Soap is usually not vegetarian or vegan

Connie

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How many of you consider if your soap is vegetarian/vegan? Are you happy washing your hands in processed animal fat without evening thinking about it? Has it even occurred to you?

I ask because a large number of vegetarians I know have not even thought about soap (or cosmetics) and things like their hand cream/moisturising creams.

Soap is made using fat and an alkaline. It is another use of another 'waste' product from the mass slaughter of animals and usually comes from the bones being boiled down after everything else has been 'used'. If you can find the ingredients list for the soap you are using, look for something like Sodium Tallowate or just Tallow or tallowate. This is animal fat, pure and simple.

This article makes for a great read. http://gentleworld.org/hidden-animal-fats/

The same applies for washing up liquid, washing powder/tablets/gel for clothes and for your dishwasher. Not to mention toothpaste. Don't get me started on that one...

In this household, all soap is olive oil soap. I just love the smell of it and it reminds me of our time in the Mediterranean a few years ago.
 
Wow, I never even thought about this myself, and I can see how people could remain oblivious to this because it's just something you'd never really expect. And such a deceitful name that gets lost among the hundreds of chemicals...That's crazy. I bet not many people know that. I use olive oil soap too because it's supposed to be good for your skin, so I have no worries in that department. Still, I use washing up liquid...and I never thought about toothpaste... And I wash my hands in public places all the time... Ugh. Maybe I would've been better not knowing, replacing everything might be too expensive!
 
Right now I'm using Castile Soap. It's by Dr. Bronner's (it's available quite a few places) and it's vegan! The great thing about it is it can be used as body wash, shampoo, toothpaste (I've never tried it as that, though!!) even for household cleaning. They say it has 18 uses on the bottles - but I am not sure what all 18 uses are! I'm sure I could find it online somewhere. Anyway, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a vegan product that can be used for several different beauty needs!
 
Not to mention that a lot of soap contains honey or beeswax. I make my own soap (vegan) from a recipe I found on Pinterest. I find that making my own things saves me not only money, but questions about ingredients or ethics involved in production.

Right now I'm using Castile Soap. It's by Dr. Bronner's (it's available quite a few places) and it's vegan! The great thing about it is it can be used as body wash, shampoo, toothpaste (I've never tried it as that, though!!) even for household cleaning. They say it has 18 uses on the bottles - but I am not sure what all 18 uses are! I'm sure I could find it online somewhere. Anyway, I'd recommend it if you're looking for a vegan product that can be used for several different beauty needs!

Kim, the uses are endless for that soap! Well, not endless, but about 18 haha. I remember my dad always having a bottle of that soap in the bathroom and it made the whole bathroom smell like peppermint for hours lol. You can use the soap for shaving, massage, laundry soap, mouth wash, deodorant, pest control plus several others. Those are just the ones I know about.
 
Kim, the uses are endless for that soap! Well, not endless, but about 18 haha. I remember my dad always having a bottle of that soap in the bathroom and it made the whole bathroom smell like peppermint for hours lol. You can use the soap for shaving, massage, laundry soap, mouth wash, deodorant, pest control plus several others. Those are just the ones I know about.

I'm obsessed with it!! I used to to scrub my shower tiles the other day, and I use it as face wash, shampoo, and shaving gel. I haven't been game enough to try it as toothpaste (I feel like it'd have a weird flavor since it's soap!) but maybe I should. I love just having one product that's natural that can be used for so much. And I have the peppermint scent too - I think there's a whole bunch though, I only saw almond and peppermint when I got mine but I thought peppermint would be a better overall scent (and I love that tingly scalp feeling when I wash my hair with it - so invigorating!!)
 
I actually felt like everyone knew this. It's surprising to me that some don't realize/process that it contains fats and animal products, such a milk and honey. Although, the vegetarians/vegans I know generally just buy Lush bath products, so I don't think they have much to worry about. I'm sure they've got handsoaps from the grocery store though.
 
That's a bit of an overkill, I'd say. Soap is just soap, in my opinion. I wash my hands, I don't really think about it, it's just another habit. Also, I tried olive oil liquid soap and it's fantastic. But generally speaking, this is not an area I pay close attention to, unfortunately, but your thread sparked my interest a little bit.