Going Cruelty Free

Yes, I am starting to become aware of what goes into making cosmetics, from harming animals to using harmful chemicals.  So I have decided to go cruelty free with my beauty products and to try and look for more natural formulas.

How should you become completely cruelty free?

Realistically, people cannot afford a whole new beauty care collection in a day.  That is too expensive of a mission to take on at once.  So, for people who have to watch their dollar, a slow transition is best. I am still using the products I have, until they completely finish.  But as these products start to finish up, I research alternative products that meet my standards.

For example, I started with Shampoo.  As I became aware of the animal cruelty in products, I also became aware of the harsh chemicals used.  So I wanted to look for a more natural, cruelty free shampoo.  So when I was out of shampoo, I went to the drugstore and bought the Organix Acai Berry Avocado Shampoo.

Now everytime I need a new product, I do my research and buy a new cruelty free product.

As time goes by you also become more aware of what companies are cruelty free and which are not.

How do you know if a company is cruelty free?

1.  If your not aware of which companies do or don't test on animals, you should go to either the Leaping Bunny website or the PETA website.  They both provide lists of companies that do not test on animals.  PETA also offers a list of companies that do test on animals.

Click HERE for Leaping Bunny's list of companies that DO NOT test on animals.
Click HERE for PETA's list of companies that DO NOT test on animals.
Click HERE for PETA's list of companies that DO test on animals.

2.  But if your going shopping and you don't have access to those list, look for the bunny symbol on the products.  These are what the symbols look like:




  

3.  If you have a company you like and they are not on either of PETA's lists, go to their website and check their FAQ's or call customer service.

The road to a completely animal testing free collection can be a long one, but be patient.  You don't need to break your budget and buy all at once.  It is worth the wait!

 

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Currently I have bought cruelty free shampoo and make-up remover towelettes.








Now I am looking for a bronzer! If you have any bronzer recommendations, please leave a comment below telling me which I should get.  (Remember CRUELTY-FREE!)  :)

Ingredients to Avoid in Shampoo

As of lately I have been more conscious of the ingredients in my products, and my first product that I've been concentrating on is my Shampoo.  I did a little research and discovered what's really in many over the counter shampoos.  Many of these shampoos are made with harsh and harmful chemicals that in turn are bad for your health and hair.  It's difficult to find shampoos that have no harmful ingredients, that's why it is better to look for natural products.  Be aware that just become the front of the bottle says "natural", does not mean it is.  The only way to be certain is to READ THE INGREDIENTS!

Here are Ingredients to Avoid in Shampoo:

1. Sodium Laureth Sulfate/Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
             These two sulfate are used as an inexpensive foaming agent that can be found in other personal care products.  Not only is it a foaming agent, but it is an irritant.  It can cause irritation of the eyes and skin and strip natural oils from your hair, leaving it dry.

2. Methylchloroisothiazolinone
             This is an antibacterial and antifungul preservative.  It also can irritate the skin or membrane and cause chemical burns.  For this reason it has been removed from cosmetic products, except for those that do not stay on for a long time, such as soap or shampoos.

3. Propylene Glycol
            This is an ingredient used to make products "slip" or "glide" making it smoother.  It is known to cause allergic reactions, dry skin, hives and other skin irritations.  The reason for this is because it is easily absorbed into the skin.
     
4. Parfum or Strong Fragrance
           When you see this listed on the list of ingredients in a product do you think that they use the same parfum or frangrance for each of those products.  The thing with seeing this ingredient listed is that you do not know what is in the parfum itself.  There are many chemicals put together to acquire the products unique scent.  This makes it tricky because you do not know if your allergic to these chemicals or if they will irritate you when mixed with other products you may use.

5. Parabens
         Parabens are a preservative used in a alot of different products.  Parabens act similarly to estrogen and may cause certain forms of breast cancer.  They have even been found in breast tumors but there is no real answer as to if using parabens in products can increase the risk of breast cancer.  The FDA have yet to provide a solid answer as to whether or not Parabens are dangerous.  At this point I personally would not take a chance and avoid using products with this ingredient until there is a solid conclusion of whether or not parabens increase the risk of breast cancer.

6. Phthalates
        This is ingredient that is not listed alot of times.  It is usually included in the many chemicals used for "parfum" or fragrance.  Tests have been done on animals (sad face) that show this ingredient can cause reproductive and neurological damage.  This ingredient can also be disguised with many different names.  The link below shows you how to look out for these names.

http://pollutioninpeople.org/toxics/labels

7. Diethanolamine (DEA)/Triethanolamine (TEA)
        These ingredients are found in alot of cosmetic products including shampoos.  When these ingredients are in products that also contain nitrites, a chemical reaction forms nitrosamines.  Nitrosamines are a known carcinogen (CAUSES CANCER)! The link below shows more information on these products and the names it can take on the ingredients list.

http://www.lmgresources.org/dictionary/?p=260

8.  Coal Tar
        Coal Tar is another known carcinogen that is very hazardous.  Canada has even banned this ingredient! Coal Tar is used in many coloring agents so try to avoid synthetic colors and dyes.

To find a shampoo that contains none of these ingredients is VERY difficult, especially in a drugstore.  So you may want to look for a shampoo that has as few of these ingredients as you can. 

The shampoo I use is from Organix.  Organix is a cruelty-free shampoo that used ingredients on the more natural side.  They are also SULFATE FREE! They have a range of different shampoos and conditioners you can choose from as well other products.  My current favorite is :

Acai Berry Avocado $9 - or lower because often times they are on sale.

Questions about the brand? Click HERE

Another brand that I am interested in is from Yes to, Inc.  They have individual brands such as Yes to Carrots, Yes to Blueberries, etc.  Each brand is formulated for a different type of hair or skin care.  All their products are cruelty free, Paraben free and Sulfate free and use fruits and vegetables.  I have seen them use synthetic fragrances but other than that I have not seen any other chemicals listed above.

 

Questions about the brand? Click HERE 

Both these brands are available in Drugstores!