Second Hand Animal Products

I've been on the hunt for two new additions to my wardrobe lately: hiking boots and warm coats for British winter. Unfortunately the best boots are mostly leather and the best coats are mostly part wool. Now, I have a big problem buying these things because of obvious reasons but I also have a problem buying cheap, disposable fashion. Then I wondered if I could solve the probelm by buying these items used.

I discussed this a little with a friend but he seemed to think that even buying second hand is increasing the demand for leather and wool and will also mean someone else who may buy it new would miss out (mind you he eats meat, the bastard). But I can't really think of another way around it so am putting it out there for people's suggestions.

Geoff and I also want new slippers. Mine have been chewed to death by the dog and have been sewn and resewn and gaffa taped too many times. I've tried synthetic slippers but they are terrible; they are very sweaty and don't last a single season (especially if the dog gets to them). I don't want to buy wool but is there a more ethical alternative with the same quality? Pamela Anderson made some out of guilt for starting the UGG craze but it doesn't list what they are made of and I can't find any reviews for them (not to mention the price!). Pammy also suggests Stella McCartney or juicy boots but the later doesn't have any on her site and the latter is made for women who want to dress like Pamela Anderson. This is not me.

Please help me keep warm!

Bare Naked Beauty

This is a great Australian website that sells natural and organic beauty brands. And there are vegan products galore! Check it out.

Bare Naked Beauty

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EcoFashion Magazine

Peppermint Mag

Excellent magazine surprisingly based in Brisbane. Check it out and support them.

They have great vegan recipes in the magazine!

Sometimes being vegan is a little too much effort...

Seriously. Condoms?!?!

I've known for years that my pill has animal derived products in it. I take it anyway. Just like I get immunised anyway. I do my best but if a vegan had cervical cancer they wouldn't be asking if the medicine was animal derived; they'd just be getting the medicine. Unless they were a really good vegan. I'm doing my part but I'm not perfect and I'm okay with that.

As a maths PhD student most my friends are also maths PhD students or at least have a maths/physics degree so I'm constantly surrounded by these highly intelligent specimens who all happen to fall somewhere relevant on the autism spectrum. In plain speak, they are a bunch of socially retarded dorks who get a little too excited when Terry Tao is in town. So when I step away from the group and interact with non-maths people (yes, ladies and gentlemen, the world is filled with three types of people: those that are good at maths and those that are not) I sometimes find it very vexing to try to understand the world from their point of view.

I think this is similar to the vegetarian/vegan movement or any movement. We form little groups and are so concerned about being the best little vegan we can be (or sometimes just better than everyone else) we lose sight of the bigger picture and how to spread our message. Vegans make up only 0.1% (or something equally ridiculously small; it's hard to get a good figure) of the world's population. We shouldn't be grouping ourselves on forums and making fun of each other because we didn't know that this really obscure additive was animal derived or that that company may provide a vegan option but did you know what they did last summer to this sheep... you get the picture. I mean, these are all very important issues and it is important that we are aware of them but it's also important that we don't just educate each other but that we also encourage each other.

I saw a post by someone on a vegetarian society forum today where the person asked if condoms were vegan (hence my link). It's a perfectly valid question and maybe the person didn't do as much research as they possibly could but they still came to the right circle of people to ask the question of. The only reply the person got was that normal people would know how to use the search function and have found previous posts on the same topic. Again, this isn't untrue, but it isn't exactly helpful either.

So this is one of the reasons I started this blog. As much as I want to interact with other vegans (I actually have zero vegan friends) and would love to swap recipes etc I would much prefer, any day, to have my vegetarian and omnivore friends over for a great vegan meal so I can share with them how rewarding it is to be vegan.

Was this a big long rant so that I can feel better about using animal products in the medication I take? Probably. But I'd like to think it's more about encouraging ideas than stamping over someone's little indiscretions. I have a friend who is a strict vegetarian except for salmon. She doesn't eat any other fish just salmon. But it doesn't make what she does, excluding the salmon, any less important. I would much rather an entire world that only ate salmon and no other meat than what we have today.

So being vegan (or even vegetarian) is sometimes a little too much effort so let's encourage little changes in everyone instead of picking flaws in an already very small group.

Silk

A reader recently pointed out the error of my silk-wearing ways and I wanted to post some links to the reasons why vegans choose not to wear most silks and some options that still allow silk.

Reasons why we should not wear standard silk:
PETA's information
True Up
The Vegalitarian Society

Some nice guys who make cruelty-free (peace) silk (although I'm still a bit fuzzy as to whether it is strictly vegan or not):
Aurora Silk
FIN

Aveda

I love Aveda's products. They smell absolutely wonderful and are mostly made of plant materials. Here's a list of the non-vegan products; so you know what to avoid.

Beeswax:
lip gloss MINUS LANOLIN / discontinued
Brilliant Lip Shine
Lip Saver SPF15
Pure-Fume Candles
onecolor PLUS TWO
eye liner MINUS PETRO WAXES
lip liner MINUS PETRO WAXES
lip sheer PLUS FRESH ESSENCE / discontinued
lip liner PLUS URUKU / discontinued
mascara PLUS ROSE
conceal PLUS PROTECT
lip satin PLUS URUKU / discontinued
lip sheer PLUS URUKU / discontinued
Uruku Lip Pigment
Lip Color Concentrate
Lip Color Sheer
Fulfillment Chakra IV Solid Pure-Fume / discontinued
Lip Tints
Plant Wax Soft Wax Hair Removal Formula
Plant Wax Hard Wax Hair Removal Formula

Lanolin:
pressed powder PLUS ANTIOXIDANTS
lip satin PLUS FRESH ESSENCE / discontinued
lip satin PLUS URUKU / discontinued
lip sheer PLUS URUKU / discontinued

Honey:
Phomollient
Sap Moss Nourishing Concentrate
Light Elements Mist Wax

How Not To Be a Smelly Vegan

Want to know "how not to be a smelly vegan"?

Finding non-food vegan products can be hard. Here are three of my favourite stores for finding vegan cosmetics:

L'Occitane: This company is great. They don't use any animal products or animal by-products in their processing or in their products (except for honey, royal jelly and other bee-related things) and they mostly use local products from Provence, France from local farmers. And their products are really lovely. If you are in west Brisbane there is a store in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

Perfect Potion: This is a local Brisbane company and have some great smelling products! Just ask them which products are vegan and which are not. They normally have a list under the counter. Most of the non-vegan products are labelled so because of bee's wax contents. If you are in Brisbane there is a store in the city and one in the Valley.

Lush: These guys are very anti-animal testing. None of their products are tested on animals and they make sure none of their raw materials they use in their products are tested on animals. Not all products are vegan but the ones that are are clearly marked with the sunflower vegan symbol. If you are in Brisbane a new store in Indooroopilly Shopping Centre just opened up and there is also a store in the Queen Street Mall.