UK VBers:
sorry if this has already been asked, but what are good suggestions for vegan deoderants & toothpaste available in the UK. I've totally been putting off changing my deoderant & toothpaste to cruelty free because I don't really trust most 'natural' type products. But now I've switched over the rest of my toiletries or at least am prepared to buy only cruelty free when what I've got left has run out because I don't mind trying a bunch of different facewashes and seeing what happens. And with the prospect of having more money soon...well I've put it off long enough.
Are there any "mainstream"/unnatural (:lol:) brands of these that are vegan? Failing that, have you found natural ones that REALLY WORK? What do you use?

(sorry for the long post)

As for toothpaste, Kingfisher is a fairly common brand, and we've been using that since we ran out of Tom's of Maine. We like it - no complaints. There is both a fluoride and non-fluoride version. I know I've seen Kingfisher at Waitrose. Tom's of Maine was also good - I think we got that at the health food store, though.

toothpaste:Tom's of Maine toothpaste often contains propolis (a bee product)but both Kingfisher and all but one kind of Aloe Dent are vegan (one kind of aloe dent has chitosan--a marine product). Kingfisher may be easier to find but we don't like it as much. Look at your HFS for Aloe dent--everyone we have tried we have liked. We currently use Aloe dent Wake Up--it is seriously minty--clears your sinus cavity. It is not sweet and doesn't make you foam up like a mad dog as it doesn't contain SLS.

deodorant: Spiderman uses Tom's of Maine and likes it but I won't use it as it has propylene glycol in it. I make my own deodorant. I sort of rotate between several recipes but always use the deodorant crystal with it. i put the crystal on right after my bath when my pits are wet and then follow up with a recipe one. I never stink even with hairy pits, but i do sweat (as sweating is good for you) Here is a link with lots of recipes. i am currently using one with aloe vera, coconut oil and cornflour and bicarb of soda and lemon and lavender oils. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47846
HTH

Oh and I am Jen---that whey in the ecover camomile washing up liquid is in there to "soften your hands" Uh, yeah. I'll stick to lemon. I prefer ecover as I don't use any petrochemicals/petroleum byproducts if I can help it.

Yeah. I liked Seventh Generation best when I was in the States, but I've not been able to find their products here. There's a line named Astonish that is supposedly mostly (all?) vegan and earth-friendly, but I've not found them either. The washing up liquid just didn't cut the grease well for me. :(

*chuckles* at "soften your hands" My so is continually trying to convince me that wearing gloves while doing dishes is important. :)

sg...this was in some other thread, but I was going to ask you if you'd share your recipe for the under-eye tint you spoke of. Mine are getting pretty significant. I've some veg-friendly makeup that I use occasionally, but it's not particularly effective, and it's sort of "chemically" (just made that word up).

isowish: for deodorant, we've both been using Tom's of Maine, but I noticed recently that it started leaving my skin kinda dry. I picked up one of the crystal roll-ons, but was unpleased as I ended up pretty wet. Blech. I have however used the solid crystals in the past with good results, so I think I'm going to try that next. Or maybe I'll just skip it altogether and become a "smelly European" :lol:

Yeah. I liked Seventh Generation best when I was in the States, but I've not been able to find their products here. There's a line named Astonish that is supposedly mostly (all?) vegan and earth-friendly, but I've not found them either. The washing up liquid just didn't cut the grease well for me. :(


*chuckles* at "soften your hands" My so is continually trying to convince me that wearing gloves while doing dishes is important. :)

sg...this was in some other thread, but I was going to ask you if you'd share your recipe for the under-eye tint you spoke of. Mine are getting pretty significant. I've some veg-friendly makeup that I use occasionally, but it's not particularly effective, and it's sort of "chemically" (just made that word up).

isowish: for deodorant, we've both been using Tom's of Maine, but I noticed recently that it started leaving my skin kinda dry. I picked up one of the crystal roll-ons, but was unpleased as I ended up pretty wet. Blech. I have however used the solid crystals in the past with good results, so I think I'm going to try that next. Or maybe I'll just skip it altogether and become a "smelly European" :lol:

Yes, we likedSeventh Genreration as well. You had to order it as it wasn't available in our part of Louisiana until about 6 months before we moved. If you need grease cutting power add a capful of vinegar to your washing up water and presto! grease cutting action. If you don't like vinegar then half a lemon squeezed into your washing up water works as well.

Spiderman does it without gloves and it aggravates his eczema but will he listen to me? Noooooooo. I have to use gloves because I like the water hotter than I can stand it barehanded.

Still working on the formula for concealer--but I will PM you with details and where to buy the ingredients. It may be more difficult than you are willing to do--it is by far the hardest thing I have attempted. And you'd probably have to buy a lot of ingredients--I had much of this from other cosmetic attempts. I'll send you details, but you might want to wait til I get it perfected then I'll sell you some! ha ha

If you are just using deodorant and not anti perspirant it can feel weird when you can feel wet underarms. I suggest topping up after you put on your deo of choice a powder of equal parts bicarb of soda and cornflour. It will help you feel less wet. That's why I am experimenting with the new deodorant that contains bicarb and cornflour mixed with aloe vera and coconut oil. I'm hoping to get less wet pits when the weather gets hot (which is NEVER at this point--we're back to fog and damp and cold) I just found the powder too messy to put un every day so I thought if I added the powder to the liquid...that might work.

I would recommend the solid crystal as well--it last AGES (and I mean years) but topped up with something else if you are unsure.

On another note, I'm going to Llandudno next week - does anyone know of any veggie restaurants in the local area?

Thanks

hey that's near-ish where I live on the weekends! Llandudno doesn't have any vegetarian restaurants but you can get veggie food at any of the 3 italian places and any of the curry houses in town. The chinese place has tofu dishes but they use way too much MSG for me.

I'm from U.K and me and my family are vegetarian.I'm looking what is suitable to eat at Disney resort.I have seen menus online about vegetarian options but found some contain fish and some I have seen contain cheese,I have queried with dietcians at Disney about if there is any rennet in the cheese used,they do not know if it contains animal rennet so why state if its vegetarian meal/snack then.They probably sell sandwiches and pizza with cheese in and have it down as veggie option but they don't have any idea if the cheese contains animal rennet.
Can anyone here help me who has been and who is vegetarian. I going contact the Dieticians again shortly as they having their menus updated but I'm not very hopeful on what is vegetarian specially if they don't know what is in their meals they serving with regards to cheese.

Lots and lots of vegetarian food in Disneyland Paris. Vegetarian hot dogs on Main Street and the Blue Bayou restaurant by Pirates of the Carribean does excellent vegan food. I didn't ask about cheese as i don't eat the stuff but there is pizza all over the place, too. You'll be fine in the park. Out front is the Disney Village which has a bunch of chain restaurants that serve all sorts of food. Again, I had no problem eating there even at the chuckwagon buffet! Just read the posted menus on all of the restaurants and decide where to go. I ate at about 4 of those restaurants and always had a good meal. If your staying in one of hte Disney owned hotels the breakfast buffet has lots of fruit and rolls and stuff to fill up on.

Also, to the Canadian/American expats..did y'all get driver's licenses yet? I've been pondering whether it's worth pursuing, and I'm curious as to how difficult the test is. Eek.


The test is waaaaaaay more difficult than any test I've taken in the US. To prep, I took about 10 driving lessons and bought driving test software to practice on. Getting used to roundabouts and driving on the wrong side of the road was quite daunting even though I have been driving since 1980!

The test is in 3 parts: written, hazard perception and hands on driving. The written test is just multiple choice asking about road signs, rules of the road and the usual stuff. No problem. The hazard perception thing is totally bizarre. You're shown about a dozen short video clips from the viewpoint of driving the car and you need to click the mouse whenever you see a 'hazard'. the computer records the clicks for not only if you see a hazard but how early you see it and if you perceive a hazard that isn't there. this is then tallied into a score. this is the most difficult part of the test for many. The driving test is your standard drive around town following instructors orders. You need to back around a corner, stop suddenly, park and do a 3 point turn as well as obey traffic signals and speed limits. It takes the average person 3 attempts to pass this part of the test. But I did it in one try thanks to the lessons, software and 25 years driving experience :D

[QUOTE=IamJen;

Also, to the Canadian/American expats..did y'all get driver's licenses yet? I've been pondering whether it's worth pursuing, and I'm curious as to how difficult the test is. Eek.[/QUOTE]

No. I failed the US written test 7 times out of fear and frustration and I had so much trouble driving in the US (the first time I drove after I got my permit I crashed into a fire hydrant and yes they do shoot water up the air like you see in films) so I would NEVER want to willingly drive again.

And no because part of the reason we moved to the UK was to live a greener lifestyle and not use a car.

I have heard from friends at work that it sounds MUCH harder than the US tests.

Lots and lots of vegetarian food in Disneyland Paris. Vegetarian hot dogs on Main Street and the Blue Bayou restaurant by Pirates of the Carribean does excellent vegan food. I didn't ask about cheese as i don't eat the stuff but there is pizza all over the place, too. You'll be fine in the park. Out front is the Disney Village which has a bunch of chain restaurants that serve all sorts of food. Again, I had no problem eating there even at the chuckwagon buffet! Just read the posted menus on all of the restaurants and decide where to go. I ate at about 4 of those restaurants and always had a good meal. If your staying in one of hte Disney owned hotels the breakfast buffet has lots of fruit and rolls and stuff to fill up on.

Did you ask if the bread rolls contained any animal fat? We staying in 1 of the hotels too so will be having breakfast but be only fruit if there is any on offering as part of the breakfast.We couldn't get a room without breakfast included when we booked.2 years back I recall they sold fruit at breakfast but I would want them to comprise on least giving my children some fruit as we don't have the meat,the yoghurt may have non veggie whey powder in or gelatine as I said the dietcians don't seem to know anything what is in their foods but quite happy to label up some veggie when its not!

I'm wondering if any of you gals (or guys?) know of a vegan nail polish remover. Everything seems to have silk and/or gelatin in it, except one that I've found, and I wasn't sure about the animal testing on that one. I was hoping to find just plain acetone, but that seems to be rare as well. I'm trying to grow out my nails, and keeping them polished tends to help, but not when it flakes off etc. Blech.



Whaaat i didnt even think of looking what was in nail varnish remover!
not that i use it, i just bite the colour off with my teeth hahaha.
[goes to check]
why do i have two?!
Superdrug one has lanolin in it, boots own brand one has nothing i can see non-vegan - and im fairly sure they have a fcod for testing, not sure when the date is/was. both are yeeaaars old though so not much help probably! the boots one smells really good though i sit there sniffing it, like berries and booze.


I know simple stuff (ie. deodourant) has no animal products in it + they dont test on animals as far as i know? google didnt come up with much only forum posts saying they didnt but no direct source (boots and simple... not good brands to attempt to look for!)

Did you ask if the bread rolls contained any animal fat? We staying in 1 of the hotels too so will be having breakfast but be only fruit if there is any on offering as part of the breakfast.We couldn't get a room without breakfast included when we booked.2 years back I recall they sold fruit at breakfast but I would want them to comprise on least giving my children some fruit as we don't have the meat,the yoghurt may have non veggie whey powder in or gelatine as I said the dietcians don't seem to know anything what is in their foods but quite happy to label up some veggie when its not!

I don't understand. You are concerned about whey powder but yoghurt is OK? Whey powder is made from milk as is yoghurt. Are you vegan or not?

Animal fat in a french baguette? :lol: I think that's actually against the law in France. They no doubt get their bread from different suppliers so it will possibly depend on who brings the fresh bread that day to determine who actually made it. And the staff will have no idea whats in it or not as its just fresh bread. Its actually extremely rare for fresh bread in france to have preservatives or any kind of fat in it as that defeats the purpose of fresh bread. Stick with the baguettes and you'll do fine.

The breakfasts at the Disney hotels are are buffet style: you serve yourself whatever you want. I recall there was some canned fruit and some fresh fruit and cereals on offer as well as the usual non-veggie fare.

Relax, you'll do fine. There's plenty on offer. if you're ultra paranoid why not pack a few flapjacks or similar items to munch on?

And be sure to book a table at the Blue Bayou at the hotel concierge when checking in. The restaurant books up early so don''t just show up and expect a table. Book it. And the wait staff there are very good about dealing with special diets and handled my vegan request very well.

As for toothpaste, Kingfisher is a fairly common brand, and we've been using that since we ran out of Tom's of Maine. We like it - no complaints. There is both a fluoride and non-fluoride version. I know I've seen Kingfisher at Waitrose. Tom's of Maine was also good - I think we got that at the health food store, though.

hum. We don't have a Waitrose here although we might be getting one soon. I will check out some HFS for those brands though. Thanks :)

toothpaste:Tom's of Maine toothpaste often contains propolis (a bee product)but both Kingfisher and all but one kind of Aloe Dent are vegan (one kind of aloe dent has chitosan--a marine product). Kingfisher may be easier to find but we don't like it as much. Look at your HFS for Aloe dent--everyone we have tried we have liked. We currently use Aloe dent Wake Up--it is seriously minty--clears your sinus cavity. It is not sweet and doesn't make you foam up like a mad dog as it doesn't contain SLS.

deodorant: Spiderman uses Tom's of Maine and likes it but I won't use it as it has propylene glycol in it. I make my own deodorant. I sort of rotate between several recipes but always use the deodorant crystal with it. i put the crystal on right after my bath when my pits are wet and then follow up with a recipe one. I never stink even with hairy pits, but i do sweat (as sweating is good for you) Here is a link with lots of recipes. i am currently using one with aloe vera, coconut oil and cornflour and bicarb of soda and lemon and lavender oils. http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47846
HTH

thanks spidergrrl. I will look out for those brands too. I'm not sure I'd be good at making my own deoderant though :lol:

isowish: for deodorant, we've both been using Tom's of Maine, but I noticed recently that it started leaving my skin kinda dry. I picked up one of the crystal roll-ons, but was unpleased as I ended up pretty wet. Blech. I have however used the solid crystals in the past with good results, so I think I'm going to try that next. Or maybe I'll just skip it altogether and become a "smelly European" :lol:

this is not a heartening post.
but thanks :D

Isowish! you really could make something--it isn't that hard. But I know it may seem too fiddle-y to fool with when you're a gal on the go. There are just so many nasty chemicals to look out for it is easier for me to make my own. But I would recommend the deodorant crystal stone(lasts for YEARS unless you drop it!) and a powder of equal parts bicab and cornflour if you feel wet during the day.

But if you really want to buy --go for a deodorant without an antiperspirant. Anti perspirants are really bad for you and the aluminium in them has been linked to loads of illnesses.
Good luck with finding stuff. And when you go off to Uni you might have more store choices available depending on your town.

Isowish! you really could make something--it isn't that hard. But I know it may seem too fiddle-y to fool with when you're a gal on the go. There are just so many nasty chemicals to look out for it is easier for me to make my own. But I would recommend the deodorant crystal stone(lasts for YEARS unless you drop it!) and a powder of equal parts bicab and cornflour if you feel wet during the day.

But if you really want to buy --go for a deodorant without an antiperspirant. Anti perspirants are really bad for you and the aluminium in them has been linked to loads of illnesses.
Good luck with finding stuff. And when you go off to Uni you might have more store choices available depending on your town.
yeah. my area's actually quite good for choices. I am still a bit unsure about making my own but I will check out your links and the crystal stone anyway. I guess it's worth a go. :think:
thanks :)

I don't understand. You are concerned about whey powder but yoghurt is OK? Whey powder is made from milk as is yoghurt. Are you vegan or not?

Animal fat in a french baguette? :lol: I think that's actually against the law in France. They no doubt get their bread from different suppliers so it will possibly depend on who brings the fresh bread that day to determine who actually made it. And the staff will have no idea whats in it or not as its just fresh bread. Its actually extremely rare for fresh bread in france to have preservatives or any kind of fat in it as that defeats the purpose of fresh bread. Stick with the baguettes and you'll do fine.

The breakfasts at the Disney hotels are are buffet style: you serve yourself whatever you want. I recall there was some canned fruit and some fresh fruit and cereals on offer as well as the usual non-veggie fare.

Relax, you'll do fine. There's plenty on offer. if you're ultra paranoid why not pack a few flapjacks or similar items to munch on?

And be sure to book a table at the Blue Bayou at the hotel concierge when checking in. The restaurant books up early so don''t just show up and expect a table. Book it. And the wait staff there are very good about dealing with special diets and handled my vegan request very well.


I'm vegetarian only.I still have the dairy products that is cheese made without animal rennet and in U.K we have vegetarian whey powder and have honey too.I will be taking a lot of snacks,anything that does not need fridge storage or needs cooking,there is 4 of us going which includes 2 children be 6 days.

I'm vegetarian only.I still have the dairy products that is cheese made without animal rennet and in U.K we have vegetarian whey powder and have honey too.I will be taking a lot of snacks,anything that does not need fridge storage or needs cooking,there is 4 of us going which includes 2 children be 6 days.

Heck you'll have an easier time than I did and I had no problem finding vegan food!

Take a minute to look at the restaurants you'll be walking past every day http://www.dlrpmagic.com/guides/disneyvillage/dining/ Lots to choose from and all of them say they have vegetarian meals. I recall talking to the very helpful waitresses at Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Cafe who checked with the chef for vegan food and they altered a dish or two and it was great.

But by far the best meals were at the Blue Bayou. I wish I was going back!

Heck you'll have an easier time than I did and I had no problem finding vegan food!

Take a minute to look at the restaurants you'll be walking past every day http://www.dlrpmagic.com/guides/disneyvillage/dining/ Lots to choose from and all of them say they have vegetarian meals. I recall talking to the very helpful waitresses at Planet Hollywood and the Rainforest Cafe who checked with the chef for vegan food and they altered a dish or two and it was great.

But by far the best meals were at the Blue Bayou. I wish I was going back!



I will take a look at the link.
I'm quite happy to eat Vegan too there,we not fussy with food at all but we do like to know exactly what we eating.I don't expect them to have any Quorn there ( that contains egg white so no good for Vegans ) but some Tofu would be good.

I will take a look at the link.
I'm quite happy to eat Vegan too there,we not fussy with food at all but we do like to know exactly what we eating.I don't expect them to have any Quorn there ( that contains egg white so no good for Vegans ) but some Tofu would be good.

No tofu there that I saw but like I said, there are vegetarian hot dogs which are soya protein-based (but I suspect egg-whites as a binder). Lots of those on Main St.

Don't forget there's a RER station right at the front of the park. You can take a train into central Paris in 35 minutes. Trains are frequent and fast and run until late. You can easily travel into Paris and eat at one of the many vegetarian restaurants there. http://www.happycow.net/europe/france/paris/index.html Plenty of places serve excellent tofu dishes!

You can also shop at one of the many health food shops dotted around the capitol to purchase items to eat for lunches and breakfast.

http://www.maozveg.com/

We might go here if we consider leaving the Resort.Also in the area I know there is a Pizza Marzano ( its called Pizza Express in U.K ) I know they have a few vegetarian options as we had a few days stay in Paris last Easter just me and my partner without the children and ate garlic bread and dough balls each day while there,there is Haagen-Daz icecream for sale in same area too,all their icecreams are vegetarian.
As for Maoz I've not been in one,there only 2 in London at moment and theres only the 1 in Paris but like to try it in there.

Maoz is great, but there are some amazing vegetarian restaurants in Paris. Just check out Mr Falafel's link.

http://www.maozveg.com/

We might go here if we consider leaving the Resort.Also in the area I know there is a Pizza Marzano ( its called Pizza Express in U.K ) I know they have a few vegetarian options as we had a few days stay in Paris last Easter just me and my partner without the children and ate garlic bread and dough balls each day while there,there is Haagen-Daz icecream for sale in same area too,all their icecreams are vegetarian.
As for Maoz I've not been in one,there only 2 in London at moment and theres only the 1 in Paris but like to try it in there.

Yes, maoz is great if you like standing around a tourist area stuffing a falafel into your mouth while tourists push past you. Its really just a kiosk. And you'd seriously be missing out on some awesome veggie food if you simply went for a pizza in Paris. In fact, the last time I had pizza in Paris I got food poisoning from it! :D And how do you know the cheese in Pizza Marzano is vegetarian? It may be affiliated with Pizza Express but will get its cheese from local sources, not UK sources. And their recipes will be designed to appeal to French, not British palates. Has someone from Pizza Marzano assured you their cheese is vegetarian?

About a 2 minute walk from Maoz is my fav vegetarian restaurant in Paris:
Le Grenier de Notre Dame http://www.legrenierdenotredame.net lacto/ovo, vegan dishes are available and all of the cheese is rennet free! I recommend the cassoulet.