Vegan Lip Balm

I often suffer from dry, cracked lips. Unfortunately, all of the lip balms I found in the stores contain lanolin, beeswax, or both. I went online to see if there were any vegan lip balms available. I found some, but they are about $5 for ONE tube. Also, there's the fact that I live in Florida where it's often 80 degrees in Jan. If it had to stay all day in the mailbox, it would be reduced to a puddle! Thankfully, I found a recipe for lip balm online. I was also able to order empty lip balm tubes on Etsy. They arrived today, so I decided to make my first batch tonight. After some tweaking (the recipe makes 15 tubes, while I made less than 10) and some mess, I finally have 8 tubes of cruelty free lip balm. I made 6 of them plain, and used candy flavoring to make two cherry flavored tubes. It feels great to know for a fact that my lip balm is free of animal testing/ingredients, weird chemicals, and slave labor. The balm feels great and makes my lips very soft. The recipe I used is below. You have a choice of different oils. The ones I used in my balms are in bold.
You'll need:

1 oz hard wax (soy wax works well)

1 oz solid-at-room-temperature oil (coconut oil, avocado oil, mango butter, or shea butter)

.75 - .8 oz another additional hard-at-room-temperature oil (cocoa butter, floral waxes, or palm oil/vegetable shortening)

2 oz liquid oil (jojoba oil or olive oil)

Essential oils (optional, your choice) - maximum 8 drops for each lip balm

Microwave-safe cup or bowl with pour spout

Digital scale sensitive to at least .1 oz (a postage scale will usually work for this)

Stirring spoon

Dropper (I didn't have a dropper, so I bought a $2 flavor injector syringe which worked very well)

Lip balm tubes/jars/tins (up to 15)

1. Place your microwave-safe cup on the scale and turn it on. Measure your oils and waxes into the cup.
2. Place it in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments until almost completely melted; remove and stir to finish melting.
3. Add 8 drops of essential oils for each lip balm (use any combination of essential oils listed below, just make it a maximum of 8 drops per balm).
4. Stir the oil in very thoroughly to prevent separation, then use the dropper to dispense the balm into the containers.

Allow the balm to completely cool and harden before applying a cap. This recipe makes about 5 ounces of lip balm, enough for about 15 lip balms in a typical 1/3 ounce container.

Recipe source: How to Make Vegan Lip Balm | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4450466_make-vegan-lip-balm.html#ixzz1l0pmmFCg

 

I bought lip balm containers like this in black. You can get 10 of them for $5 including shipping at CountrySoapShack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that's all for now. If you decide to try this recipe, please tells us what you think. Toodles!

My Favorite Things From The EtsyVeg group

I recently joined a great Etsy group called EtsyVeg, which is for vegan/vegetarian crafters on Etsy. I have decided to share some of my favorite items made by EtsyVeg members. Keep in mind that just because I list something here it doesn't mean I've actually purchased anything from the seller.

1. Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Doughnuts.

Yes, you can buy vegan goodies online! These doughnuts are available for $15 from VeganLotus



2. Harry Potter Blanket

I'm a HUGE Harry Potter Fan, so naturally I LOVE this blanket!  Unfortunately, I don't have $200! If you do, you can get this at Magglepie

3. Batman Recycled Wallet.

A vegan wallet made from recycled comic books. Very cool! $10 from Polyester10

Product Review: Kiss My Face Active Enzyme Deodorant

A few weeks ago, I was browsing one of my local independently owned natural food stores and I came across this deodorant. I've been looking for a natural, cruelty free alternative to the deodorants that I had been using, so I decided to give it a try. I have been using it for two days now and I am ready to tell you the pros and cons.

PROS

1. It clearly states on the back label that it is 100% vegan friendly (it's always great when you don't have to spend several minutes trying to decipher ingredients)!
2. No aluminum
3. No parabens
4. No propylene glycol
5. No artificial colors
6. It has the wonderful, distinctive scent of Patchouli Essential Oil
7. It's made in the USA.
8. It's 100% biodegradable.
9. Kiss My Face was founded and is owned by vegetarians.
10. There is a peace sign on the label (I am a hippie after all)!

CONS

1. It is NOT an anti-perspirant.
2. It's not as strong as my old deodorant.
3. It's  a bit expensive ($6 for ONE stick)

As far as performance goes, I give this deodorant 3 out of 5 stars. I've noticed that I can smell a bit of B.O. if I've been moderately active. If you naturally sweat a lot or plan to spend a lot of time outdoors in a hot climate this deodorant may not work for you. If you spend most of your time indoors, you might want to give it a try. Do I see myself buying again? Maybe, but only if I can't find another vegan deodorant that works better. Kiss My Face also makes a deodorant line called "Active Life" that comes in patchouli. I plan on trying that when this stick runs out. If that doesn't work any better, I will try another brand like J.A.S.O.N. That's my opinion.

Where to buy it:
1. Your local family owned health food store.
2. Amazon.com

Beautiful Healthy 71 year old vegan

When your friends and family question whether or not being a vegan is healthy, show them this video! She looks AMAZING!

Non-violent social activism

 Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day in the US. Dr. King was a great man who is one of my personal heroes. For those of you who don't know who he was, Dr. King was an African American Baptist preacher who became one of the most famous men in America in the 1950s and 1960s. He was famous for standing up for the rights of minorities and the poor using non-violent activism. He help organize the Montgomery bus boycott, which lead to the desegregation of the bus system in Montgomery Alabama in the late 1950s. He helped to lead many peaceful protest marches and demonstrations against racism and segregation in the 1960s, including the March on Washington where he gave the famous "I Have a Dream" speech. He was the victim of violence on multiple occasions, including having his home firebombed by white supremacists. Even though people used violence against him, he never sought revenge. He taught others to turn the other cheek and practiced what he preached. Sadly, this peaceful man was murdered for his beliefs in April 1968. He was taken from us too soon, but his spirit and his message will always live on.

In honor of Dr. King, I present some tips on ways that you can be a non-violent advocate for people and animals in you everyday life.

1.Speak up. You can do this in several ways. Read PETA's action alerts, sign petitions, and call or write your state or federal representatives and urge them to oppose bills that hurt animals and support those that help them. Another great way to speak up is via Facebook and Twitter. Post links to animal rights websites and articles, notify your friends about animals that are available for adoption, or share yummy vegan recipes.


2. Go mobile! You can spread the message of veganism wherever you go by wearing animal rights message shirts, buttons, and bumper stickers. As I have said before, seeing you wearing these things often makes people curious, and that can lead to great teaching moments. Another good thing to do is keep a few vegan info leaflets (on recycled paper if possible) with you so you can give them to people who are interested in learning more.

3. Tabling. See if you can get permission to set up an information table at your local school, business, library, store, etc. You can have poster boards with pictures and info, a video playing, leaflets, coupons for veggie burgers, and more. If possible, provide samples of vegan food so people can see for themselves that we eat more than salad.

For more tips, see this great article from Vegan Outreach. The article goes in depth about how to starting tabling and leaf letting.

Remember Dr. King's message and keep standing up for the animals.

New Buttons!

I recently bought a professional 2 1/4 inch pinback button machine and have started making and selling the buttons on Etsy. I have made several vegan themed buttons that I'd like to share with you. All of my buttons are $2 with $1.72 First Class shipping worldwide.

#1. Vegan Quote Button. Click here to see more or purchase.

#2 Meat is Murder. Click here to purchase.

#3 Vegan Quote Cow Button. Click here to purchase

 # 4 Vegan Hippie Freak. Click here to purchase

This one says it all!