Many non veggies and non vegans already struggle with the concept and seeming complexities of a vegan diet; what do you eat and how do you survive, etc? So once you've had that long conversation to assure them that really it isn't that complicated and difficult, you don't have the heart or the will to tell them about all the other aspects of vegan living beyond the food. To tell them about the wines and beers, the clothing, the shoes, the cosmetics, the cleaning products and the choices of medical charities would no doubt send them in to a tail spin! Ease them in gently I say but for all those non vegans out there reading this, seriously it really isn't as difficult as it sounds. It just becomes second nature and opens up your mind to many different aspects of clean living that go beyond just food.
Take soap for instance. My choice in soaps doesn't just come down to whether it is vegan or not but whether it contains any horrible chemicals and that is something that everybody should be looking out for regardless of their ethical stance. Most soaps contain sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). Would you go into the local car wash and stand there butt naked and let yourself be washed like a car? Probably not I imagine, but the naked thing and the aggressive washing rollers aside, you might as well if you use soap with SLS in it as it is also used in car washes and even in mechanical garages to degrease car engines. It is an industrial degreaser that is cheap to use hence the inclusion in many personal cleaning products. It's what makes your hair squeaky clean and it is what infuses into your hot open pores and into your body every time you wash with it. It dissolves your natural skin oils and it's nasty stuff. Just type 'SLS in soaps' into a search engine and investigate for yourself if you don't believe me. Ever wondered why hairdressers suffer with really bad skin on their hands?
Luckily there are alternatives out there. One of my favourites is One Village Sandalwood soap. It's vegan, it's nice, it lasts a long time (and no I'm not a soap dodger!) and it is in partnership with a social project at the Palam Rural Centre in Southern India. So it's all good really. Make your life uncomplicated, ethical, vegan, clean and smelling nice and give it a go! I can guarantee it is a lot less complicated and dangerous than standing in a car wash.
Take soap for instance. My choice in soaps doesn't just come down to whether it is vegan or not but whether it contains any horrible chemicals and that is something that everybody should be looking out for regardless of their ethical stance. Most soaps contain sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). Would you go into the local car wash and stand there butt naked and let yourself be washed like a car? Probably not I imagine, but the naked thing and the aggressive washing rollers aside, you might as well if you use soap with SLS in it as it is also used in car washes and even in mechanical garages to degrease car engines. It is an industrial degreaser that is cheap to use hence the inclusion in many personal cleaning products. It's what makes your hair squeaky clean and it is what infuses into your hot open pores and into your body every time you wash with it. It dissolves your natural skin oils and it's nasty stuff. Just type 'SLS in soaps' into a search engine and investigate for yourself if you don't believe me. Ever wondered why hairdressers suffer with really bad skin on their hands?
Luckily there are alternatives out there. One of my favourites is One Village Sandalwood soap. It's vegan, it's nice, it lasts a long time (and no I'm not a soap dodger!) and it is in partnership with a social project at the Palam Rural Centre in Southern India. So it's all good really. Make your life uncomplicated, ethical, vegan, clean and smelling nice and give it a go! I can guarantee it is a lot less complicated and dangerous than standing in a car wash.
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