While the last four years have seen me become pretty adept at building a vegan pantry, I’m the first to admit that veganising my wardrobe and make-up bag has been a slow and gradual process. Last summer I shared some of my top vegan beauty product picks, and I’m happy to report that my repertoire is ever expanding. So here are some of my beauty product picks of the moment – all natural and of course leaping bunny approved.
1. Jasmin and Henna Fluff Eaze Hair Mask and R&B Hair Moisturiser – Lush
During my last trip to London I seriously stocked up at Lush – one of my all time favourite stores. One of my hardest battles when it comes to replacing conventional beauty and haircare products is my obscenely curly, simba from Lion King-esque mane. For years I’ve been using a leave-in conditioner from Pantene post-shower to help tame my frizzy which works brilliantly. The only down-side? Pantene is owned by manufacturing giant Procter and Gamble, who despite best efforts unfortunately still test on animals.
That said I was thrilled when the saleslady at Lush recommended these two products to me. The Henna Fluff Eaze is incredible, packed with organic jojoba, almond, Brazil nut and extra virgin coconut oil – it leaves hair feeling unbelievably silky not to mention smelling like a garden thanks to the jasmine fragrance. I used it as a mask overnight diluted with a little coconut oil and was stunned with the results.
As for the R&B hair moisturiser – If you have curly or frizzy hair I urge you to try this product out. First of all – it smells irresistable. Secondly it softens and defines curls without any of the unwanted frizz even when just using a small amount.
Other Lush products I love are:
- 9 to 5 cleansing lotion (great as a make-up remover)
- Vanishing cream (the best day moisturiser I’ve ever used hands down)
- Tea Tree Water toner
- Vanilla Dee-Lite body lotion
Where to buy: Unfortunately we don’t have a Lush in Bahrain anymore but the UAE store does deliver if you order online here.
2. Prtty Peaushn – The Jamila
Earlier this year I got sent a wonderful package of cruelty-free goodies courtesy of the gorgeous Reem from The Jamila (which means beautiful in Arabic) – a online store based in the Middle East that prides itself in stocking some of the best organic, holistic and pure beauty brands.
She generously gave me a pouch of one of their best sellers, the Prrty Peaushn, to try out. Described as “photoshop in a pouch” it’s a full body moisturiser that tightens the skin and imparts a natural glow via subtle light reflecting particles. Developed by a hollywood make-up artist, it was designed to conceal imperfection, and lift, firm tighten and diminish the appearance of cellulite, stretch marks and veins. It’s also all natural, vegan, toxin-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free and PETA approved.
Needless to say I was pretty excited to give it a whirl.
I really loved this product – everything from the packaging to the heavenly light scent drew me in at first glance. I use it almost exclusively on my legs whenever I’m wearing a skirt or dress in the evening. What I liked about it was that it was really adds a touch of glam to your overall look, although as a cream I’d have to say it’s a little heavier than I’m used to. I tried using it on my face to highlight my make-up a couple of times but wasn’t a fan of how it sat on my skin. A pro-tip, if you’re planning on using it, go for a darker shade than your skin tone to give you a deeper glow. It’s the perfect product to use on vacation to enhance a natural tan and make the most of those skirts/shorts and tank tops.
If you’re looking for a high quality Argan oil as well – I would seriously recommend the Kahina brand stocked on The Jamila, it did wonders for my skin and even helped clear up and oncoming breakout.
Where to buy: TheJamila.com – international and GCC shipping available including a cash on delivery service for the latter.
3. Calming Lavendar Pure Natural Deodorant Stick – Jason
I have long struggled with finding an all-natural aluminum-free deodorant that actually works – I’ve tried several versions of the “crystal” deodorant to no avail and have come crawling back to my mainstay Dove spray version time after time. When I came across this product I was intrigued, but skeptical. After a couple months of using it I’m happy to report that we have a winner. It goes on smoothly and the scent is perfectly mild and not too overbearing, and best of all it has great odor protection. My only qualm is that on super hot days (ie. every day here in Bahrain) I sometimes feel the need to re-apply – which isn’t a big deal since it’s the perfect size for a handbag, but obviously not the most practical. I’ve heard good things about the tea-tree variety of the same deodorant so might try that one next to see if it makes a difference in terms of longevity.
Where to buy: Amazon.com, or the health food store opposite Geant in Bahrain Mall.
4. Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar
These two are a bit of a cheat since they’re not “technically” beauty products – but I’m putting them in here because they’ve replaced two of the most pivotal products in my bathroom. Shampoo and conditioner!
I found out about the “no-poo” method a while ago but was never really motivated enough to try it out or look into it further. “No shampoo?” I thought, “That doesn’t sound right. In fact, it sounds a bit gross.” Rewind to a couple of months ago where I found myself on a newfound quest for all-natural beauty and haircare products. I did some more research and found out that the “no-poo” movement boasted a whole host of benefits including healthier, fuller and softer hair. I won’t go into too much details, but here’s an excerpt that sums it up nicely via the TreeHugger.com.
The No ‘Poo method allows the scalp to rebalance itself. If you stop stripping the hair and scalp of its natural, protective oils with the many chemicals that exist in conventional shampoo, then the scalp won’t need to compensate by producing excessive amounts of oil. Issues such as itchiness, dryness, and greasiness will clear up, as long as you can get through the initial adjustment period, which shouldn’t take more than two weeks. During that time, hair “may feel waxy, frizzy, or ‘off’,” but eventually it will become silky and soft.
The basic ratio I use is 1 tbsp of baking soda dissolved in one cup of filtered water for the “shampoo” mixture, and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in one cup of filtered water for the “conditioner” mixture. While I didn’t experience much of an adjustment period, I did have to play around with ratios to see what worked for me. I was shocked to find that within a week I was able to let my hair air-dry into soft curls with absolutely no product at all – something that hasn’t happened since I was under the age of 10. When I feel the need for a deeper clean (washing out a hair mask for example) or I miss the lather of conventional shampoo I sometimes use a bar of all natural olive oil soap which works just as well.
What are some of your favourite all-natural/cruelty-free beauty products?
Londonlime says
fantastic list! I’ve ended up trying loads of things, but your hair stuff has me totally intrigued. I’ll try that lush stuff. I am still working on the remnant of Naked (which was bought by Boots and then ditched) so I need to move to something else!
(My deoderant choice is Weleda Sage as nothing else seems to come close for sheer power and I do a lot of sweating with dance!).
Lisa says
Hi Nada, thanks for this roundup. I’ll have to try the Lush stuff — have used other of their products but not those you mentioned. I have curly hair also and have used DevaCurl No-Poo “shampoo” for years. At first I, too, was a bit freaked out — no lather, no soapiness?? But it does work nicely. I’m so intrigued by the baking soda-vinegar idea! Would be a LOT cheaper than the DevaCurl stuff. I even have that same brand of vinegar in my cupboard. 🙂