Do you have a co-op or something nearby? Sometimes you can get things in bulk at those places that are cheap. You can also just get a bottle of Dr. Bronner's and use that for EVERYTHING.

Also, aren't you still in high school and living with your parents? Will they not pay for essentials like shampoo?

do you have a big lots nearby?
i find natural/vegan products (toiletries and food) there all of the time because they've been discontinued, the company has come out with new packaging and they want to get rid of all of the old stuff, or they just didn't sell well enough.

baking soda works wonders for many things as well.

i also agree with using dr bronner's for everything (although i think it's a bit gross as toothpaste.) it may be a little expensive, but you'd only have to worry about one product.

edit: oh yeah, always remember that bar soap is 8million times more economical body wash. there are plenty of cheap vegan bar soaps out there.

Last edited by jacblades (Mon 4/21/08 11:52 am)

Do you have a Whole Foods near by?  They have generic shampoo and body wash that's like $2 a bottle and it says "no animal testing and no animal by-products" on it.

Why won't they let you order stuff online?

I'm sorry. Now I want to send you a goodie bag of vegan soaps!

Yes, White Rain is cheap and vegan:

http://www.whiterain.com/qna.asp

You can get vegan, handmade soap on Etsy for very reasonable prices.

I use Lush solid shampoo bars, and they've been a money saver for me. I have used 1 bar in a little less than a year, washing my hair every other day or every 3 days. I have short hair so of course consumption will be different for other people, but I would have used over 3 or 4 bottles of liquid shampoo during that time. For an equal veganness and environmental-friendliness it's hard to beat.

Also, I would not necessarily trust buying soap from Etsy. Other soapless cosmetics, why not, but actual soap is made primarily from fat and caustic soda. I remember making some in chemistry class and how your finger started stinging if you manipulated the finished product without protection. I would not put non-professionally made soap on my skin. But there are many soapless cosmetics that you can make yourself for cheap (what theconcept said is the most famous I think)

Aunicornist, Lush makes dandruff shampoos, they stink though.

aunicornist wrote:

stellamarie wrote:

Yes, White Rain is cheap and vegan:

http://www.whiterain.com/qna.asp

Not meaning to hijack but as a side question, does anyone know of a dandruff shampoo that doesn't test on animals or use animal products? I can start my own thread if I need to but it's so close I thought it might be ok here.

It's probably kind of a tall order, but I can only use the things I prefer for so long before I have to dip into hubbies head and shoulders for a few days and I KNOW that tests on animals.

Giovanni has a Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo that works well for dandruff issues.  The company is family-owned, cruelty-free, mostly organic and made in the USA.  http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/WLine/ … hampoo.php

Dr. Bronner's faded my laundry the first and last time it went into the washing machine.  Just my experience though.

aelle wrote:

I use Lush solid shampoo bars, and they've been a money saver for me. I have used 1 bar in a little less than a year, washing my hair every other day or every 3 days. I have short hair so of course consumption will be different for other people, but I would have used over 3 or 4 bottles of liquid shampoo during that time. For an equal veganness and environmental-friendliness it's hard to beat.

Also, I would not necessarily trust buying soap from Etsy. Other soapless cosmetics, why not, but actual soap is made primarily from fat and caustic soda. I remember making some in chemistry class and how your finger started stinging if you manipulated the finished product without protection. I would not put non-professionally made soap on my skin. But there are many soapless cosmetics that you can make yourself for cheap (what theconcept said is the most famous I think)

Aunicornist, Lush makes dandruff shampoos, they stink though.

Same here.  I've been using the same Lush shampoo bar for about 3 months now...and am expecting that I'll have to replace it at month 4.  But, I also use it as body soap which is why it doesn't stretch quite as far for me.  But still, for all the uses I get out of it, it's pretty cost effective. 

As for the Lush dandruff shampoo...the soak and float is apparently awesome for dandruff, but smells really bad.  Though the squeaky green is supposedly good for dandruff too (I use this one, nit cause of dandruff but just cause I like it) and it smells really good!  if his flakes aren't too bad I bet the squeaky green would do the trick.

bazu wrote:

I'm also a big fan of just plain shampooing less frequently- it does wonders for your hair.

I wish but I work at a barn and unless I want my hair to smell like horse poop and sweat I have to wash daily.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I really like the bar soap idea. It just never occured to me to use it in my hair....

chickinmomma wrote:

bazu wrote:

I'm also a big fan of just plain shampooing less frequently- it does wonders for your hair.

I wish but I work at a barn and unless I want my hair to smell like horse poop and sweat I have to wash daily.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I really like the bar soap idea. It just never occured to me to use it in my hair....

that's understandable! just to clarify, I didn't mean using bar soap to wash hair (it would be way too harsh and heavy for my hair), but specifically formulated shampoo that comes in solid form.