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17 best vegan shampoos and conditioners for every hair type

Rid your beauty regime of animal-derived products with these nourishing formulas

Lois Borny
Wednesday 24 May 2023 17:26 BST
Vegan formulas are often infused with gentle, natural origin ingredients
Vegan formulas are often infused with gentle, natural origin ingredients (iStock/The Independent)
Our Top Picks

It’s fair to say that, by now, the vegan-friendly beauty sphere is far from niche. Whether it’s vegan nail polish and perfume or skincare, a quick peruse can find umpteen exclusively vegan brands and plant-based launches making the switch smoother than ever.

Here, we’re honing in on haircare. While it is typically quite difficult to distinguish the ingredients on the back of our shampoo and conditioner bottles, animal-derived ingredients you might find in some formulas range from keratin to honey, beeswax, stearic acid, gelatin and biotin. Without these, vegan formulas are often infused with more natural origin ingredients too, which are gentler on your hair.

A reliable way to gauge their vegan-friendliness is to check whether the products have any vegan certifications from organisations and charities such as Peta and the The Vegan Society. We’ve done the hard work for you in this instance though and have made sure to note if our top picks have also been certified as vegan and cruelty-free.

As for choosing your haircare wisely, much like our daily face wash and moisturiser, choosing the hair products that work for us, in harmony with our hair type and goals, is important. With this in mind, we’ve been lathering and rinsing our way through bestsellers and buzzy newcomers to help narrow your search.

How we tested

The best shampoo and conditioner, vegan or otherwise, is ultimately going to depend on your hair type, goals and priorities. That being said, we were looking for hair care pairs that would leave our tester’s strands looking and feeling healthy, cleansed and balanced after hair wash day.

Everything from how they were to work through the hair to their scent and consistency was considered. We saved a spot for organic ingredients, sulphate free formulas and those that were high in natural origin ingredients. We also tested those that could work well with different hair types and concerns, all the while keeping varying budgets in mind.

(Lois Borny)

The best vegan shampoos and conditioners for 2023 are:

  • Best overall – Green People quinoa and artichoke organic shampoo and conditioner: £17.50, Greenpeople.co.uk
  • Best budget option – Herbal Essences bio renew vegan shampoo and conditioner: £4.50, Boots.com
  • Best for curly hair – Only Curls all curl cleanser and all curl conditioner: £16, Onlycurls.com
  • Best for coily hair – Curlsmith essential moisture cleanser and conditioner: £22, Curlsmith.com
  • Best for oily hair – The Body Shop tea tree purifying and balancing shampoo and conditioner: £9, Thebodyshop.com
  • Best for thin hair – JVN embody daily volumizing shampoo and conditioner: £18, Jvnhair.co.uk

Green People quinoa and artichoke organic shampoo and conditioner

Green People quinoa and artichoke organic shampoo and conditioner .jpg
  • Best: Overall
  • Size: 200ml each
  • Vegan certification: The Vegan Society
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, certified by Peta
Back to top

Evolve superfood shine shampoo and conditioner

Evolve superfood shine shampoo and conditioner.jpg
  • Best: Spa-like scent
  • Size: 250ml each
  • Vegan certification: The Vegan Society
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
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Herbal Essences bio renew argan oil repairing vegan shampoo and conditioner

Herbal Essences.jpg
  • Best: Budget option
  • Size: 400ml shampoo, 275ml conditioner
  • Vegan certification: Peta
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, certified by Peta
  1.  £4 from Boots.com
Prices may vary
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Curlsmith essential moisture cleanser and conditioner

best vegan shampoo and conditioner
  • Best: Vegan shampoo and conditioner for coily hair
  • Size: 335ml
  • Vegan certification: In the process of renewing The Vegan Society certification
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
Back to top

Pacifia vegan silk hydro luxe shampoo and conditioner

Pacifica.jpg
  • Best: For dry and damaged hair
  • Size: 335ml shampoo, 236ml conditioner
  • Vegan certification: Peta
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, certified by Peta
Back to top

Only Curls all curl cleanser and all curl conditioner

Only curls.jpg
  • Best: For curly hair
  • Size: 300ml each
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
Back to top

We Are Paradoxx repair shampoo and conditioner

Paradox.jpg
  • Best: Reparative duo
  • Size: 250ml each
  • Vegan certification: Peta
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny
Back to top

Faith in Nature fragrance free shampoo and conditioner

best vegan shampoo and conditioner
  • Best: Fragrance-free formulas
  • Size: 400ml each
  • Vegan certification: The Vegan Society
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
Back to top

Fills pomelo shampoo and coconut conditioner

Fiils.jpg
  • Best: Refillables
  • Size: 400ml each
  • Vegan certification: The Vegan Society
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
  1.  £26 from Fiils.co
Prices may vary
Back to top

MonPure strengthening silk protein shampoo and conditioner

MonPure strengthening silk protein shampoo and conditioner .jpg
  • Best: Luxury haircare
  • Size: 250ml each
  • Vegan certification: Peta
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, certified by Peta
Back to top

The Body Shop tea tree purifying and balancing shampoo and conditioner

The Body Shop.jpg
  • Best: For oily hair
  • Size: 250ml each
  • Vegan certification: The Vegan Society
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
Back to top

JVN embody daily volumizing shampoo and conditioner

JVN.jpg
  • Best: For thin hair
  • Size: 295ml each
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
Back to top

Aveda botanical repair strengthening shampoo and conditioner

Aveda botanical repair strengthening shampoo and conditioner.jpg
  • Best: Calming scent
  • Size: 200ml each
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes, Leaping Bunny certified
Back to top

Rahua classic shampoo and conditioner

Rahua.jpg
  • Best: Rich formulas
  • Size: 255ml
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
Back to top

Kinkind nourish me shampoo and conditioner bars

Kinkind.jpg
  • Best: Bars
  • Size: 50g each
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
Back to top

Douvall’s argan and ungurahua oil shampoo and conditioner

Douvall’s argan and ungurahua oil shampoo and conditioner .jpg
  • Best: Argan oil-enriched formulas
  • Size: 275ml
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
Back to top

The Powder Shampoo strengthening and soothing powder shampoo for normal and sensitive scalps

The Powder Shampoo strengthening and soothing powder shampoo for normal and sensitive scalps
  • Best: Waterless shampoo
  • Size: 100g
  • Vegan certification: None
  • Cruelty-free: Yes
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The verdict: Vegan shampoos and conditioners

Green People’s quinoa and artichoke organic duo is our best buy for its organic ingredients, suitability for all hair types and sensitive skin, and the noticably healthy, glossy finish it afforded our tester’s hair.

For curly hair types, the Only Curls all curl cleanser and all curl conditioner worked brilliantly when it came to hydrating and detangling. Meanwhile, for coily hair types, the Curlsmith essential moisture cleanser and conditioner cleansed our tester’s hair without leaving it feeling dry.

If it’s a budget-friendly option you’re after, we found Herbal Essences’s bio renew argan oil repairing pair felt just as nourishing and hydrating as pricier formulas.

Thinking of ditching bottles haircare altogether? Read our roundup of the best shampoo bars that make the switch easy

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