Food is for more than just eating...

I'm always on the lookout for the latest vegan beauty stuffs.  I can confidently say that my makeup bag and bathtub are stocked with products that are cruelty free.  I love companies like Lush, Aveda, and Origins that are all veg based and clearly mark the products that do contain bee products.  However, these cruelty free products are not easy on the pocketbook.  As much as I love to shop for beauty products, I also like shopping for food (go grocery shopping with me and I'm nothing but big-eyed and smiles).  So, I've combined my love for food with my love for beauty products- and the need to keep on a budget and come up with a few products right in your kitchen (or at least the closest health food store).

Coconut Oil

I keep a large tub in my kitchen and a large tub in my bathroom.  In the kitchen I put it in hot cacao drinks, make popcorn with it, and as a butter replacement.  In my bathroom it is my must have essential.  Nothing makes a hot shower even better than getting out and covering yourself in coconut butter.  It is a super moisturizer along with being antimicrobial and antifungal.  Often I use coconut oil instead of deodorant.  I know some people who use it to shave their legs.   My mom's hooked on it for using it to moisturize her face and neck.  Give it a try! (And make sure you grab the unrefined, organic variety.) 

Aloe Vera

My friend Brandon turned me on to aloe one night when he made me a cherry aloe lemonade elixir.  After we filleted the aloe vera plant to use the insides in the drink, we smeared the aloe skins all over our faces and viola!- instant face lift!  I've been using aloe on my face now for a few weeks and its helping diminish my blemishes.  Aloe is known for helping on burns and cuts- so keep a leaf around in the fridge for any lacerations or a quick face lift that moisturizes while it tightens skin.  

Sea Salt

After spending all day at work on my feet- I can't wait to come home and take a hot bath with sea salt.  The sea salt baths are detoxifying and aid the lymph system in fluid reduction, making those ankles at the end of a long day look like new again.  I also like to mix sea salt with olive or coconut oil and lemon juice and use that as an exfoliator in the shower or bath.  In the kitchen I've gotten rid of that heated, de-mineralized iodized salt and switched to sea salts.  I save the nice celtic grey salts for my food- but still splurge on coarse, raw sea salts for bathtime.