Next Phase- Products

According to Wikipedia (my reference for everything) the definition of a Vegan is=

"Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.^[1][2] Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind.^[3] The most common reasons for becoming a vegan are ethical commitment or moral conviction concerning animal rights orwelfare, the environment, human health, and spiritual or religious concerns.^[2][4][5] Of particular concern to many vegans are the practices involved in factory farming and animal testing, and the intensive use of land and other resources for animal farming."

I feel pretty comfortable now with the diet aspect. I have finally got the balance down of eating carbs-protein-fruits-veggies. Real quickly I discovered how easy it was to eat just yummy carb snacks. The whole point is to be healthy though, so I've really focused on getting enough fruits and veggies, and take my vitamins. Why are they so BIG! 

I feel ready now to take on the next challenge of purging out all PRODUCTS that contribute to animal suffering or contain toxins. After seeing the video "Earthlings" it is undeniable that the clothing and beauty industries greatly attribute to animal suffering. And why be a part of it if you don't have to be?

Here is a list of the items I want to find a replacement for:

• Yarn- no wool or silk, choose cotton, bamboo, hemp, soy silk, banana silk

• Soap

• Shampoo/Conditioner- try Alba, Giovanni, 365, Jason

• Face Wash- Origins

• Moisturizer- try Kiss my Face, Origins

• Foundation- I've used the same foundation for the last 13 years, so this will be a tough one.

• Chapstick- try Alba

• mascara- try Beauty without Cruelty or Lush

• eye liner- try Arbonne or Origins

• sunscreen- try Arbonne or Origins

• deodorant- 365

• Clothing- I actually don't own any leather clothes and only itchy wool sweater that I will just donate.

• Shoes- This is a tough one.. I went shoe shopping awhile back and could not find what the shoes are made of. There is no "ingredient list" and I keep thinking it could be really good pleather, or some kind of plastic, or maybe it is leather.. I don't know. So I haven't bought a new pair of shoes in 6 months and it is time to figure this out. I'm in desperate need of some black low heels for work. I may just order these online from a vegan site just to be sure.

I already switched my toothpaste to Toms and I finally found a flavor I like. I am probably going to focus on a few products at a time so I don't spend too much money at one time. Let me know if you have any vegan products that you love. 

These are a few brands I want to try: Whole Foods brand, Kiss my Face, Beauty without Cruelty, Jason shampoos, Avalon, Alba, Giovanni shampoos, Lush makeup, Origins, Arbonne makeup. Walmart carries a few brands as well as Kroger, Whole Foods, Central Market, and Sprouts.

I hope to meet this goal by the end of the next 6 months. That seems doable to me. It will be fun trying new stuff! These are the kind of things I don't usually let myself spend alot of money on so it will be interesting balancing frugality with quality. I hope that I will find some great substitutes and maybe even some better ones! I'll make sure to share my faves.