products?

May 11, 2004

Hi,

I was wondering which soap, shampoo, conditioner and cleaning

products vegans use. I want to stop buying the regular ones, but I

don't know what to buy instead.

Thank you very much for any info.

Anna

May 12, 2004

I forgot to mention that simple vinegar and baking soda make great cleaning

products. Good luck in your search.

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May 13, 2004

Hello, Anna!

It's great that you're seeking cruelty-free

alternatives for the products you use everyday! PETA

has a helpful resource guide to companies and products

that are cruelty-free. You can find it online at

http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping_guide.htm. I'm

thrilled that so many vegan products are on the market

now, compared to 5 years ago. Of course, it's hard to

choose sometimes when so many options are available!

We have four vegans in our home--myself, my husband,

my 4 1/2-year-old daughter, and my 1-year-old son. We

prefer organic products with few ingredients, and we

have some allergies to work with, so here's what we

use:

Soap: Clearly Natural glycerin soap (the strawberry

smells yummy!) and Zia Bodywash for the adults; Weleda

Calendula soap and Baby Oh Baby Herbal Baby Soap Bar

for the kids

Shampoo and Conditioner: Beauty Without Cruelty for

the adults; Aubrey Organics and Baby Oh Baby Shampoo

for the kids

Cleaning Products: I make a lot of my own from recipes

in the book Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond.

It has recipes for a multitude of cleaners, all

nontoxic and eco-friendly. We also use Bi-O-Kleen

laundry detergent, Bac-Out (for pet stains), and

Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner.

We've used many different products over the years,

though, as we've tried to find what we liked best and

what worked best (not always the same!). If you have

friends who are like-minded, you could offer to share

a bottle/bar/box of a product for everyone to try out

(i.e. have everyone try a week's worth of laundry with

one detergent, or have everyone use a specific shampoo

for a week). This makes the selection process

cheaper, provides you with meaningful feedback, and

may reduce waste (if someone in your group likes a

product that don't and would otherwise dispose of).

Good luck with your choices!

-Melissa Zenz

KidBean.com