Hi Megan and welcome! I loved reading your detailed intro! Best wishes with your journey towards law school. That sounds really exciting!
I think you are in great company here.
Personally, my "skin care" involves no more than pure Kirks castile soap or Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap (both made with coconut oil and no palm oil or alcohol, no animals and no animal testing). I don't do makeup and never have (save my sister's wedding and a few dance performances on stage many many years ago). I don't even wear hair products. No lotions. On rare occasion in the summer if I am out canoeing on open water all day I might wear Kiss My Face Sunblock (vegan), but I am not big on slathering that stuff all over. I prefer wearing long sleeves and floppy hats. I've made my own "shampoo" by using vinegar, water, and pure tea tree oil (diluted of course), but eventually got lazy with school and work and everything else going on and started using Dr. Bronners (which also doubles as a dishwashing liquid, laundry soap etc). I used to grate the hard castile soap and add washing soda for my laundry but there again that became too time consuming so I started using Seventh Generation for laundry (I only do two or three loads per month). So I am probably not the best person to ask about skin care lol. I find that eating a lot of fresh whole foods, especially fruits and veggies and a serving or two of nuts/seeds each day keeps my skin looking great. I'm not big on oil. I am fortunate that I have never had skin problems at all. My sister used to break out terribly on her face for years. She went vegan in 2012, a year and a half after me, and her face cleared up. I really wish she would let me post a pic of the difference because it has been incredible. She is 45 years old and had skin problems since she was 13, so it has really been a miracle that all that went away simply by adjusting her diet.
I can also relate to having inlaws that are VERY conservative and also dairy farmers and hunters (and one of them also breeds and sells dogs...grrrr). Not an easy situation. My stubbornness, fierce independence, and strong ethics have helped me through the times I have to visit there for a whole weekend. It's good that your grandparents are still good to you. I hope that you prove to your parents that you can thrive on your lifestyle! My parents totally changed over the years of seeing my success as a vegan. Both have started transitioning to a more plant based diet now themselves, though my Mom struggles with diverticulitis and gluten sensitivity and has other food issues so it has been more of a challenge for her. Like me, my Dad had a dairy intolerance for years so already avoided dairy/cheese and uses plant milk.
I've heard that Houston is a great vegan city. I don't know much else about Texas. Best wishes and I hope to hear more from you!
I think you are in great company here.
Personally, my "skin care" involves no more than pure Kirks castile soap or Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap (both made with coconut oil and no palm oil or alcohol, no animals and no animal testing). I don't do makeup and never have (save my sister's wedding and a few dance performances on stage many many years ago). I don't even wear hair products. No lotions. On rare occasion in the summer if I am out canoeing on open water all day I might wear Kiss My Face Sunblock (vegan), but I am not big on slathering that stuff all over. I prefer wearing long sleeves and floppy hats. I've made my own "shampoo" by using vinegar, water, and pure tea tree oil (diluted of course), but eventually got lazy with school and work and everything else going on and started using Dr. Bronners (which also doubles as a dishwashing liquid, laundry soap etc). I used to grate the hard castile soap and add washing soda for my laundry but there again that became too time consuming so I started using Seventh Generation for laundry (I only do two or three loads per month). So I am probably not the best person to ask about skin care lol. I find that eating a lot of fresh whole foods, especially fruits and veggies and a serving or two of nuts/seeds each day keeps my skin looking great. I'm not big on oil. I am fortunate that I have never had skin problems at all. My sister used to break out terribly on her face for years. She went vegan in 2012, a year and a half after me, and her face cleared up. I really wish she would let me post a pic of the difference because it has been incredible. She is 45 years old and had skin problems since she was 13, so it has really been a miracle that all that went away simply by adjusting her diet. I can also relate to having inlaws that are VERY conservative and also dairy farmers and hunters (and one of them also breeds and sells dogs...grrrr). Not an easy situation. My stubbornness, fierce independence, and strong ethics have helped me through the times I have to visit there for a whole weekend. It's good that your grandparents are still good to you. I hope that you prove to your parents that you can thrive on your lifestyle! My parents totally changed over the years of seeing my success as a vegan. Both have started transitioning to a more plant based diet now themselves, though my Mom struggles with diverticulitis and gluten sensitivity and has other food issues so it has been more of a challenge for her. Like me, my Dad had a dairy intolerance for years so already avoided dairy/cheese and uses plant milk.
I've heard that Houston is a great vegan city. I don't know much else about Texas. Best wishes and I hope to hear more from you!
