Hello lovelies!
A little disclaimer before we delve in: all opinions stated
in this post are my own. They are my personal thoughts
and beliefs, and I understand that not everyone who reads this post will feel
the same way. I’d ask you to be respectful if you choose to make your own opinion public. Polite discussion is
encouraged, but any disrespectful or abusive comments will be dealt with
accordingly.
Right – now we’ve got the serious shit out the way, let’s
crack on, shall we?
For a while now I’ve been investigating the possibility of
living as cruelty-free a life as possible, and I think I’ve got to the stage
now where am ready to open up and talk a little bit about my ethics and
viewpoints on the subject.
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| Source |
I’ve now been vegetarian for over eleven years. It began
when I was about fourteen years old: my friend group all made a pact to go
vegetarian after being shown a video about cosmetic vivisection in a PSHE
lesson, and it was all we could talk about for the rest of the day. I haven’t
looked back on that decision since and generally regard it as one of the best I’ve
ever made.
Being vegetarian at university was surprisingly easy, not to mention
economic: while my friends and housemates were paying a lot of money for meat
every week (not to mention an amazing amount of Maccie Ds and KFC), I was
surviving on Quorn, pasta, and vegetables. Plus the odd margherita pizza from
Dominos, but I’m only human, after all…
I do make a point to only discuss my vegetarianism if someone asks about it:
while I will happily chat about why I don’t eat meat or fish to help someone
understand my point of view, I don’t believe in preaching or being too forceful
when the subject comes up. I will also cook meat for J (although I don’t buy it
myself). There have been times when I’ve been mocked or looked down on for my
beliefs, and if you do that to someone, regardless of what those beliefs may be
– religious, dietary, sexual, or anything else – you are a fuckwit. LPT: if you
want to have a grown-up discussion about why someone is veggie or vegan, try
asking them about it in an interested, mature manner; don’t wave a raw chicken
breast in their face.
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| My beautiful little adoptees! Pika (L) and Pixie (R) |
Animals have always
been a huge part of my life – I grew up with cats and a dog, and in October
last year J and I adopted two gorgeous degus, Pika and Pixie. The lovely
folk at Notts Nibblers rescued a large group of degus (including my two) from a
garden shed, where they experienced negligible and inhospitable conditions, in
April 2016; NN rehabilitated all of them and gave them a second chance at
happiness. (NN do amazing work with rescuing and rehoming all small pets from
rats to rabbits – if you’re in the Nottingham area, do go and check them out!).
Adopting the girls instead of going to a pet shop to buy a pair of degus meant
being able to give something back to those who believe animals deserve just as
much as a second chance as humans. Our girls have flourished since we brought
them home last year and are truly loved (and spoiled).
However, it’s recently been brought to my attention that I could
be doing more as an individual to help promote animal welfare and protect
vulnerable creatures from cruelty. I stumbled across this video by the lovely
Hannah Witton a couple of weeks ago, and it made me realise that, even though I
live by certain dietary regulations, the extent to which my beauty regime could
be cruel had never really dawned on me. In the video Hannah mentions logicalharmony.net and its ever-increasing lists of brands which do and do not test on animals, and I’ve been doing my own research with the products I use on a
nearly-daily basis.
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| My make-up bag and all its current contents. Look how few pink stickers there are =( |
Everything in the photo above is currently in my make-up
bag, and every item with a little pink sticker on it is cruelty-free (the one brush
represents all my brushes, which are by Real Techniques and are therefore all
cruelty-free). I was genuinely shocked at how many make-up items I own that are
produced by companies which test on animals! It’s very sobering when you take a
step back and realise something like that, especially when you have lived a
certain way for a very long time.
So, having done that and also reassessing the products I use
for skincare, hair care, and bath and shower times (Lush, you are my eternal
babe and saviour), and almost a month after 2017 began, I have finally decided
on my New Year’s Resolution. From hereon in, I am going to be attempting to
live as ethically as possible where hair and beauty are concerned: no products which
are tested on animals or sold in China, vigorous research into any new
products, and actively searching out brands which are strictly cruelty-free. I’m
going to use up all items I currently have open and not throw them away because
that would be a waste of money, but once an item from a brand that doesn’t have
approval from the Logical Harmony list has been used up I won’t be repurchasing
it.
The number of well-known brands that still test on animals
or sell their products in China (the only country in the world where it’s
mandatory that a cosmetic product be tested on animals) is disgusting, unnecessary,
and, in some cases, really disappointing. Collection, for instance, do – a massive
shame because their Lasting Perfection concealer is a genuinely brilliant
product. Nivea, the skincare I have sworn by for years, do. Tresemme and L’Oreal,
whose hair products do wonders for my lacklustre locks, do. Whyyyy. At least
Barry M are cruelty-free, thank the lawd.
So now I’m in need of some help! What are your favourite
cruelty-free beauty brands? Any tips for someone looking to make a change? If
anyone has any suggestions or recommendations leave them in the comments below.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
X x
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