Cheaper Than You Think!

I know being cruelty free comes with a bit bigger price tag but there are some switches you can make that barely cost a thing! Switch from Windex Multi-Surface, which costs $3.14 for 26 oz. to Method Glass and Multi-Surface Cleaner which is $2.99 for 28 oz.! Switch your Lysol bathroom cleaner which is $2.89 for 28 oz. to Method Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner which is $2.99 for 28oz.! Switch your dishwasher packs from Cascade, 25 count, for $5.49 to Mehtod Smarty Dish dishwasher packs which are $6.99 for a 24 count. All of these items can be found at Target so no need to hit up the specialty stores like Whole Foods! Just these little changes can make a difference in the lives of animals and send a message to companies that we want cruelty free products! And it only costs $1.45 more than you would usually spend!

Categorizing the List

Hey all! I'm busy at work separating out the long list in to categories so that brands will be easy to find! I'll be making 5 categories for the product brand names, listed alphabetically, and by type of product or product use. They are to be as follows: Beauty and Health (which will include cosmetics and personal products), Home (which will include candles and other home fragrances, and household cleaning products), Fragrance (Women and Men separate), Baby/Kids, and Pets. I hope this will help you to narrow your search on your quest to becoming cruelty free! Keep checking in for tips and product reviews and make sure to check back for completion of the categorized lists!

AHAVA!

The creamiest, most incredible feeling body wash has got to be from AHAVA! Seriously, the best body wash ever! And, of course, it's cruelty free! The price tag may sting a little but it's such a great value for what you pay! Just a little bit in my shower puff is all it takes to clean my whole body, and the scents are heavenly! Wanna make your body feel even more creamy and delicious? Use the AHAVA body lotion after your shower! So incredible! 

This is my favorite scent!

Look for the Bunny!

Looking for an easy way to figure out if a product is cruelty free? Look for the bunny! There are two different bunnies that are used by trustworthy organizations. They thoroughly check out the companies before allowing them to use their bunny logo. PETA and Leaping Bunny are the two companies I trust the most when it comes to guaranteeing my products are in fact cruelty free. So look for one of the two bunnies below and you can't go wrong!

                                                                      Leaping Bunny

PETA 

Best Shampoo for Fine Hair

I've been on a quest to find the perfect cruelty free shampoo and conditioner for my baby fine, limp hair and I've finally found it! Hallelujah for LUSH's Big shampoo (don't let the strange texture throw you)!!! Add Giovanni's Ultra Volume conditioner for fine, limp hair and you've got a perfect combination of bouncy, fluffy hair that's not frizzy! I'm in love! (Please note: I don't get paid or reimbursed for promoting products, I'm just sharing my experiences!)

Cosmetics You Can Find in Stores

I realized the other day that many people don't know how many wonderful cruelty free makeup brands are right in local stores! So, I decided I'd share some of my favorite cruelty free brands that you can find in stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Ulta, and Sephora. These are just a few brands that can be found in stores! Search for your favorite brands in my extensive list in the side bar menus.

• Anastasia Beverly Hills
• E.L.F.
• Flower
• Milani
• Physicians Formula
• Sonia Kashuk
• Tarte
• Too Faced
• Wet n Wild

The China Factor

So, your favorite company has been pulled from the list? Guess what? It's probably because of China. That's right, China. Big companies, that have previously been categorized as cruelty free, are being pulled from lists everywhere because they have decided to sell to China. China REQUIRES animal testing on products being sold in their country. Selling to China's massive population has proved too tempting for many formally cruelty free companies, so they have been pulled from lists like PETA's and Leaping Bunny's because they just couldn't resist the money that comes with those millions of buyers. Once a company decides to sell to China they are no longer 100% cruelty free, regardless of whether they test here or anywhere other than China. So, when you see that your favorite major brand has been removed from a list, check out the China status! That's probably the factor that got them removed! Many of my favorites have been pulled and I feel that we should all speak up and insist that these companies not sell to China anymore. Additionally, we need a campaign that addresses the fact that China REQUIRES animal testing. We should help educate the Chinese that testing on animals is cruel and unnecessary. Perhaps if we could get the Chinese to stop requiring the animal testing, we could get our big brands back on the cruelty free bandwagon! So, I propose a campaign called #ChinaGoCrueltyFree. Let's share our knowledge with China! Post links and facts to social media with the hashtag #ChinaGoCrueltyFree so that maybe we can bring some awareness to them and change their policy!

Anastasia Beverly Hills

I've got to say, when it comes to eyebrows, this company has it just right! I'm a traditionalist and so I love a good eyebrow pencil but they are hard to find nowadays. Making things even tougher is that it has to be cruelty free! Well, I've fallen in love with the eyebrow pencil made by Anastasia Beverly Hills and this company is cruelty free! So, I'm a very happy camper!
 (Please note, I do reviews based on my own experience and not because a company pays me or gives me anything!)

Organix Hair NOT Really Cruelty Free!

Sad news friends! Organix hair, or OGX, seen in MANY stores and labeled as cruelty free has been removed from Peta's cruelty free list! Their official stance is that some countries require animal testing and therefore they will follow the law...so, sadly, my Organix products are now in the garbage! I won't tolerate liars! Labeling yourself as cruelty free and then NOT actually being cruelty free is such a fraud on those of us who trust such statements! Goodbye Organix. You've lost a loyal customer.

Being Cruelty Free is Easy!

So, you've decided to be cruelty free. Awesome! Now, where to start?? I started simply by understanding what products I needed to start replacing. There were a surprising number of items I found were replaceable with cruelty free versions! Let's start with cleaning: Laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dish soap, dishwasher packs, rinse aid for the dishwasher, antibacterial/grease cutting spray to clean the kitchen, window and glass cleaner, floor cleaner, wood floor cleaner, wood polish, antibacterial/soap scum busting bathroom cleaner, antibacterial toilet bowl cleaner, and hand soap for the bathroom. Household items like candles, waxes, and room sprays can be replaced as well. Next are personal items: shampoo and conditioner, hair styling products of all sorts, hair dye, facial cleanser/moisturizer, body lotion, body wash/soap, deodorant, perfume/cologne, shaving cream, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. Finally, for those who use it, makeup. All of your makeup products can be replaced with cruelty free versions, including things like primer and mascara! I'm sure I've missed something, but this is pretty close to a full list of what can be swapped out for cruelty free items! You can check out the sidebar menu for an alphabetized list of cruelty free companies if you have some already in mind but just aren't sure if they are in fact CF. I will also be further separating the list into categories such as "household items", and "beauty items" and as you can see, I've already made a category for fragrances. This will hopefully help you find what you are looking for more easily! Additionally, you can use the search bar to help you narrow things down! And remember, you can always check the back of products for the bunny (either Leaping Bunny or PETA) or for a declaration that the product is CF! Welcome to the CF journey! If you have any questions feel free to comment or drop me a line!

Elizabeth and James Fragrances

Since Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works are no longer cruelty free I've had to search for a new perfume. My love for pretty, girlie smells left me groping for a scent that was pleasing to MY nose and also cruelty free! And I can't do the online shopping thing for perfume! After scouring the Internet for cruelty free brands, I hit the mall. I searched and smelled, and searched and smelled some more, until, at last, I found one that worked for me! Elizabeth and James Perfume, Nirvana in the white bottle was just what I've been looking for for summer! Fresh, floral and very girlie! They also have a woodsy version in a black bottle for those who like sandalwood and musky scents. I'm so happy I've finally found my cruelty free summer scent! Check out my list of cruelty free fragrances for men and women on the side menu!

The Gray Zone

Today I'd like to tackle the question of the gray zone companies. Gray Zone companies are companies that are cruelty free but are owned by a larger corporation or parent company that is not cruelty free. I.e. Clorox (not cruelty free) owns Burt's Bees, yet Burt's Bees is Leaping Bunny Certified. So, the debate amongst all of us who are trying to live a responsible, cruelty free life is... 
Is buying a cruelty free brand that is owned by a non cruelty free parent company really cruelty free? 
Let's break down the problem:
If you buy a cruelty free product from a company who's parent company is NOT cruelty free, are you ultimately giving money to the non-cruelty free corporations? Yes, unfortunately, you are giving some of your money to them. But you are still buying a product that is in fact cruelty free. Let's think about what this says to the cruel parent companies. As consumers, we show the companies what we will and will not buy. So, ultimately, my hope is that these big corporations will find it is worth it to become cruelty free altogether instead of just buying up smaller, cruelty free brands. This may sound naive, but I think I see a trend occurring...big corporations are making more and more moves toward cruelty free products! Look at how many are buying up these smaller brands! 
Now the other side of the argument. Many, many people who have chosen to be cruelty free simply won't buy a product if it is owned by a NON cruelty free parent company. It means ultimately giving their money to a parent company that does test on animals, even though the smaller brand doesn't test. I also see the value in this thinking. Honestly, if we as consumers don't put our foot down then companies will keep testing on animals. Big companies like Clorox have decided there is some value to the cruelty free movement and so have decided, as opposed to stopping cruel animal testing, to buy a cruelty free brand so as to promote a good image and to capitalize on the money to be made off of us animal lovers. Typical big corporation move.
In general, I do not buy from companies if their parent company is not cruelty free. But, if faced with a dilemma in finding something 100% cruelty free that I actually like, (I.e. my toothpaste and mouthwash preference is Tom's of Maine, owned by Colgate-Palmolive), I will choose a cruelty free brand with a non cruelty free parent company over a straight up non cruelty free product any day. I am still telling the big corporations that I don't want a product that was tested on animals, just sadly, giving them money in the process...
So folks, I say, the choice is yours! ANY step you make toward being cruelty free is a positive one in my book! Either way I think it shows big corporations that we don't want animals being tested on! Let's keep moving in that direction and maybe one day soon we will see a totally cruelty free U.S.!

Method Products

If I were to choose just one household cleaning product I would definitely choose Method! Their products are reasonably priced and fairly easy to find in stores. In fact, they are popping up in more and more places! Kroger, and Target are two of my favorite places to find Method Products, Target having a much wider selection! Whole Foods also carries some Method Products. They make all sorts of household products from floor cleaning to laundry detergent to body wash. Try switching just one of your usual brands for a cruelty free Method Product and before long you will have switched them all!

List Completed!

Well folks, I've completed my list! I've taken 4 lists from reputable sources and put them all together so that you can find cruelty free companies much more easily! I've also added several of my own discoveries made over the last year! This may be the most comprehensive list on the internet to date! I hope that by combining several sources I can make it easier for people who having been thinking of switching to find companies they love without having to scour the internet like I did a year ago when I decided to become cruelty free! I became very discouraged when I first looked in to being cruelty free because it was so hard to find a really good list! Even Peta misses companies! I spent a lot of time researching on my own, and sending e-mails to companies, trying to find out what was, and wasn't cruelty free. Had I not been more dedicated, I might have just given up! So, for all you folks who want to be cruelty free, or already are but hate bouncing from one website to another checking for your favorite brand, I hope I have provided a solution! I will also be breaking down my list in the near future so that you can search specifically for either Perfumes, Cosmetics, Bath, or Home products separately! This will take some time though! I will also be posting about my favorite products here on the page! After a year of being cruelty free I am still in the trial and error phase, but I will share with you what I have learned so far, and what products are great, and what products aren't so great. I hope you enjoy this blog! Check back often for list updates!

Work in Progress

Hey folks! I just want to let everyone know that this page is a work in progress! My list will take quite awhile to complete since I am combining several lists from reputable sources. I hope that this will be the most comprehensive Cruelty Free List found on the internet! Come back everyday for new additions to the Cruelty Free List! Thanks for looking in to being Cruelty Free!

Limited Brands Sell Out

Recent news is that Limited Brands, which include Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works, are no longer guaranteed to be cruelty free. Victoria's Secret has decided to sell to China (who REQUIRES animal testing on products). Bath and Body Works is now using the disclaimer "Not Tested on Animals, where required by law". This means European Nations will most likely still be cruelty free but the U.S. isn't guaranteed that testing isn't happening. Since these were my absolute favorite brands I am deeply saddened. Let's all let them know we want them to be 100% cruelty free!