First off I'd like to mention that I'm in no way sponsored by Alba Botanica...I just REALLY love their products! The best things in life are cruelty free! For me being vegan is more than just a diet, it is a lifestyle. This means that I don’t just eat vegan food but I also make a conscious effort to by vegan shoes, clothing, and products. So how can a shampoo not be vegan? Unfortunately, a LARGE majority of skin and hair products use animal testing. It’s the sort of thing that we all know happens but turn a blind eye towards. When I went vegan I wanted to change what products I was using on my hair, face, and body and use ones that I knew aligned with my beliefs (all products linked above under "SHOP").
I had been using the same shampoo, conditioner, and face wash for years. I was scared to switch it up because I tend to have very sensitive skin. Thus, it took me many months to find a regime that was cruelty free and didn’t make me breakout like I was at the peak of puberty. Through trial and error I came across Alba Botanica. They clearly stated that their products were vegan (although a few of their makeup items have beeswax and therefore aren’t vegan) and had a list of natural ingredients that I felt comfortable using on a daily basis. Flash forward a year and now nearly ALL of my products are Alba Botanica.
HEAD:
I use their Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner and truly have no complaints. Neither of these products contains sulfites meaning after each shower my hair is soft and silky rather than rough and dry. I struggle with greasy hair and find that I have to wash it at least every other day. I wanted to find a conditioner that didn’t leave me with greasy hair just six hours after taking a shower. In the past I have found many conditioners that leave my hair soft but also leave a residue…thus making my hair greasy. I was pleased to find that the coconut milk shampoo and conditioner leave my hair soft without the feeling of any leftover residue. I should also mention that I don’t use ANY heat on my hair. On rare occasions I’ll use a curling iron or a blow dryer. Because I rarely use heat on my hair I don’t tend to struggle with dry hair due to heat damage. If this is the case I do know that Alba Botanica offers some deep conditioning hair masks that I’m sure are just as wonderful as the rest of their products.
FACE:
Like I said before my skin is very prone to breaking out. When I decided to switch up my facewash I broke out….bad. I was convinced that my skin was just adjusting to a new product and tried to stick with it for about a month. Unfortunately, my skin wasn’t getting any clearer. I decided to try another facewash and ended up picking Alba Botanica Pore Purifying Pineapple Cleanser. Within days my face began clearing up and returning to its natural glory. It didn’t take me long to decide to switch my moisturizer over to this brand; a decision I couldn’t be happier about. I use their Oil Free Aloe and Green Tea Moisturizer and boy does it work wonderfully. Over the years I’ve used my fair share of moisturizers. It can be hard to find a balance of a hydrating moisturizer that doesn’t clog your pores. However, somehow this one has achieved just that. My skin is left feeling rejuvenated after each use.
BODY:
To wash my body I use Dr. Bronner’s bar soap (the hemp almond scent is my fav). I switched to bar soap a few months ago in an effort to start moving towards zero waste; bar soap= no plastic container. My most recent addition has been Alba Botanica’s Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion. Now that I’m training for a half Ironman race I’ve been spending at least three days a week in the pool. While my swimming is improving my skin just keeps getting drier and cracked. After every shower I’ve been lathering up with their lotion and it has worked wonderfully…and smells absolutely AMAZING.
All in all I have fallen in love with Alba Botanica’s products. There are so many cruelty free brands on the market these days. Most of them can be found in the health foods section of your grocery store. Like other brands, Alba Botanica clearly marks that their products are cruelty free and vegan. And while these products work well with my skin, that doesn’t mean I still don’t break out (especially during certain times of the month). Everyone’s skin is unique and so what works for me may not work for you. Another reason I love this brand is because they are so gosh darn affordable! So next time you run out of a product think about making the switch to a cruelty free brand…you may just find one that you fall in love with.
p.s. Interested in any of the products I mentioned? Click on the “SHOP” tab at the top of the page to purchase any of the products (and more) that I mentioned above!
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