Cruelty-Free is Easy

Ok so I am a total animal lover. I am. Since I was a young child, I have had such a soft spot for animals. And I do mean all animals. We were the family who rushed injured birds and squirrels to the vet. I think moles  are adorable even though they destroy our grass; I pick up snakes when I see them. We had every kind of pet growing up. You name it: mice, snakes, ferrets, chinchillas, rabbits, horses, goats, and the usual dogs, birds, and cats, etc. At age 7, after driving an hour from my aunt's house in WA to hike the Cascades, I found an injured monarch butterfly at the trail head and, bless them, my patient uncle and young brother obliged me and drove an hour back home so I could place the butterfly in a shoe box and feed it water from a bottle cap. I was devastated when it passed. It's true--I am a bonafied friend to all creatures great and small :)

So I wanted to take today's post to bring some awareness to animal exploitation for the manufacturing of popular cosmetics and hair/body products. No idea whether your favorite companies do test on animals? Check it out here.
Just because you use something high-end or "chic" by society's standards, doesn't mean it isn't negatively impacting our bodies and our world. Designer isn't always best. I myself would rather live consciously than choose products because of their perceived value among others. My standards are higher than to judge something on its popularity alone, and maybe yours will be too! I know that everyone is aware that something called "animal testing" goes on in the world, but few people know to what great extent, and what kind of testing is done. Again, I will spare you gruesome detail, but it's far worse than you are led to believe. There is information online and in undercover documentaries, should you want to learn just how bad. Suffice it to say, it's important to begin looking for cruelty-free alternatives, of which there are many! Some of my favorites for cosmetics include: Aveda, Origins, Laura Mercier, Bare Escentuals, and Juice Beauty, which makes my favorite tinted moisturizer (color is "sand" and it has a very high vitamin C content!). I use Dr. Bronner's peppermint body wash, Aveda's Blue Malva shampoo and conditioner, and Young Living's Sensation hand and body lotion with jasmin and ylang ylang oils. All of which are cruelty-free. My favorite face lotion? Good quality vitamin E and coconut oil, mixed with a little YL Sandalwood Moisture Cream. Another major find: Daysoft (contact lenses) does not test on animals! As far as I know, all other contact lens makers do. There is really no reason to buy from companies who test on animals because so many great ones do not. And--bonus--usually their ingredients are better! The companies I have listed are just a few.

For more good info: I am subscribed to Vegan Cuts to learn about products and foods that are high quality, raw, not tested on animals and without animal by-products. I am not a vegetarian; I eat meat, eggs and cheese (although I only buy organic, cage-free, and as local as possible). For me, eating some animal protein as part of a balanced diet is healthiest, and the source is important. But I don't feel that animals need to be involved in the manufacturing of our skincare and makeup in any form or fashion. If we all used natural and organic products, this may not even be an issue. Testing is done primarily when an ingredient could be harmful. And typically truly natural and organic ingredients are not. So please be aware of the products you buy and use, as much as you can! Keep in mind that this doesn't only impact animal treatment: our skin is our largest organ, and whatever we put on it goes into our bodies and the bodies of our sweet little babies. It's important to be aware of ingredients for the sake of our furry friends AND our families. An animal's life is too precious to be spent kept in a cage, poked, prodded, injected and even killed so we can use mascara or wash our hair, and our families are too important to not be aware of what products we are using on them. Don't you agree? Do you have some recommendations for cruelty-free cosmetics and hair/body products? Please share them with us!