Reviews

Clean: The New Science of Skin and the Beauty of Doing Less by James Hamblin

nickymcmo's review

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informative lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

spinningjenny's review against another edition

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Those is probably awesome but it's triggering my health anxiety and I just don't care enough given that I already agree we could shower less. 

bwray1's review against another edition

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funny informative medium-paced

3.75

awkwardlifejem's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.0

__niii__'s review

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informative fast-paced

3.25

It starts off with skin and then goes beyond that which I didn’t expect personally. Overall good read. 

susannadkm's review against another edition

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Bored. Could be listening to something else.

lanidelrey's review against another edition

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4.0

More reasons why I felt the healthiest when I was sharing a room with 8 people and making our own kombucha. 4 stars because the information was personally helpful.

James Hamblin writes how the pendulum has swung too far towards immaculate cleanliness and hyper-personalized self-care that our bodies are more likely to lack beneficial microbes needed for skin homeostasis. Its lack of balance is the reason why we have more acne and eczema than past generations. Eat clean & varied, exercise, sleep well, minimize skincare product reliance (skin care products are loosely regulated so beware of snake oil salesmen tactics; really all you need is soap especially for the pits and gonads), get a dog, spend time with communities IRL (COVID-pending), and commune with nature for better skin. Bet you already knew all this, though. *pats you appreciatively on the head*

If you want to learn more about the research, companies, and stories that have contributed to today’s skincare industry and culture of clean, enjoy the book! One personal event that resulted from reading this book is signing up for Julia Segre’s NIH skin microbiome & eczema study. Super stoked to show my microbes Bethesda, Maryland one day!

chloeshea's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

4.75

Easy read, very interesting

mercurial's review against another edition

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informative

3.75

ashergeorge's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0