Laika Magazine

I recently subscribed to, and ordered the back issues of, a new(ish) publication called Laika (pronounced ly-ka). The magazine, created and curated by Julie Gueraseva, is a beautiful, glossy, art-fantastic fashion and lifestyle magazine from New York City – the capital of the western world and a place of lights and promise. What makes Laika truly wonderful is that it is a love story to the burgeoning vegan culture that is taking our civilization by storm. Not only does it bring to the surface harrowing stories from the front lines of the animal rights movement, it also draws attention to strong and empowering vegan individuals from across the world, cruelty-free couture in fashion and beauty, and recipes that inspire the palate. I’m a huge fan of Laika, and devoured the four issues currently in print shortly after receiving them in the mail.

Only four issues, though? Its hardly enough to sustain someone yearning to feel connected to a universe full of people like me. It is this longing for more relevant media that has me so inspired to promote on every platform possible that Laika has launched its own Kickstarter.

I’m a huge fan of crowdfunding and have supported a handful of other vegan and animal-related projects on Kickstarter – all of which were successful. Laika’s goal is not a lofty one, and I’m proud to support such a worthy endeavour as this, even in the small way that I am able. I hope that if you’re reading this that you’ll visit Laika’s website and their Kickstarter page. Please, if you can, support this publication. I firmly believe that print will never die, and that our vibrant vegan community deserves to find, among the current crop of mainstream magazines, a vivid and unique voice packaged in a product that is exquisitely designed and developed to satisfy the plant-based person’s appetite.

Live Clean

When making the decision to transition to living a wholly vegan lifestyle it is extremely easy to forget that being vegan involves more than just altering your diet. I have been very focused the past several months on eliminating all animal products and animal-derived products from my refrigerator and pantry that it wasn’t until this July that I finally started taking a look at the various home products I use every day.

Posts on the vegans-in-transition group I belong to on Facebook reassured me that it is completely okay to replace lifestyle products as they run out, instead of going through the home and purging everything all at once. While things have improved greatly over the last few years, vegan products do tend to run a little more expensive, and it can be difficult to match your ethics with your bankroll when it comes to buying groceries.

The first thing I’ve finished and that I wanted to choose an ethical replacement for was my shampoo and conditioner. I’ve been a long-time fan of Herbal Essences products, and was devastated a month or so ago when their name came up on a list of companies that still test their products on animals. I went to the Herbal Essences website and found on their frequently asked questions page that they vehemently deny testing on animals. While I find this very reassuring, for the time being I think I would prefer to support a fully vegan company. So, when I went shopping I chose to try Live Clean. I went with their Clean Air shampoo and conditioner, and let me tell you, I’m very impressed!

The shampoo is thick and smells amazing. It also lathers up really nicely, although not as much as my Herbal Essences did. I used about a loonie-sized drop and it covered my super long hair. The conditioner is also really nice – it doesn’t have as strong a scent but is also thick and left my hair soft and untangled. I’d also like to note that as gross as this is, I haven’t washed my hair for three days (I HAVE showered though) and my scalp isn’t greasy at all! Knowing that I’m getting use out of a great product that is also environmentally friendly makes me *that* much happier.

 

Update August 6 2014:

After using live clean [clean air] shampoo and conditioner for the last couple of weeks I have to say I am noticing a definite improvement in my hair! My hair is lighter, and noticeably softer. I’d also like to add that the shampoo smells amazing – simple and fresh and just a little bit sweet. Love love love.