The Journey to a Cruelty Free Lifestyle

[OkamiFlautist]

Hello all!

I have started the journey into trying to go fully Cruelty Free in my every day routines. Makeup, skin care, and hair care are my first steps.
I went through my current horde of makeup, researching brands (mostly via cruelty-free kitty), and felt SO relieved to discover most of my brands already are cruelty free! I struggle to find products that work with my skin (Combination skin, super porcelain, acne sufferer), so honestly every time someone has suggested I try a product I have tried it regardless. 

Now, Hair Care is something I am new to. I honestly was a cheap buyer, bought whatever I liked the scent of that did not destroy my thin, wavy hair. This is where I also started learning about the difference in salon vs. drug store quality hair products. I was astounded. I have since switched to Avalon Organics Shampoo and Conditioner, and styling products by Aveda.

So, my question for all you out there, how do you make sure what you are buying is cruelty free/vegan as you shop? I have taken up googling brands as I go but honestly it is extremely time consuming.

[cearraa]

Sometimes I go into the store to see all the new and hot stuff and make a wish list and then I’ll come home and research all the brands that I liked. If the product I saw in store isn’t cruelty free then I’ll try to find a similar product from a different brand that I know is cruelty free.

[Anonymous]

I've been using https://goodonyou.eco/ (you can search by brand on their site or on their app) to help determine how brands rate on their ethical/eco-friendly/vegan scale. They address lots of different areas such as how products are made, working conditions of those who make them, sustainability practices, animal testing/cruelty, etc. They have a lot of fashion brands on the site as well, and I know they're constantly growing so you can submit brands you are interested in learning more about! 

[lucygabriella22]

I always do research on both Logical Harmony and Cruelty Free Kitty. Also I never go into a store without a clear cut idea of what I want to buy. For example, if I'm out of moisturizers I'll look into cruelty free moisturizers for my skin type and make a list of a few I'm interested in. That way when I go to the store I'm not spending a bunch of time looking up different brands to see if they're cruelty free or not (and my wallet thanks me for not buying literally everything). I find that if I go into Sephora with my pre made list, I may have to be a little firmer with the employees because they love to give you products you didn't ask about, but other than that it's worked really well for me. This method may be time consuming at home but saves time at the store. For me, it's a good enough trade off.

[CyriLaLa]

When researching cruelty free brands I use LogicalHarmony.net. Tashina Combs is awesome and she has shopping guides for Sephora, Ulta, Target, makeup, hair care, perfume, as well as one gigantic overall cruelty free brand list. She even has a brands to avoid and Gray area lists. Her website is easy to navigate and the lists are simple to follow, they state whether the brand is owned by a parent company that isn't cruelty free, if the brand is 100% vegan, or if they have vegan options. I completely agree with her reasoning on what actually constitutes cruelty free so her website is my go to. I'm to the point now if a brand isn't on her list I'm not buying from them.

[Verobb]

Hey ! 

I always check the company on many website before I buy anything :

> http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

> http://www.leapingbunny.org/guide/brands

Normally when i brand is not anymore cruelty-free you will know by their website. 

I have exactly the same skin as you (yay!) and my skin is so mush better since i use naturel skincare (juice beauty, drunk elephant, druide) I also use naturel shampoo. I know many Natural Canadian Brand (RoseCitron, Green Beaver, Druide, BUTR, BKIND) etc.  😉