Vegan Products I’m Digging

Sometimes I get girly-girl. But for my lifetime, I am way out of practice. As a child, I gave my Barbies haircuts that challenged society’s standards of beauty. As a teenager, I tried in the ways I could–dying and bleaching my hair constantly, heavy-handed use of many shades of black eye liner, plucking out my eyebrows with no sense of symmetry. My favorite way to style my cropped hair was to wash it in the evening and then fall asleep on it. Now that I’m an adult, there are times I wish I knew how to do certain girly-girl things better. Now that I get VeganCuts’ Beauty Box, I get all kids of goodies delivered monthly. And I get to experiment once again without having to research a ton of ingredients. Here are some products I am enjoying:

Nail polish is pretty much toxic and scary to me. Though I go for manicures and pedicures on occasion, I’m always freaked out by the sharp odor of toxic fumes in a nail salon, the face masks. As I sit there within the disproportionate mechanical rollers of the massage chair, watching a low-paid woman cater to my feet, I get more tense.  I am not enjoying myself.  After receiving a full-sized JoShik nail polish, I was very excited. I can do it myself now! Joshik is a certified vegan company. And–polishes do not contain any of that scary stuff. It’s “5-free”: No Formaldehyde, no Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), no Toluene, no Formaldehyde Resin, no Camphor, no Parabens, no Xylene & no Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP). I was so happy with the discovery of JoShik that I ordered 3 other colors, as well as a base coat and a top coat.
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The White Whale of vegan beauty care: Good vegan shampoo. I don’t know about you, but I am always underwhelmed by vegan shampoo. The lathering, the conditioning, or, really, the lack of both, reminds me just how much animal and chemical is used in regular shampoo. Having to use a friend’s shampoo or a hotel travel size, I’d be reminded. No one got this vegan shampoo thing right! Then I tried Tara Smith. Vegan Cuts included her Shining Moment Glosser in a box and I quickly bought a full size of it, along with a shampoo and a conditioner. As far as I’ve tried, they’re the best vegan hair care products. And, not to sound like an informercial, several colleagues and friends complimented my hair and asked if I had done something differently. IMG_0422

These are not beauty products, but they are beautifully delicious. ChocAlive! is a line of raw and vegan chocolate truffles. Their potently chocolatey without being too rich… smooth, wonderful texture. And that powerful lingering chocolate taste in your mouth is a great base for… a pretzel. That is how I enjoyed them. So maybe that is a great direction for their next flavor. Salt.
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