Soaps and Stuff!

Do you know the one thing that's even more difficult than EATING natural & vegan? Getting clean!

I like to use ONE bar of soap in the shower. No body wash, no face wash... just soap! Did you know that there's beef fat in a lot of soaps? Like my old favorite, Ivory... gross! Here are my two new favorites:


Trader Joe's Oatmeal Ginger Almond Soap













Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Peppermint Soap














Shampoo and conditioner have been the toughest thing yet. I'm used to salon shampoos (Bed Head, Paul Mitchell, Matrix, etc.) so I'm probably pretty picky about these. Burt's Bees didn't cut it (greasy!) Aveeno had more crap in it than I expected, and is made by Johnson & Johnson, who test on animals. The only thing I've found so far that makes my hair look and feel nice AND seems to have good ingredients/business practices is Yes to Tomatoes. But honestly, it makes my scalp itchy!



















And deodorant... that's a huge one. I was wearing clinical strength stuff before, and now I'm only wearing Tom's deodorant. It's a huge change, and I didn't smell too great for a while, but I think it's been getting better. The only time it has really failed me so far is during our xmas visit to Dustin's parent's house, because they had their heat set to 85! I nearly died... and I smelled pretty bad! I really don't want to use anti-antiperspirants anymore unless I really have to. Unfortunately, I'm going to need a replacement for this at some point, because Tom's was purchased by Colgate. Sad, because I wanted to try the apricot scented stuff! :(






Finding an acceptable toothpaste was a nearly IMPOSSIBLE task. I was ready to start brushing my teeth with plain baking soda! (Okay, so I've actually done that before and wouldn't recommend doing that straight from regular toothpaste.) This kind from Trader Joe's seemed like it would be gross (fennel? And WTF ARE propolis and myrrh, anyway?) but it wasn't at all! The peppermint oil mostly overpowers everything else, and I love it!









Face lotion was also a tough one. I have really sensitive skin, so I live in fear for 24-48 hours after putting anything new on my face. I'm also the kind of girl who laughs at women who spend $50 on a tiny pot of cream that they hope will make their skin look like that of an airbrushed model. I even scoffed at the $15 per 1-1.5 oz. jars of Burt's Bees, Yes to ___, etc. at Target. I figured I'd find something before I used up the last of my Aveeno, and I did! A huge 4 oz. pump bottle for $4.99 at Trader Joe's! It smells a bit strong, but it didn't irritate my skin at all and the smell is GOOD. It's not greasy or anything and I am sooo happy with the price!
















My body lotion was kind of an impulse buy while xmas shopping at the mall. I'm not sure if this is completely safe.