If you are leading a vegan lifestyle and are careful about what you put into your mouth, you may also want to consider what you put on your body and into your environment. Skin is an organ – in fact, skin is the largest organ on your body. Since skin is porous, whatever we put onto our skin is absorbed into our bodies. So, not only are you what you eat, you are what you put on your body and into your environment.
Vegan Hygiene and Cosmetics
Beauty (e.g. makeup, lotion) and hygiene (e.g. shampoo, soap) products are available across a spread of vegan-approved retailers and online businesses. Even so, always check the ingredients to ensure your purchase is animal-free.
Two critical animal product ingredients to know are cera alba and cera lava (beeswax); honey. Some less obvious animal product ingredients include: gelatin, squalane (shark liver oil), lard, L-Cysteine (chicken feathers), casein/caseinate (milk-derived protein), guanine or CI 75170 (fish scales often found in shimmering eye shadow), keratin (a protein found in animal hair, nails and horns), collagen (cooked animal bones and connective tissues) and red dye (carmine is crushed cochineal beetles).
See this article for more items that seem vegan but are not. Also, always look for the phrase: “Not tested on animals.” This Vegucated article lists the symbols of vegan and cruelty-free products. Earth Science is a decently priced brand that has many vegan hygiene products. One of my favorite lotions can be found here.
As mentioned, cosmetic items are often tested on animals and such ingredients can include beeswax, animal-based dyes and animal-based shimmer. Take caution with the tools you use to apply makeup, too. Makeup brushes are often made with animal hair, but have no fear, there are brushes made with synthetic bristles. Physicians Formula, Inika, Sprout and The All Natural Face have a variety of vegan cosmetic products.
Household and cleaning products in vegan forms exist as well. To boot, not only are natural products good for the environment, they are easier on your lungs and body.
Candles and perfume have more adverse side effects than many folks would like to believe. Truly, no one wants to be huffing those harmful chemicals anyway. When purchasing products, beware of the ominous ingredient “fragrance,” as it is often equated with the poison that is bad for respiratory systems. If you are looking for a burst of scent in your home, try boiling a pot of vanilla extract, cloves and cinnamon. You can also make your own home-use spritz with the scents of your choice – lemon and mint extract are great places to start.
Vegan Cleaning Products
As for cleaning products, vegan versions continue to abound. We recommend Method, Citra Solv, BioPac and Sun and Earth. It is true you can just as easily make your own cleaning products. Baking soda, vinegar, water, lemon juice, isopropyl alcohol and olive oil are generally all you need. For more information, see Elise Martin’s book, Homemade Green Body.
We at Vegaprocity hope these tips help you live in wholeness, total well-being and to your full potential.
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