Vegan Self-Care 101

To help you get started on your quest, here are a few standout vegan products that don’t sacrifice an ounce of luxury or effectiveness.

The idea of “self-care” is about more than just treating yourself well. It encompasses the way you move, the way you think and the way you choose what to introduce into your body, from food to beauty products. It’s a noble cause, one that looks different for everyone, but it can also lead to a lot of hand-wringing over whether something is worthy enough (for whatever reason) of becoming part of your self-care routine…which kind of defeats the purpose, no?

For vegans, this is especially true. You’ve already decided exactly what you are (and aren’t) putting into your body by way of food, and since those decisions often translate to what you put on your body, it’s crucial that you know exactly what products fit your vegan ethos. For a long time, the pickings for vegan self-care were slim but these days, there’s a veritable bounty of animal-ingredient-free products for your to slather and lather all over your bod. To help you get started, here are a few standout vegan products that don’t sacrifice an ounce of luxury or effectiveness.

Side note: What criteria does a self-care product need to meet in order to be vegan? Simply put, it can’t contain any animal products or by-products, and it can’t be tested on animals. For a deeper dive and a primer on the symbols to look for when you pick up a new product, read this.

Mad Hippie Face Cream

One of the first products most people swap out in their quest to live a cleaner life is moisturizer. Since it sits on your skin all day, every day, it’s one of the products most likely to work its way into your bloodstream and organs. If you’re not ingesting animal products orally, you wouldn’t want to absorb them topically, either, right? Luckily, Mad Hippie’s squeaky clean and equally luxurious daily face cream hydrates in all the right ways thanks to a plethora of straight-from-the-earth botanicals.

Eyeko Yoga Waterproof Mascara

Another early self-care switch to make is mascara since it sits so very near your absorbent and sensitive eyeballs for hours on end. Unfortunately, green and vegan mascara tends to get a bad rap: it smudges, it flakes, it irritates, it just plain doesn’t work. But Eyeko has perfected the art of vegan mascara with this baby. It’s all natural, vegan-friendly, and adds the volume and length you’re craving without moving a centimeter. It’s also packed with ingredients that hydrate and improve the health of your lashes while you wear it, so, win-win.

Lilah B. Tinted Lip Balm

Most conventional lipsticks and tints contain a litany of animal ingredients: cochineal dye from insects, guanine from bats, tallow, lanolin from sheep, squalene from sharks, to name a few. If you’re not putting animal products in your mouth, why would you put them on your mouth? Lilah B. to the rescue! This creamy tinted lip balm is long-lasting, uber-pigmented, and filled with the kind of ingredients that will make your vegan lips very happy. (You can use it as a cheek tint too, in a pinch.)

Schmidt’s Deodorant Pot

If you’re not already using a natural, vegan deodorant…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! (Sorry for yelling.) But seriously, get on it. Not only are products like Schmidt’s better for your pits, they’re free of sneaky animal products like beeswax, glycerin and fragrance and they’re cruelty free.

Fur Oil

Vegan vaginas deserve love, too! Don’t skimp on the self-care down there with this genuinely gorgeous blend of antibacterial, 100% vegan essential oils that will reduce inflammation, soften hair and skin, and generally make your pubic region happy…topically.

Anima Mundi Tooth Polish

When it comes to oral care, finding vegan products can be tricky. Most conventional toothpastes contain glycerin, an ingredient that can be animal- or plant-based, and many labels don’t specify from what source their glycerin is. You could do a lot of research and trust a mass manufacturer’s word, or you could play it safe and opt for a animal-product-free option like this tooth polish that works just as well as the foamy stuff without any of the ingredients you don’t want near your mouth.

“Eat Vegan” by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse

And finally, the holy grail of vegan cookbooks. There’s no skimping on flavor or creativity, no food words “in quotes” to fake you into thinking you’re eating the real thing — just good ‘ol delicious food.

+ All vegan beauty here.