[isowish]

Okay, I'm going to start trying to switch my toiletries over to vegan ones.

First on the agenda: facewash.

It has to be available in the UK, on a UK website, or on a website where shipping to the UK isn't extortionate.

It has to clean crap out of my pores properly. I like those ones with some kind of scrubby bits in.

I have quite sensitive skin. I'm normally okay with face washes, but not with really chemical-laden spot-getting-rid-of clearasil-type scrubby pads or anything.

Can anyone help me out?

 

[codemonkey]

I'm not sure if it's available in the UK or whether it's tested on animals but Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser appears to be vegan (the one for oily skin has glycerin in it - not sure if it's vegetable glycerin or animal glycerin.) It cleared up my skin really well.

 

[meatless]

Cetaphil isn't very gentle on skin, it's quite drying (if you don't have oily skin).

I don't know what's available in the UK, sorry.

 

[vheogl]

Have you tried lush? I know they do a lot of body washes etc and i think a lot of them are vegan. If you go in a sotre they can usually help you find something suitable for your skin.

 

[Blue Plastic Straw]

Lush Lush Lush!

I have break-out prone skin, so I use their Fresh Farmacy, and it works beautifully. I've also used Coalface, which cleans really well, but smells kinda funky, IMO. If you gotta have the scrubby bits, try Angels on Bare Skin. I like the exfoliating bit, but it doesn't get my oily skin clean enough, so I use it a couple times a week then follow up with my regular cleanser. I made my own knock off version that is WAY cheaper, and works just as well.

 

[Spidergrrl]

This is what I use:

Face Wash

3 TB aloe vera gel

3 TB flower water (I use a mixture of rose and lavender flower water but you could use water with a few drops lavender EO to make flower water. I also have found cheap rose flower water in the baking aisle of the supermarket)

1-2 TB grapeseed oil (don't shy away from the oil--it helps with the cleaning and will not break you out)

10-15 drops lavender EO

Whisk together and decant into a clean jar. Shake before you pour a little in your hand to wash your face as it can separate.

This is really soothing and good for sensitive skin. The grapeseed oil is perfect for oily skin as it is really light. Lavender is also good for acne.

Willow Blemish Buster

10g (1/2 oz) fresh willow leaves

2 oz apple cyder vinegar

Chop the leaves and pour the vinegar over them. Pour into a bottle and refrigerate, shaking every day. After a week strain out the willow and pour into a sterilized bottle. Apply the liquid with a cotton bud (Q-Tip) to zits. Willow contains salycilic acid--the same thing used in many over the counter acne meds like Clearasil.

Almond Facial scrub (copycat of Angels On Bare Skin by LUSH)

6 Tablespoons ground almonds (I bought these on the cooking isle at the grocery store)

3 Tablespoons vegetable glycerine (I bought this at the chemist--- Boots brand is vegetable not animal based)

10 - 15 drops lavender essential oil

1-2 teaspoons gram flour (also called chickpea flour or besan--this works the same as the kaolin. Kaolin is a clay used to absorb oil--gram flour works the same way. It is very oil absorbing/drying so no more than 2 teaspoons. I bought this at the Health Food Store)

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

OPTIONAL: 2 teaspoons ground lavender buds (I used lavender that I make potpourri with and zooshed it in my spice grinder until it was a coarse powder--you could use a mortar and pestle if you don't have a spice grinder) (optional--but makes it nice and more like Angels On Bare Skin scrub from LUSH)

Mix all your dry ingredients together. Add the glycerine. Stir after each TB is added until combined. Then add your oil and gram flour. Add your lavender essential oil and stir to combine. Put in a container. (I use a washed out salsa jar that has been rinsed with boiling water and allowed to cool then dried.)

It will look quite moist on the first day but the glycerine will soak in within 24 hours making it more the consistency of wet sand the 2nd day. However, put a small ball in your hand and wet and this lovely milky liquid comes out and it softens and breaks down and becomes a lovely not too harsh scrub. If you want it even more mild and add a Tablespoon of ground oats to it as well. This will make a lovely milky/silky liquid that is very soothing to sensitive skin.

 

[GhostUser]

i use BWC creamy cleanser in the am: it smells really good.

I use dr. galen grapefruit at night to deep clean.

 

[DLS]

Have you tried a mask to help clean out your prores? Masks made out of powdered clay or grains are an extremely effective way to free the skin of impurities. As the mask dries, oils and other pore-clogging matter are gently drawn out, thus helping the pores to function normally. There are many different recipes for masks, here is a simple one that you can adapt to suit your needs.

Mix 2 tsp. fuller's earth {or other cosmetic clay} with enough water to make a spreadable paste { you can use an infused flower water instead and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil too}. Smooth the paste onto your face and neck, avoiding the eye area. If your skin is dry, leave on for only 5 min. then rinse with tepid water. If you have oily skin, leave on not only until the mask is dry but until you see the oil being drawn out from such problem areas as around the nose, the chin and so on. then rinse off.

 

[Spidergrrl]

Chickpea flour that I mentioned above will work like clay in a mask like DLS says. It has the same drawing impurities power that clay does as well as oil absorbing properties.

Mix equal parts chickpea flour and ground oatmeal with water or aloe vera gel or if you are not vegan yogurt. Put on, let dry, wash off.

 

[GhostUser]

I love Lush's Angels on Bare Skin. Use it every night. I have sensitive skin and it doesn't bother me a bit. Has those little scrubby bits too.

 

[Alli]

I don't have anything to suggest as I am in need of vegan facial care as well.

My question: For the homemade stuff, how much does everything cost?

What brands are vegan and cheap?

 

[Spidergrrl]

well for the homemade stuff it can cost a little at the outset but then it last for a year. I buy an aloe vera gel in a bottle for £10 that lasts me a year since I only use a few TB at a time. You can get it cheaper at the HFS but I buy mine from a cosmetic making company) Same for lavender EO.I wait til Holland and Barrett has their better than half price sale and get a 10ml bottle for £3 or £4 that lasts ages. I use grapeseed oil in baking so I pay £1 a bottle and use the rest for cooking. same for the chickpea flour. I buy a bag for £1.50 and then put a cup aside for beauty and use the rest in baking.

Not bad when you just make little amounts.

And you know what goes into it and no harsh chemicals or antifreeze or preservatives that are oestrogen mimics and can disrupt your hormones and stay in your fatty breast tissue increasing your risk of certain types of breast cancer.

 

[Katt Fink]

Iso, I've been having fickle skin lately too and this is what I've been using (I hope at least some of these are available to you!):

Avalon Organics Vitamin C refreshing cleansing gel (for normal to oily skin) - it really is refreshing! It smells so nice and fresh and citrusy, and it leaves my face feeling like new.

-or-

Alba Organics Pineapple Enzyme facial cleanser - pretty much the same as above. It's sort of astringent-y, yet still very gentle. It cleans up the oil spill that is my nose and forehead without drying out my already sandpapery cheeks.

Sometimes, I will follow up my face wash with J/A/S/O/N Apricot Scrubble. This has the little scrubby bits you were looking for, yet it's still gentle so long as you don't scour your face with it. Again, fresh and citrusy.

Once a week or so, I will use Queen Helene's Mint Julep mask, which is nice and minty and clears out those darn blackheads almost right away. Leaves your face all refreshed and polished.

Good luck!

 

[madder]

I'm using Tisserand's tea tree and grapefruit face and body wash at the moment - I don't think it's particularly meant as a face thing, but it was the cheapest vegan face wash I could find, €10 or so for 250ml - available in a lot of health food shops. (I use soap as a body wash as it's cheaper!)

 

[madder]

Oh! And any recommendations for acheap moisturiser (w/ same restrictions as Isowish re UK/Ireland based retail?) I just recently tried JASON's 84% aloe vera. About 2 mins after I put it on I looked like I had 2nd degree burns all over my face! I was okay after I washed it off though...

 

[Fona]

I'm sure botanics has no animal ingredients, I haven't researched it or anything but their main advertising for it is that its organic **** made from plants.

The boots FAQ say that they don't test on animals nor do they get others to do so on their behalf.

Also, the main deciding factor is that the facewash has little bits in it for blackhead removal, and if that doesn't work, footscrub on face lol.

I can't believe you had a question about faff and didn't ask me!

 

[DLS]

Mists are a good way to keep the skin moist and they are easy to make and not expensive. Get a little spray bottle that will fit in your purse, now you can just spray plain water or if you skin is very dry, try this mix : 3/4 cup distilled water, 1/4 cup rose, camomile or orange flower water and a small squeeze of lemon juice. Spray any exposed skin as needed to help moisturise.

 

[Alli]

Quote:

well for the homemade stuff it can cost a little at the outset but then it last for a year. I buy an aloe vera gel in a bottle for £10 that lasts me a year since I only use a few TB at a time. You can get it cheaper at the HFS but I buy mine from a cosmetic making company) Same for lavender EO.I wait til Holland and Barrett has their better than half price sale and get a 10ml bottle for £3 or £4 that lasts ages. I use grapeseed oil in baking so I pay £1 a bottle and use the rest for cooking. same for the chickpea flour. I buy a bag for £1.50 and then put a cup aside for beauty and use the rest in baking.

Not bad when you just make little amounts.

And you know what goes into it and no harsh chemicals or antifreeze or preservatives that are oestrogen mimics and can disrupt your hormones and stay in your fatty breast tissue increasing your risk of certain types of breast cancer.

Oh wow, if it will last a year for 10 bucks... That's not bad at all. I'm going to Whole Foods Saturday, so I'll have to pick something up.

 

[isowish]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to explore some of the stuff you all mentioned, definitely.

 

[meatless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fona

I'm sure botanics has no animal ingredients, I haven't researched it or anything but their main advertising for it is that its organic **** made from plants.

That's what Yves Rocher says too, but their ingredient lists scare the bejeezus out of me.