some natural goodies.

This post isn’t about the kind of vegan goodies that I usually write about, but the ones I use (almost) every day in the privacy of my bathroom. Striving to find all natural, vegan friendly toiletries can be challenging, but I thank Whole Foods and other natural health food stores for making some of these much easier to find.

I am loving the accessibility of the Giovanni Organic Hair Care products. Not only do I find that they work wonderfully, but I found them at Target (on sale!) last week. Before I was using the Balancing shampoo and conditioner but I switched over to the Colorflage line and am finding they work wonderfully. The Brazenly Brunette uses goji berry and coffee berry to bring out natural highlights. The best part is that Giovanni:

uses formulas that incorporate vitamins, herbs, minerals, proteins, nutrients and the purest of essential oils. The patented Giovanni PureOrganic Technology™ represents an exquisite blend of exotic organic oils, ripe-harvested from renewable plants at the peak of their freshness. The oils are cold pressed and refrigerated immediately to ensure maximum purity.”

–giovannicosmetics.com

In terms of eco friendly toothbrush companies, Preserve, is the best I have found. These babies can be seen any where from Trader Joes and Whole Foods to tiny whole in the wall health stores. They have a great program if you buy them online in a mail pack, where they can be sent right back to be recycled when finished. I usually drop mine off along with my brita water filters at a Whole Foods in the designated recycling bins.

I don’t know if you have tried the Tom’s natural toothpaste, but when I first ventured into natural toothpastes, it was the only one I could find. I was not a fan and was very turned off of natural toothpaste for a while. Recently, I found this Jason’s Sea Fresh one that is not chalky and has a great minty taste. Make sure not to get the Sea Fresh with CoQ₁₀ because that is a compound usually derived from meat sources.

Aromatherapy has never been my thing but the occasional bath is great with a few drops of Lavender essential oil. Sometimes we need to treat ourselves to a nice calming bath after a rough week and Lavender is said to be the ultimate oil for tranquility and cleansing. Reading up on Aura Cacia is also truly refreshing. They have a great philosophy and sustainability program.

Masks are another thing I don’t treat myself to that often, like the occasional bath. When I do, I reach for my Zia french clay mask. This Colorado company uses great ingredients like Seaweed and essential oils, which you can read about here. They are also animal friendly and are making a great effort to be as green as they can.

The last is a local soap, specifically flavored Almond Cocoa. I don’t always get this brand but since I saw it at the Earth Day Fest yesterday, I scooped it up after smelling every single soap. This one contains olive, coconut, palm, jojoba, rice bran, sunflower, avocado, cocoa powder, and essential oils of bitter almond. Each time I need a new soap, I head over to one of the smaller local health stores (instead of Whole Foods) to find a company that produces them in state. This is just because I want to support a local company to the best of my ability, even if it is just one soap a month, at least it is an effort!

I hope you enjoyed this post and don’t feel too overwhelmed by product galore. These companies had no clue that I was reviewing their products, I am just telling it like it is. I hope you try them!

Tomorrow I will be posting about some yummy food I have been enjoying.