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