Blinded by the Light

SO being a vegan there are many restrictions on what we can buy. Depending on how strict of a vegan you are will also play into what products are 'vegan' enough for you. I am the type of vegan who is not ok with products that have animal products in them, or test on animals. When I was pregnant with my first baby is when I made the huge switch to being vegan. I was already trying to stick away from products that tested on animals the best I could, which is difficult because you either have to play it safe and follow what peta says, or believe what the company says. I went full no animal by-products, as well as not consuming animal by-products. My veganism is pretty strict, I unfortunately buy sugar that isn't "vegan".
Here is an excerpt explaining from http://www.vegfamily.com/articles/sugar.htm :

(Bone charBone char, made from the bonesbones of cows, is at times used to whiten sugar. Some sugar companies use it in filters to decolorize their sugar. Other types of filters involve granular carbon or an ion exchange system rather than bone charchar. 

Supermarket brands of sugar (e.g., Giant, Townhouse, etc.) buy their sugar from several different refineries, so there is no way of knowing whether it is vegan at any given time.

Brown sugar is generally made by adding molasses to refined sugarrefined sugar, so sugar companies that use bone char in the production of their regular sugar will also use it in the production of their brown sugar. Confectioner's sugar (refined sugar mixed with cornstarch) made by such companies also involves the use of bone char. Fructose may, but does not typically involve a bone-char filter.

If you want to avoid all refined sugars, we recommend alternatives such as Sucanat and turbinado sugar. Neither of these sweeteners are ever filtered with bone char. Additionally, beet sugar--though normally refined--never involves the use of bone char.)

Other then that, no honey, dairy, etc. Honey is the big product reducer, LOTS of products contain honey. Luckily living in Seattle makes it real easy to find many alternatives and companies that have all vegan products.

ANYWAYS - I started this post talking about when I fist switched. And at the time I was also pregnant, so being new to both lifestyle changes I purchased something someone recommended to me Lansinoh, which is a 100% lanolin product that is used for sore, chapped nipples before and during breastfeeding. Luckily I only used this product maybe once or twice before I even gave birth (not liking it so much), because it turns out that lanolin is oil or grease, from sheep. 100% lanolin, 100% not vegan. Heh, and it turns out that oddly enough I was recommended this product by a recent new mother, who was/is also vegan.

I hope I wont have any other stupid surprises like that. One thing that is real cool that I found out, St. Ives has been switching to a more natural company, no animal testing and using mostly natural ingredients in their products. I have only been using their apricot facial scrub, and lotions, but like them quite a bit.