Wave goodbye to those bad hair days because the vegan beauty industry is finally beginning to catch up with the demand for cruelty-free vegan shampoos that actually work.
Switching to vegan shampoos no longer means compromising on effectiveness or quality, hurray! You are going to be washed away by these vegan shampoos…
Summary
Finding a vegan shampoo that works for your hair can be hard and you may have already spent many hours of your precious time searching for the very best, so let us tell you our top vegan shampoo picks straight up so you can spend more of that time lathering your barnet up in the shower.
The Best Vegan Shampoos
Are shampoos vegan?
Not all shampoos are vegan, no. There are however many brands of shampoo that are either 100% vegan or actively phasing out the use of animal products. This is because of the ever increasing demand of vegan beauty products.
Many non-vegan shampoo brands use ingredients like beeswax, honey, milk and keratin in their products. Moreover, many high street shampoo brands test on animals.
How do you know if a shampoo is vegan?
Well, it will probably tell you. Most vegan products have a certification which you’ll see displayed on the label. Normally the certification will come from either The Vegan Society or PETA.
If you don’t see any indication that the product is vegan that doesn’t mean that it isn’t, just check the product for any animal-based ingredients. Then make sure to do some online investigation, with searches like this:
“Does _ test on animals?”
“Is _ vegan?”
It is quite likely that the internet with have the answer for you!
Is vegan shampoo good for your hair?
The very fact that many vegan shampoos contain just natural products means that they are indeed better for your hair. Try to avoid vegan products offered by bigger brands who may still rely on using harmful chemicals.
The vegan shampoo brands we mention here are all made up of predominantly natural ingredients.
The best vegan shampoo brands
We’ve personally tested out all of the following vegan shampoos on ourselves, partners, and family.
We have a mix of hair types, some brunette, some blonde. Some oily, some dry. Some dyed, some not.
Through this we have been able to come up with a best buy vegan shampoo for everyone’s wants and needs. We’ll touch upon scent, effectiveness and how eco-friendly each vegan shampoo is.
The Body Shop
- Best shampoo for oily hair
This vegan tea tree shampoo by The Body Shop really packs a punch and will leave your scalp feeling both tingly and invigorated, perfect for those early morning showers. If you can get along with the scent and you have an oily scalp then we urge you to try this.
The Body Shop have always been heavily reliant upon plastic which has been a bit off putting for us, so it was great to find out about their new refill station scheme which they plan to roll out into all of their stores before the end off 2022 – find a local refill station near you.
The Body Shop
- Best refillable shampoo for all hair types
We were so excited to see The Body Shop reintroduce its refill scheme.
To start your shampoo refill journey you will want to purchase their refillable aluminium bottles and then you can continue to top them up by visiting the widespread refill stations available in shops across the UK!
The Body Shop have tried and tested formulas, which have been popular with customers for decades. This makes them a much less risky purchase since they have multiple shampoo and conditioner options for different hair types that have been shown to be effective.
Nope
- Best shampoo bars for all hair types
The founder of nope. contacted us at the beginning of 2022 telling us about her shampoo bars. As digital nomads we were keen to try a shampoo bar that we could take on our travels with us and that would last a long time.
We have tried many shampoo bars and find they often disintegrate into nothing after just a few washes, looking at you Lush…
So we were pleasantly surprised when we tried out nope. Not only do these shampoo bars lather up well, they smell REALLY great, and they last for ages. Well done nope.
Oh, and their conditioner bars are the best we’ve found anywhere.
Typology
- Best anti-dandruff shampoo
As a long term fan of Typology and a sufferer of Psoriasis, I knew I had to try their anti-dandruff shampoo and can confirm it worked a treat.
It helped to reduce the itchiness of my scalp and felt very calming.
Unfortunately, unlike many of their other products, this comes in a plastic bottle – boo.
Oway
- Best shampoo for salon fresh hair
First discovered on a visit to a vegan salon, the Oway brand impressed both of us so much that we had to buy the product to use at home.
Their products are produced for salons and they give you salon finished hair every time you get out of the shower.
The only downside is the price. It is cheaper if you find a refill station in your local salon. If they don’t have one, tell them to.
Lush
- Best dry shampoo
What may look like an unidentifiable pile of white powder is actually Lush’s vegan dry shampoo.
This stuff might not look like much but it is a true lifesaver for greasy hair.
Done an all-nighter? Forgotten to shower (we’ve all been there…)? Not got time to wash your hair? Well then, you NEED this stuff.
It may be a little messy when applying it, unlike the non-vegan dry shampoo sprays you can buy on the high street, but it works and isn’t full of crap that you shouldn’t be putting on your hair.
