SF Gift Guide #5: Gifts for Your Vegan Friends

Here comes yet another in a long line of gift guides this season. We plan to keep em comin’, and strong!

Today, we address finding gifts for our vegan friends. I’m a vegan, and I basically just have to go off what I would like. How convenient right? Not really.  Honestly, I don’t go around wearing it on my sleeve but I don’t hide it either, and vegans can be quite different from each other, on both their reasons, and their beliefs.

There are probably plenty of ideas out there for what to get a vegan or vegetarian, but at least you know this is a list from an experienced vegan – and can buy things that won’t accidentally be inside jokes against veganism, straight up insults, items from companies that aren’t actually vegan, or items on a lists made people who have no idea what’s up. That makes them pretty much safe for everyone.

You basically don’t want to get anyone anything too ‘billboard’ or activist. Not because the person you’re shopping for doesn’t like that stuff perhaps, but because those are the kinds of things they need to buy themselves, it’s just safer that way. Try something subtle that doesn’t necessarily represent veganism but shows you’re cool with it and support them (if you don’t,  you probably aren’t shopping for them anyway).  If you go all out on the activism idea you may alienate your friend.. I once got a feminist friend a tee that said “Feminazi” and the look on her face was…painful. I didn’t know it was an insult somehow.. I should have known. I blame being raised in a box.

You also want to keep in mind that the company who makes the item you choose does not also sell fur or leather, this is up to the digression of the person you’re shopping for, but to be on the safe side, shop companies who don’t.

Healthy Food Gifts

Mink Pink carries all vegan leather items when they do carry that style, and no wool items that I’ve seen, so I have yet to see any issues with their brand. They have a great variety of clothing, including this cute oversized Quinoa and Kale tee.

EVERYONE LOVES HUMMUS!

Everyone should be using cloth bags for shopping by now! 2015 Ya’ll

Vegan Junk Food!

I eat a lot of healthy foods, but I also eat A LOT OF PIZZA and carbs, and I hate to diet. In fact my two favorite vegans to follow are the Unhealthy Vegan on youtube (intagram) and the Fluffy Vegan on Facebook. They’re not health obsessed, and not really unhealthy either. They just enjoy the finer things in life, like vegan bacon and vegan cheese. NOM.

It’s all about the bunnies!

There’s a lot more to being vegan than bunnies of course, but you might know someone who just LOVES ANIMALS SO MUCH!! (that’s me btw, ever since I’ve have memories). Getting a vegan who loves animals an animal themed gift can’t go wrong – you just have to decide if they like Nature, cuteness or do lean towards rights – in that case, the book Animal Farm is a good, and fairly safe theme. It’s a book not only about animal rights but humanity and politics. If they haven’t read it, get them the book as well! Just don’t get a vegan something with say.. a circus elephant, a rodeo, a farm, or other marginally tasteless things.

Makeup, Soaps and Polish

Finding these things can be tricky for a vegan. I’ve found that Etsy is one of my favorite places to find new, handmade, all natural vegan makeup, nail polish and cleansers. When it’s made in someone’s kitchen you can be pretty sure they don’t test on animals and some are really good about making sure all the material they source also comes form responsible companies. Here’s a few of my favorites and they make great gifts! You have to look out for ingredients like lanolin (from wool), bees wax, emu oil and a number of other additives even I don’t know the names of. It’s just safer to buy something from a company that explains up front that they’re ingredients are vegan. (Even the logo on the back of a product that says “leaping bunny” or “cruelty free” in no way means the product is also vegan – for example Burt’s Bees has that symbol). There is one symbol that actually says Vegan, in that case you’re safe, otherwise, you have to know your ingredients.)

So, I hope you’ve come up with some ideas! If not – you may just consider getting your friend a hobby or interest related gift – check out some of our other gift guides for this season!