*Links below may be affiliate links, this will not change the cost, but I may get a small commission.
Okay so when I was first transitioning into veganism I started eating plant based, and that took a bit to get used to. I immediately stopped buying any leather goods, and knew my next step would be transitioning my products. This one was a bit harder for me than the food actually. There weren’t a ton of vegan products in my local stores, my curly hair doesn’t always do well with new products, and this was around the time I started to get adult acne. Never the less I knew that this was something important for me to do, and I started testing the waters with new products. When one of my products was getting low I would by a cruelty free product and start using that. Doing it this way allowed me to switch back to my original product if I really hated it and give me time to try another one. Below are my favorite products, structured out by type of product.
Shampoo and Conditioner
As I mentioned earlier I have very curly hair, therefore I’m
not always trusting with new shampoos and conditioners. I used to use Organix,
but now they sell in China, which requires animal testing. I’ve tried a few
different shampoos and conditioners, most of which were coconut based because
those seem to be the most hydrating. The shampoo and conditioner I always drift
back to is Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner. I’ve
also tried different kinds of their Hawaiian shampoo and conditioner but the
coconut milk it my favorite. It’s super hydrating so if you have dry hair like
mine, this is definitely a snag. You can find it at Target, Walmart, and
drugstores but I find it cheapest at TJ Maxx. Click here for amazon link to the
products.
Leave in Conditioner
I keep repeating myself, but my curly and very dry hair
requires a bit of love. I use Renpure's Coconut Whipped Creme Leaving In Conditioner. I was nervous to switch leave in conditioners because
curly hair has a mind of its own and is not very flattering when it’s dry and
frizzy. Similar to the shampoo and conditioners, a lot of leave in conditioners
that I’ve seen are coconut based. I’m biased to this one product, as I tried it
once, it worked, and the bottle has lasted me over 8 months. For using leave
in conditioner everyday, it takes me a very long time to get through a bottle, I still have barely put a dent in it.
I bought mine at TJ Maxx, if you’re having trouble finding cruelty free
products check there, because they have a surprisingly large selection.
Face Wash
If you saw my acne journey post you know I’ve been
struggling with adult acne for the past 8 months or so. When I went to the
dermatologist, I bought the Cetaphil she recommended, and I bought it a couple times before making the decision that
I needed to give another cruelty free brand a chance. When I started getting
really bad breakouts I had just switched to Say Yes to Tomatoes face line. I
don’t believe there is any correlation between using those products and me
breaking out, because my brother had the same issues with his skin, so I'm assuming it's genetics. That being said,
I was a little nervous to switch after my skin had gotten a little better.
After doing a little research I decided to try Alba Botanica's Good and Clean Daily, it had good reviews and I liked their other
products so I decided to give it a go. This face wash is a little bit drying
for me (I think anything would be considering I use Retin-A and had dry skin
before), but I love the way it makes my skin feel. I only use it once a day but
make sure to follow with a good moisturizer but I will definitely be purchasing
this again.
Face Lotion
As mentioned above and my acne post, I use a Retin-A cream,
therefore a good moisturizer is a must in my daily life. I’ve tried a few different
moisturizers and I would definitely recommend staying away from any face
moisturizer that has coconut oil in it. A lot of the more natural products seem
to use it and I read a few articles of people swearing by it, but I hate the
feeling of it on my skin and it didn’t help the dryness. I have also read
articles saying that it clogs your pores, which is not what you want to do when
you’re trying to clear your acne, and it isn’t very hydrating. After giving up
on the moisturizer I had about a month ago, I set out to the stores to find a
cruelty free moisturizer with no coconut oil in it, unfortunately most had coconut oil and salicylic acid (again, my face is so dry and I
don’t want to risk drying it out anymore). Since I loved Alba Botanica's other products so much, I decided to try their oil free face moisturizer. This is an absolute game changer if you have dry skin like me, it feels great going on your skin and sinks in nicely. I highly recommend this if you're looking for a cruelty free moisturizer that is oil-free, which is hard to come by in my opinion.Seriously, if you buy one thing from this list, this is what you need to buy. I've been out for 3 days and my skin is peeling and itchy, and I really want my amazon order to come in.
Soap
Okay not too much to say on this one, I feel like there’s
not too much to mess up with a bar of soap. Again, home girl has very dry skin,
so I just make sure to get moisturizing soap. I have bought one by Shea Moisture, and I really
like it. It lathers nicely when using a loofa and smells really good. Not too
much to say on this but I would definitely recommend. I also occasionally use Doctor Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap, this stuff smells amazing and makes you feel squeaky clean. I do get slightly nervous that it will dry my skin out, so I only use it at most twice a week. You can dilute it and make hand soap or cleaning supplies.
Deodorant
This is another one where I haven’t tried a myriad of
different products. I tended to stock up on deodorant, so it took me a while to
get through those. I really like Toms Lavender deodorant. I have heard
complaints that because it doesn’t have aluminum it doesn’t prevent sweating,
but I don’t feel like I sweat any more than I did using my last deodorant. It
also goes on very nicely and I like the smell. Again, isn’t going to stop you
from sweating, but I haven’t found a deodorant besides Certain Dri to do that
anyways. Recently I tried their 24-hour one which in my opinion smells better, but I like the consistency of the lavender deodorant, because you never have to worry about the white build up. Does anyone know what I'm talking about when I say that? All I know is I've ruined a few too many tank tops over the years from that.
Toothpaste
Toothpaste is a tough one because I feel like your teeth
aren’t something you want to mess with. However, when I learned poor little
bunnies get squirted with chemicals in their eyes for testing, I knew I had to
switch. I have tried a few different cruelty free toothpastes and I have to say
the only thing I have noticed is that it does not foam as much as ones I used
before. I have tried a few different ones but I like Toms Spearmint the best.
Be First to Post Comment !
Post a Comment