Despite its reputation as a restrictive diet, veganism is rich with culinary possibilities. From kale chips to cauliflower pizza, vegans can eat various healthy foods that still leave room for indulgences, like ice cream and crisps. The difficulty arises in planning one’s beauty routine: what hair and skin care methods can you do? Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep your look fresh without using animal byproducts. So whether you have dry ends or oily roots, vegan hair care won’t test your principles. Here’s everything you need to know about the world of vegan hair treatments.
Why Use Vegan Hair Treatments?
Vegan hair treatments have an important role to play. Even if you’re not a card-carrying member of the vegan movement. Not only are they better for us and the environment, but you won’t feel guilty after using them. Because traditional hair products have, 90% of the time, been tested on animals. It’s a sad fact, but one we all have to admit to knowing whenever we use a product. If you want to find out more, there are plenty of resources online.
So how do you look after and achieve the vintage hair of your dreams without the guilt? Vegan is the answer. And you can get luscious hair without all the chemicals. You just have to look to nature.
Embrace Nature
With vegan hair care, you can embrace your love for the environment and celebrate natural ingredients. Unlike some other hair care routines, vegan products don’t include any animal byproducts such as lanolin or beeswax. Instead, a vegan routine uses only ingredients derived from plants, minerals, and roots. Synthetic emulsifiers and preservatives are also absent from vegan hair care products; they’re formulated with all-natural ingredients.
There are plenty of plant ingredients that serve as excellent alternatives. They’re just as good, if not better, than their non-vegan counterparts. And more often than not, they’re actually better for our hair and skin. Vegan hair treatments feature a wide variety of ingredients. Here are just a few.
- Oil: Vegetable oils are a mainstay of vegan hair treatments. They replenish dry scalps and nourish dry ends.
- Aloe Vera: This plant is best known for its benefits to the skin. It’s also a soothing agent that can reduce itchiness and irritation on your scalp.
- Coconut: Coconut is a versatile ingredient used to hydrate your hair and scalp.
The Benefits Of Vegan Hair Products
Vegan hair products are formulated with minerals, plants, and roots. They don’t contain any animal byproducts like beeswax or lanolin. With so many benefits, it’s no wonder that vegan hair treatments are growing in popularity. Here are some advantages of vegan hair care that might just make you switch today.
Ethical Hair Care
If you have a moral objection to using products that contain animal-derived ingredients, vegan hair treatments are the way to go. Using products with all-natural ingredients means you’re getting ethical, guilt-free haircare. So you don’t have to feel bad every time you reach for the shampoo.
Healthier Hair
Vegan hair treatments are formulated with a wide variety of minerals, oils, and plants that can improve the health of your hair. Whether your hair is dry, oily, or somewhere in between, you can find a vegan hair product that treats your hair. And because you’re not using as many chemicals, your hair will actually thank you for it. Many plant-derived ingredients are incredible at looking after your hair, skin, and scalp. Without inducing any nasty reactions.
Allergy-Free
Vegans aren’t the only ones who benefit from using vegan hair care products. If you’re allergic to lanolin — a common ingredient in hair products — you have no choice but to use vegan hair treatments. Granted, some people will have allergies to plant products, but there are plenty of options to choose from.
Sustainability
When you use vegan hair treatments, you’re reducing your carbon footprint. In addition, the ingredients are more sustainable because they’re not manufactured. And often, the companies producing them have sustainability practices in place. You’re also supporting sustainable practices by choosing products that don’t rely on animals.
A Brief Guide To Vegan Hair Care
Vegan hair care is about more than just switching out the hair products in your bathroom. Changing your hair routine to accommodate vegan hair treatments is also important. If you’re interested in incorporating vegan hair products into your regimen but are unsure where to start, here’s a brief guide to navigating vegan hair care.
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Look For The Label
Not all vegan hair products are marked as such, so check the label for the vegan logo. This is the easiest way to be sure that the treatments you’re using are vegan.
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Switch To A Gentle Shampoo
Most shampoos are formulated with lanolin, which can irritate your scalp and cause itchy, flaky skin. Try a shampoo free of lanolin and other irritants, like sodium lauryl sulfate.
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Switch Your Conditioner
Conditioners can be formulated with various emulsifiers and preservatives. While these ingredients aren’t harmful, they’re not vegan. So instead, try a conditioner that’s free of emulsifiers or preservatives. If you want to use a conditioner, look for a gentle formula that doesn’t include synthetic ingredients.
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Use Vegan Hair Brushes
You might be surprised to find out that many brushes are made from animal fur. So if you want to be vegan, you’ll need to find a synthetic brush.
Decoding The Ingredients In Hair Treatments
Vegan hair treatments are formulated with a variety of plant-based ingredients, including emulsifiers, preservatives, and thickeners. While these ingredients are necessary to form a stable product, they’re not always vegan. Here are some common ingredients in hair treatments and their vegan status.
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Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers are generally made from animal fats, so they’re not vegan. If a product has a creamy texture and isn’t a thickener, it likely contains an emulsifier.
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Preservatives
Preservatives are an essential part of most hair products. Unfortunately, many of these preservatives aren’t vegan. Look for a label that’s free of parabens and synthetic preservatives.
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Thickeners
Thickening agents are generally made from animal fats, but some vegan thickeners are also available. The word “thicken” or “coconut oil” on the label is a good sign that the product is vegan.
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PH Adjusters
PH adjusters have a low PH level and help balance the texture of your hair. Unfortunately, they’re generally made from animal fats, so they’re not vegan.
You Don’t Need To Be Vegan To Use Vegan Hair Products
It’s true that vegan hair treatments are formulated with plant-based ingredients. However, you don’t have to be vegan to use them. So if you’re concerned that veganism might impact your hair care routine, don’t worry. Vegan products are formulated for all skin types, so you can use them without feeling guilty. And they’re formulated without lanolin, beeswax, and other animal-derived ingredients. There’s evidence to show that haircare products without these ingredients are actually better for your hair. Mainly because they’re more gentle. So you can reap the benefits of vegan products without actually identifying as a vegan.
Switch Up Your Style
Whether you want to use vegan products or not, there comes a time for all of us when we want to switch up our style. That’s because, for many of us, we have a tried and tested hairstyle that we go back to time and time again. But what have you got to lose? So take this as your sign to spice things up and try something new.
It could be that you’re looking for brown hair with blonde highlights ideas to try, or you really do want an all-natural vegan haircare routine. On the other hand, maybe it’s time to chop it all off and go daring with a trendy mullet. Or do the classic change and cut a fringe in front of your poorly lit bathroom mirror. Whatever you decide to go for, choose something that makes you feel good and genuinely like yourself. Because that’s what personal style is all about. And if you can do a little something for the planet too, then why not?
Where Can I Find Vegan Hair Products?
You can find a decent selection of vegan hair treatments and many more at your local drugstore or beauty supply store. You might also find some vegan products online at vegan retailers like Vegan Cuts or The Abnormal Beauty Company. These online shops often offer sample sizes and travel-sized products that are great for trying new products without committing to a full-size bottle. If you’re just beginning your vegan hair care journey, you can also find plenty of vegan shampoo and conditioner options at your local grocery store.
Whether you go vegan or not, it’s important to read the ingredients list on all your beauty products. Vegan hair care is about more than dietary restrictions — it’s about thoughtful and mindful beauty rituals that respect the environment and other living creatures. These vegan hair treatments are formulated without animal products. They’re perfect for anyone who values sustainable and cruelty-free beauty products.
While veganism isn’t a requirement, those who use these hair treatments can rest easy knowing they’re not contributing to the suffering of animals. And these hair treatments are great for people with allergies or sensitive skin. Or those who are just looking to try something new.
