Hello!
It has been way too long since I last posted but the university semester really ramped up and I fell behind on my posts.
A lot has happened since the end of February, it's just a matter of remembering it all!
My hair colour change has been scheduled for tomorrow. I'm still going down the path of going blonde, then natural. My hair has some red in it so as of tomorrow I'll be a ginger (and not the pretty kind) but hopefully that won't last too long. I've managed to source vegan hair dye, as well as vegan hair bleaching kits. The bleach is a little harder to get unfortunately as the online store doesn't ship internationally. If I do manage to work out a practical way of getting it sent over then I may be able to stay blonde for longer than a few months, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
I've been using the Oil Cleansing Method for a few weeks solid now. If I'm perfectly honest, I can't say I've noticed a huge difference in my skin. It still gets oily, I still have pimples... actually, I have noticed more pronounced blackheads on my chin over the last few weeks now that I think about it. I'll keep plugging on though, as it's certainly saving me money. And if it's not making my skin worse, then that alone is worth the effort!
The Fertility Awareness Method is still under construction. By that I mean that I'm still trying to work out my body before I can rely on it as a concrete method of contraception. Despite having no active baby-prevention strategies underway at the moment, I'm really enjoying the knowledge I'm gaining about my body. At the doctor's the other day, after I told him I was no longer on the pill (and wasn't interested in any type of hormonal contraception) he reminded me to check for pregnancy if I stopped having my period. I confidently told him that I'd know if I were pregnant a long time before I noticed my period was late, something I definitely wouldn't have been able to say before.
I've been off the pill for a few months now and there have been definite changes. I've lost weight, seemingly all from my bust (boo!), my periods are more painful than they were on the pill and my cycles are taking a while to settle into a natural rhythm. My last cycle lasted for 49 days, my longest ever! I have no idea what was going on for those 7 weeks but hopefully it's my body getting all the weirdness out of its system and I can start to rely on some patterns. My poor partner's patience is wearing quite thin, I can tell you!
In terms of food, we've been trying out a few new concoctions recently. I've tried a new vegan cheese recipe which is very nice and so so easy to make. Also, after my Krispy Kreme dream in my last post I decided to check once and for all. I was disappointed (not surprised) and amused to see that according to the official website, in terms of animal products, Krispy Kreme doughnuts only contain eggs, butter, milk, yoghurt and whey! A local imitator, Dreamy Donuts also came up negative on the vegan-friendly search. So I set about making my own. It took me a few different recipes and some constructive criticism from my partner before I found the one. The good part is that it takes so long to fry the bloody things that it's an occasional treat, and also much cheaper than store-bought versions.
I'm a real junk-food addict, and giving up a lot of my vices in the process of becoming vegan has been really difficult. Even now, after about 8 or 9 months, I still crave potato chips. It takes all of my willpower not to buy them in the supermarket, even knowing that they aren't vegan. I've never managed to find anything that satisfies that craving. Maybe I never will. I realise these are totally first-world problems, but I do live in the first world!
I think that's about all I have time for right now, but that's definitely not all I have to say, so I'll be back later with more updates. I'll do my best not to leave it two months until the next time I post!
Monday, 30 April 2012
Monday, 20 February 2012
Online!
The internet issue has been resolved (at least for now... my modem's a bit temperamental). So this is just a quick post to say hello and give some updates.
After talking it over with my partner, I have decided to go blonde for the few months before money gets quite tight. I'm sure there will be an intermediate orange stage but I'm willing to pull it off. In a way I don't think the ginger will be quite as bad as the weird colours that seem to come out when hair is tinted. Then it's up to me to source some vegan hair dye for the move back to my natural colour. It's quite exciting actually. I really miss being blonde (honestly, they do have more fun) and it'll only be for a few months so I'll have to enjoy it while it lasts. That plus there are many people in my life who have never known me with my natural hair colour. Hmmm, interesting.
I had a dream the other night that I was about to break my 'vegan vows' and eat Krispy Kremes. All I needed was the go ahead from my partner and I would have launched right into them! This is actually quite far from the normal patten of my dreams where I wake up sweating after a nightmare in which I've unknowingly consumed meat or cheese. Ahh it's quite funny to see how veganism really does penetrate your whole life - even your subconscious!
Off to bed for me now. I need to make getting a decent stretch of sleep every night a bit of a habit... 40 hour weeks of class time and poor sleep are starting to wear me down I think.
Happy dreaming!
After talking it over with my partner, I have decided to go blonde for the few months before money gets quite tight. I'm sure there will be an intermediate orange stage but I'm willing to pull it off. In a way I don't think the ginger will be quite as bad as the weird colours that seem to come out when hair is tinted. Then it's up to me to source some vegan hair dye for the move back to my natural colour. It's quite exciting actually. I really miss being blonde (honestly, they do have more fun) and it'll only be for a few months so I'll have to enjoy it while it lasts. That plus there are many people in my life who have never known me with my natural hair colour. Hmmm, interesting.
I had a dream the other night that I was about to break my 'vegan vows' and eat Krispy Kremes. All I needed was the go ahead from my partner and I would have launched right into them! This is actually quite far from the normal patten of my dreams where I wake up sweating after a nightmare in which I've unknowingly consumed meat or cheese. Ahh it's quite funny to see how veganism really does penetrate your whole life - even your subconscious!
Off to bed for me now. I need to make getting a decent stretch of sleep every night a bit of a habit... 40 hour weeks of class time and poor sleep are starting to wear me down I think.
Happy dreaming!
Thursday, 16 February 2012
20 days and counting...
Yikes! It's been almost three weeks since my last post. Sorry to my readers but the internet issues have still not been resolved. That, coupled with me starting 40 hour weeks means I haven't really had a whole lot of opportunities for writing blog posts.
I'm happy to report that I'm still lactose free. I've been asked quite often in the last few weeks whether I'm on any medication, and it's certainly been strange to answer in the negative. Strange, but good. The basal body thermometre was purchased not long after my last post. My only complaint is that it beeps incessantly and when you're taking your temperature at 6 in the morning, it's not the most pleasant sound to the ears. So the FAM is well underway... I'm learning lots but I think I'll have to wait a few months as my body gets back into a natural rhythm and I can rely a bit more on its signals.
I've yet to start the Oil Cleansing Method. I've been waiting for the funds to be a little less tight so I can buy castor oil in bulk and give it a go. I'm super excited about it though, it's just one of those things that feels right without even trying it. On a similar note, a friend of mine brought the movement that is "No Pooing" to my attention. The idea is similar to the OCM in that shampoo actually strips the hair of its natural oils, meaning it overproduces and we need to clean it more often and so on and so forth in a positive feedback cycle. Apparently if you give your hair about 6 weeks to get over stopping shampoo cold turkey and find its own balance then you really have no need at all for shampoo. I should mention here that while I'm very tempted to give this a go, I also have hair that needs to be washed every day. It's very fine, but there's a lot of it and it greases up like you wouldn't believe. To top it off I've just started a new course at uni and figured that I wouldn't give off the best first impression if I were to rock up to class and/or clinics with a greaseball on my head. So for now, I've put the shampoo ban off until winter when I can wear beanies every day to disguise my lank locks.
While on the topic of hair, I've been tossing up in my head my future colour options. I haven't had my natural colour since I was 17 and I quite like it that way. Towards the end of the year however, funds will become extremely tight and it may be that colouring my hair is one of the areas that will be cut from the budget. Also, I'm aware that it's probably very unlikely that the products used at my hairdresser are vegan/ not tested on animals. This is truly where veganism and vanity are in conflict for me. A good vegan would source vegan hair colour or go au naturale immediately. But I am so insecure about the blah-ness of my natural colour that I'm really tempted to live out the next few months as one last hurrah before my financial situation forces my hand.
I hadn't planned to dye my hair for the rest of my life. I had it all worked out in my head. In a few years time, I would go from my dark locks to being a blonde again, and once I had children (and less time for hairdressers) it would be a relatively easy transition back to my real hair, light brown. But I'm dark at the moment, and aside from letting my roots grow out foryears or tinting my hair until it resembles brown (neither are really options) I'm not quite sure what to do. In a compromise between veganism and vanity I may have to sacrifice my vegan ideals for a few months and bleach my hair in order to transition smoothly to no colouring at all. Do the ends justify the means? I'll need to ponder it some more I think.
I'll end with my vegan 'moment' for the week. While having a discussion about high cholesterol with a member of my immediate family, I thought I'd throw a little vegany goodness into the mix. "You know what really reduces cholesterol? Eating no animal products." To which this person replied,"Well then what do you eat?" I'd better clarify that this person is intelligent, world-wise and full of common sense but this was not a joke. It was a serious criticism of my diet. Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to this kind of 'ignorance' but to hear it coming from someone who is quite familiar with my vegan diet, cooks vegan food for me and peruses vegan cookbooks to find good recipes just for my benefit was a big shock. As some fellow vegans mentioned, comments like this are usually a reflection of non-vegans' insecurities at their own diets when faced with your healthy changes. I'm not sure, but I really hope it's defensiveness and not close-mindedness.
Until the next time I have internet access and a spare moment,
Love.
I'm happy to report that I'm still lactose free. I've been asked quite often in the last few weeks whether I'm on any medication, and it's certainly been strange to answer in the negative. Strange, but good. The basal body thermometre was purchased not long after my last post. My only complaint is that it beeps incessantly and when you're taking your temperature at 6 in the morning, it's not the most pleasant sound to the ears. So the FAM is well underway... I'm learning lots but I think I'll have to wait a few months as my body gets back into a natural rhythm and I can rely a bit more on its signals.
I've yet to start the Oil Cleansing Method. I've been waiting for the funds to be a little less tight so I can buy castor oil in bulk and give it a go. I'm super excited about it though, it's just one of those things that feels right without even trying it. On a similar note, a friend of mine brought the movement that is "No Pooing" to my attention. The idea is similar to the OCM in that shampoo actually strips the hair of its natural oils, meaning it overproduces and we need to clean it more often and so on and so forth in a positive feedback cycle. Apparently if you give your hair about 6 weeks to get over stopping shampoo cold turkey and find its own balance then you really have no need at all for shampoo. I should mention here that while I'm very tempted to give this a go, I also have hair that needs to be washed every day. It's very fine, but there's a lot of it and it greases up like you wouldn't believe. To top it off I've just started a new course at uni and figured that I wouldn't give off the best first impression if I were to rock up to class and/or clinics with a greaseball on my head. So for now, I've put the shampoo ban off until winter when I can wear beanies every day to disguise my lank locks.
While on the topic of hair, I've been tossing up in my head my future colour options. I haven't had my natural colour since I was 17 and I quite like it that way. Towards the end of the year however, funds will become extremely tight and it may be that colouring my hair is one of the areas that will be cut from the budget. Also, I'm aware that it's probably very unlikely that the products used at my hairdresser are vegan/ not tested on animals. This is truly where veganism and vanity are in conflict for me. A good vegan would source vegan hair colour or go au naturale immediately. But I am so insecure about the blah-ness of my natural colour that I'm really tempted to live out the next few months as one last hurrah before my financial situation forces my hand.
I hadn't planned to dye my hair for the rest of my life. I had it all worked out in my head. In a few years time, I would go from my dark locks to being a blonde again, and once I had children (and less time for hairdressers) it would be a relatively easy transition back to my real hair, light brown. But I'm dark at the moment, and aside from letting my roots grow out foryears or tinting my hair until it resembles brown (neither are really options) I'm not quite sure what to do. In a compromise between veganism and vanity I may have to sacrifice my vegan ideals for a few months and bleach my hair in order to transition smoothly to no colouring at all. Do the ends justify the means? I'll need to ponder it some more I think.
I'll end with my vegan 'moment' for the week. While having a discussion about high cholesterol with a member of my immediate family, I thought I'd throw a little vegany goodness into the mix. "You know what really reduces cholesterol? Eating no animal products." To which this person replied,"Well then what do you eat?" I'd better clarify that this person is intelligent, world-wise and full of common sense but this was not a joke. It was a serious criticism of my diet. Don't get me wrong, I'm no stranger to this kind of 'ignorance' but to hear it coming from someone who is quite familiar with my vegan diet, cooks vegan food for me and peruses vegan cookbooks to find good recipes just for my benefit was a big shock. As some fellow vegans mentioned, comments like this are usually a reflection of non-vegans' insecurities at their own diets when faced with your healthy changes. I'm not sure, but I really hope it's defensiveness and not close-mindedness.
Until the next time I have internet access and a spare moment,
Love.
Friday, 27 January 2012
Take that, milk!
To begin with I must apologise. It's been way too long since I last posted (ten days!) but I'm having internet difficulties at the moment so please bear with me.
I am very happy to report that progress has been made in my camp. I have been officially lactose-free for six days now! No more antidepressant and no more contraceptive pill. It's a tad strange not having to pop pills before bed time every night but really it's just two less things to think about, and who couldn't use that? This also means that I'll be starting the Fertility Awareness Method of birth control very shortly. It'll be a steep learning curve I'm sure, but I'm very excited to see how things turn out. I just need to purchase a basal body thermometre, so once I have some funds things will be on their way.
Mentally, I'm finding the transition away from antidepressants relatively smooth. It probably hasn't been the best week to stop as things have been a bit tumultuous in my world recently but everything is looking pretty good... fingers crossed. I must say I am shocked at the physical toll the withdrawal is taking on my body. I have been unwell for days now, all side effects of stopping the medication. It's certainly a reminder of all the chemicals contained in those tiny little pills, and makes me even more thankful to be free of them. Natural all the way!
On a different note, I mentioned in a previous post that I'd been looking for a vegan moisturiser. I tried Yes to Carrots moisturiser with SPF 15 and I'm pleased with the results. The only downside is that it is actually more expensive than Invisible Zinc so I'm still trying to decide whether or not this is a long-term option. I'm also excited to announce that I'll be trialling a new method of skin care very soon. I currently use Sukin foaming cleanser as it's vegan, environmentally friendly, made in Australia and just really really nice. In the name of saving money and going back to basics, however, I've decided to give the Oil Cleansing Method a go. The idea is that the skin (even if oily and pimply like mine) has its own pH balance and we are continually disrupting that when we use cleaning products. The most gentle and effective way of removing oil is by using... oil! Companies have replaced this idea by using harsh emuslifying products that strip the oil (good and bad) off our skin and the skin has to overproduce to compensate. So hopefully by fighting oil with oil, my shiny face will no longer put marine life at risk, and my pimply skin will no longer resemble the gravelliest of roads in the Welsh leg of the World Rally Championship. I'll keep you upated on my progress, of course,
Your lactose-free friend.
I am very happy to report that progress has been made in my camp. I have been officially lactose-free for six days now! No more antidepressant and no more contraceptive pill. It's a tad strange not having to pop pills before bed time every night but really it's just two less things to think about, and who couldn't use that? This also means that I'll be starting the Fertility Awareness Method of birth control very shortly. It'll be a steep learning curve I'm sure, but I'm very excited to see how things turn out. I just need to purchase a basal body thermometre, so once I have some funds things will be on their way.
Mentally, I'm finding the transition away from antidepressants relatively smooth. It probably hasn't been the best week to stop as things have been a bit tumultuous in my world recently but everything is looking pretty good... fingers crossed. I must say I am shocked at the physical toll the withdrawal is taking on my body. I have been unwell for days now, all side effects of stopping the medication. It's certainly a reminder of all the chemicals contained in those tiny little pills, and makes me even more thankful to be free of them. Natural all the way!
On a different note, I mentioned in a previous post that I'd been looking for a vegan moisturiser. I tried Yes to Carrots moisturiser with SPF 15 and I'm pleased with the results. The only downside is that it is actually more expensive than Invisible Zinc so I'm still trying to decide whether or not this is a long-term option. I'm also excited to announce that I'll be trialling a new method of skin care very soon. I currently use Sukin foaming cleanser as it's vegan, environmentally friendly, made in Australia and just really really nice. In the name of saving money and going back to basics, however, I've decided to give the Oil Cleansing Method a go. The idea is that the skin (even if oily and pimply like mine) has its own pH balance and we are continually disrupting that when we use cleaning products. The most gentle and effective way of removing oil is by using... oil! Companies have replaced this idea by using harsh emuslifying products that strip the oil (good and bad) off our skin and the skin has to overproduce to compensate. So hopefully by fighting oil with oil, my shiny face will no longer put marine life at risk, and my pimply skin will no longer resemble the gravelliest of roads in the Welsh leg of the World Rally Championship. I'll keep you upated on my progress, of course,
Your lactose-free friend.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
What's wrong with this picture?
Ummm... all leather is recycled. I know the company using this image are trying to be 'environmentally friendly' but come on. Someone used that skin for their whole life. They sheltered under it. It kept them warm, it felt the cold. It protected them from the elements and from diseases and infections. Someone needed that skin. Someone's life depended on that skin until we killed them, tore it off them, processed it chemically for days and days to prevent decay and made it into something else for us to use secondhand. Something entirely less vital.
Sooooo yeah. All leather is recycled.
Still learning
Did I ever mention I'm not perfect? No? Well, probably because I thought that wasn't necessary. But in actual fact, when I read articles, comments, blogs and musings of fellow vegans I usually am left with the impression that these guys can do no wrong. They all seem so smart and level-headed and so totally, totally committed to their cause. Which, by the way, I am as well (committed I mean). But, alas, I am not perfect.
I got a new facial piercing just over a week ago, and was instructed to take Nurofen (anti-inflammatory) as often as possible for five days afterwards to try to minimise the swelling. So at the shops on the way home, I chucked a bottle of Herron Blue (my preferred alternative - Aussie made) in my basket. Despite quietly thinking maybe the whole ibuprofen thing was a scam, I took it every six hours for the next five days. It was only on the fifth day when I was lazily skimming across the info on the packet when I saw the words: contains lactose. Oh my god. Part of me was thinking, "Really? Really? Herron as well?!" while another part of me was thinking, "Come on... are you really that surprised?" I just didn't think to check. Why, I do not know. But I'm not taking them anymore and if I ever have a need for it at a certain time of the month I'll just have to tough it out I guess (or find animal-derivative-free alternatives).
Also, I'd been expected a package from the U.S. for about two weeks, and was so stoked when it arrived on my doorstep this morning. I hastily unwrapped the shoes that were inside, some gorgeous white and silver brogues, but as I pulled them out of their paper, something just... felt wrong. I turned the shoe over and sure enough, stamped on the sole: leather upper. Quite different to the lactose scenarios, I felt instantly unwell at the thought that I'd just purchased leather shoes. I smelled them, and the familiar cured, chemical but somehow organic odour was there. Obviously it's a real shame that I can't wear these lovely shoes, but I was just so annoyed at my own 'vegan incompetence'. I checked the website to make sure I hadn't been misled, and there, clear as day, they were described as "leather shoes". Why I didn't notice that before, why I didn't check for the materials I'm not entirely sure. It may have been because I thought for their price they had to be synthetic. It may have been because a lot of the shoes on this site are described as "vegan faux-leather" and I'd skim read and added the rest in. Whatever the reason, I'm so ashamed that I bought these shoes. I feel sick at the idea of paying for someone else's skin. I really wish there was an "I'm vegan and didn't realise these shoes were leather" option on the return slip. I guess the cost of shipping them back to America will just have to be my punishment.
So, see, I'm not perfect. I call myself a vegan, but I guess I'm still getting used to it. As long as I learn from my mistakes though I should be okay.
I got a new facial piercing just over a week ago, and was instructed to take Nurofen (anti-inflammatory) as often as possible for five days afterwards to try to minimise the swelling. So at the shops on the way home, I chucked a bottle of Herron Blue (my preferred alternative - Aussie made) in my basket. Despite quietly thinking maybe the whole ibuprofen thing was a scam, I took it every six hours for the next five days. It was only on the fifth day when I was lazily skimming across the info on the packet when I saw the words: contains lactose. Oh my god. Part of me was thinking, "Really? Really? Herron as well?!" while another part of me was thinking, "Come on... are you really that surprised?" I just didn't think to check. Why, I do not know. But I'm not taking them anymore and if I ever have a need for it at a certain time of the month I'll just have to tough it out I guess (or find animal-derivative-free alternatives).
Also, I'd been expected a package from the U.S. for about two weeks, and was so stoked when it arrived on my doorstep this morning. I hastily unwrapped the shoes that were inside, some gorgeous white and silver brogues, but as I pulled them out of their paper, something just... felt wrong. I turned the shoe over and sure enough, stamped on the sole: leather upper. Quite different to the lactose scenarios, I felt instantly unwell at the thought that I'd just purchased leather shoes. I smelled them, and the familiar cured, chemical but somehow organic odour was there. Obviously it's a real shame that I can't wear these lovely shoes, but I was just so annoyed at my own 'vegan incompetence'. I checked the website to make sure I hadn't been misled, and there, clear as day, they were described as "leather shoes". Why I didn't notice that before, why I didn't check for the materials I'm not entirely sure. It may have been because I thought for their price they had to be synthetic. It may have been because a lot of the shoes on this site are described as "vegan faux-leather" and I'd skim read and added the rest in. Whatever the reason, I'm so ashamed that I bought these shoes. I feel sick at the idea of paying for someone else's skin. I really wish there was an "I'm vegan and didn't realise these shoes were leather" option on the return slip. I guess the cost of shipping them back to America will just have to be my punishment.
So, see, I'm not perfect. I call myself a vegan, but I guess I'm still getting used to it. As long as I learn from my mistakes though I should be okay.
Yippee!
This is just a small celebration post for me to mark the momentous occasion - I've reached 100 views! I know it's not much in the grand scheme of things (especially not in the blogosphere), but I started this little blog less than a month ago and to have had you, my readers glance at my ramblings one hundred times by now is very flattering. Thank you for your support. Goodness knows it's very hard to get a blog up and running and maintain a steady readerhsip with the thousands there are floating around in cyberspace. So here's hoping my numbers continue to increase, and that I continue to write stuff worth reading! Onwards and upwards!
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