an MD and went through the trouble of interviewing microbiologists and molecular biologists and other PhD/MDs but couldn’t get one to proofread his work??
The history of soap chapter and his deep dive into skincare businesses was intriguing at least.
I think I just chose a book that wasn’t written for someone in the field of microbiology, the information is in layman's terms and is easy to grasp without needing a medical background. It’s nice that it’s accessible to everyone but if you’re already in the medical or molecular field you might find this a bit tedious.
The history of soap chapter and his deep dive into skincare businesses was intriguing at least.
I think I just chose a book that wasn’t written for someone in the field of microbiology, the information is in layman's terms and is easy to grasp without needing a medical background. It’s nice that it’s accessible to everyone but if you’re already in the medical or molecular field you might find this a bit tedious.
mikecross's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable meandering around all things skin care. Disjointed and often unorganized, but an enjoyable read.
moseslh's review against another edition
5.0
This book (and the Atlantic and New Yorker articles that convinced me to read it) really flipped the way I think about skin care upside down. I knew close to nothing about the skin microbiome (or skin in general) before reading this, but Hamblin makes it very accessible and fun to read. Hamblin's book includes a fascinating history of soap and other skin products, focusing on the intense marketing campaigns that soap companies launched. These campaigns persuaded people that they were dirty, ugly, and unhygenic unless they scrubbed their whole body with soap every day, and they were intense! (Did you know that soap operas got their name because they were owned by soap companies for the purpose of product placement?)
Hamblin's "new science of skin" makes a convincing case that our skin is capable of reaching a healthy equilibrium without the application of any expensive products. I was surprised to learn how many skin and hair products were developed and marketed to solve problems caused by other skin and hair products (this is the shampoo-conditioner and soap-moisturizer symbiosis). Overall, this was a fascinating book that can help you improve your skin health while saving time and money, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with skin.
Hamblin's "new science of skin" makes a convincing case that our skin is capable of reaching a healthy equilibrium without the application of any expensive products. I was surprised to learn how many skin and hair products were developed and marketed to solve problems caused by other skin and hair products (this is the shampoo-conditioner and soap-moisturizer symbiosis). Overall, this was a fascinating book that can help you improve your skin health while saving time and money, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with skin.
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a mile wide and an inch deep. Several chapters feel like magazine articles instead of chapters in a book. It often seemed like he just poked around on a few websites and then multiplied words to make the word count for a chapter.