Veganuary: Five Cruelty Free, Vegan Beauty Favourites

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Somehow, we're halfway through January - usually I find this month drags its heels, but somewhat mercifully it's passing quite quickly! However, before the month is through I want to chat more about Veganuary - but NOT about food. There's more to veganism than what we consume in our diet, it's about our consumer and lifestyle choices as a whole, and something I learned early on in my vegan journey was the importance of cruelty free beauty. Even a few years ago, finding products that were both cruelty free and vegan could be quite difficult as labelling wasn't always clear. Fortunately for us this market has expanded widely and now boasts some INCREDIBLE products which make you question why you'd ever choose something that uses animal testing when you can instead opt for beautiful, conscientious, plant based products. And today I'll be sharing five of my favourites (new and old!) to inspire you this Veganuary. Sound good? Let's get started...

Westlab salts in "Mindful"* and "Dead Sea"*

If we were to forget the slang meaning for a moment, you could say we're kind of a "salty" family. We regularly light salt lamps, we cook with Himalayan salt, I even make body scrubs with the stuff, but my favourite thing to do is to bathe in it. A salt bath is a powerfully relaxing and detoxifying experience and has plenty of benefits for both body and skin. It's one of my favourite ways to get a little bit of me-time (I am a toddler mama after all!) and moment of mindful relaxation. My personal favourite salts to use are the Westlab Dead Sea salts which contain Lavender, Jasmine and Valerian. They're high in magnesium, usually something which I supplement before bed as it helps me to sleep, but bathing in it reaps similar benefits.  I find these are perfect for me, particularly as I have sensitive skin that can be prone to dryness, and the Dead Sea salts help to nourish it. My partner tends to opt for the Westlab Mindful salts which contain CBD oil, Frankincense and Bergamot. He has an active job and is a fan of CBD products as they really help with aches and pains in muscles or joints, whilst the essential oils help him to have his own relaxation time to practice meditation and deep breathing. One of my (gentle) New Years Resolutions is to try to take more time for bodycare, and taking a salt bath is one really lovely way to treat myself. As Westlab have been vegan and cruelty free since day dot, they're also a brand that you can really trust to have animal welfare at the forefront of their values.

Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm*

Recently I bought Caroline Hirons book of skincare, and I swear she could have been writing about this beauty balm when she discussed the perfect cleanser for a second cleanse...

"Cleansing balms: good ones. Gorgeous, plant-based, greasy ones. Greasy in the best way."

It's richness suits this cold weather and makes me look forward to cleansing in the evening. I've already written a full Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm review, so feel free to give that a read if you want a refresher on why I love this little pot of goodness so much, but for now my main testament is simply that I'm still using it, I still love it, and it's lasting for ages. You can get 20% off at Lyonsleaf using my code "VEGANU".

Earth Conscious Grapefruit & Lemon Natural Deodorant*

Well, we're back in lockdown, so if there was ever a good opportunity to try out a natural deodorant, now would be the time. Deodorants by Earth Conscious are by far my favourite low waste deodorant - I'm currently using both a lavender and tea tree bare bar and this grapefruit and lemon natural deodorant tin, the tin being my favourite, in part because I love the fresh, zesty fragrance. This deodorant simply needs to be applied using fingertips - I've found it lasts well and doesn't irritate the skin, you merely need to wash your hands after use. I'm a big advocate of natural deodorant and this is a really reliable cruelty free and vegan option, with its recyclable/reusable packaging being a big bonus.

M&S Apothecary Calm Hand Lotion

I've always had a problem with dry skin on my hands, and like so many of us now I'm finding they are really suffering with all the extra hand washing and hand sanitising that this Covid era involves. It's really important, now more than ever, that I keep a hand cream next to my bed so I can put some on before I go to sleep, and I have to say this is one is my favourite. I'm a big fan of essential oils and for many years I've used lavender oil at night to help get to sleep, so when I discovered this Apothecary Calm Hand Lotion, which uses a blend of lavender, sweet orange, clary sage and cedar wood oils, I fell in love. The aroma is SO relaxing, the formula feels nourishing but is quick to sink in, and I adore the pump dispenser as it makes it more convenient to use when I'm knackered and want to quickly throw on some hand lotion before I fall into bed. M&S are currently offering refills for the hand wash in the same fragrance, so I live in hope that they may also offer refills for the hand lotion in the future, to make this purchase a little more eco friendly. I love M&S beauty - they've been Leaping Bunny certified for years, and with more vegan formulas now than ever before they are have some surprising gems in their range.

Lush Jasmine and Henna hair treatment

It's hard to write any post on cruelty free beauty without a nod to Lush, pioneers against animal testing, and as I got a pot of my favourite hair treatment for Christmas I felt it had to make my top five for Veganuary. Jasmine and Henna is the hair treatment of dreams - it's applied on dry hair, and in my experience, works better the longer it's left. The smell is divine and it always helps my hair to feel significantly less dry and fluffy, more nourished and smooth. It also seems to soothe my scalp which is a big issue for me at the moment. Lockdown inevitably means that more of us are staying indoors, and this time of year escaping central heating is difficult, so this treatment really helps do some damage control when my hair is being dried out by these environmental factors. Frankly, I need a vat of this legendary product.

Have you tried any of these, or are they on your list to try? What are your favourite vegan, cruelty free beauty products? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

*This post contains affiliate links and gifted products, all opinions my own.