Have you found yourself saying ‘no’ to social functions because you are genuinely having to wash your hair? Are you simply feeling that your crowning glory is not fit for the scrutiny of others? If so, don’t go getting yourself in a lather because we’ve been trying out some fabulous products to put together this list of the best vegan shampoo and conditioner brands. Who knows, it might just help you to find the right product for your hair, and enhance your social life into the bargain.
However, if you are just using hair troubles as a reason not to socialise, you might need to find a better excuse. You know, one that’s a cut above the rest…
Vegan Mum’s Top Picks
- Best overall: Bower Collective
- Best for fine hair: Chāmpo Pitta
- Best for dry & damaged: Evolve Monoi
- Best for oily hair: Chāmpo Kapha
- Best value: Faith in Nature
- Best shampoo bar: Kin Kind
- Best for shine: Evolve Superfood Shine
- Best for curls: Aveda Be Curly
- Best frequent use: Green People Aloe
Bower Collective
- Price: from £1.55/100ml
- Type: various
I have only recently discovered the Bower Collective shampoo & conditioner and some of the things I love about it (and that make it my choice for ‘best overall’) include price, quality, fragrances, effectiveness and importantly, environmental credentials.
Not only is it made in the UK (so not transported at great cost around the world to make it to your bathroom) but it also helps to eliminate waste from your home too. Once you have the refillable bottles (made from waste plastic), you buy the refill pouches which you then send back to the brand for reuse and recycling. You can begin with one of their starter kits, or why not build your own bundle?
It’s not just about the environment though – that all becomes a bit pointless if you buy a product that you then don’t want to use! But based on my experience, you’ll want to keep using these. With the essential oils and natural ingredients, I find these very gentle to use on my scalp, very effective, and they smell fabulous too. I particularly love the Rose & Pink Pepper fragrance.
I honestly wish I had discovered this brand before. They do a range of other products too – personal care and household – all vegan and with same environmental credentials. You can read a bit more about them in my Best Vegan Shower Gels article.
Chāmpo Pitta
Where to start with this lovely Chāmpo shampoo and conditioner? It looks and feels like (and is!) a luxurious product which belies its mid-range price. When I used it, the fragrance was glorious and seemed to last all day without being overpowering. I’d classify it as floral with a touch of sandalwood, but it is so much more than that and has a real depth.
And in addition to its volumizing properties (perfect for my fine hair), it also imparts a noticeable shine which made my hair look and feel so healthy. They do also have separate ranges to hydrate, and to care for the scalp, neither of which I have tried, but if they match the Pitta volumizing products in quality and effectiveness, I can only imagine they will be good.
Based on ancient Indian Ayurvedic principles, but using the latest in haircare technology, this range blends the best of old and new to bring you a high quality and effective shampoo and conditioner. I love it and would highly recommend it.
Evolve Monoi
- Price: from £4.80/100ml
- Type: dry / damaged hair
If you’ve not been treating your hair right, it can show. Over-colouring, swimming, too much washing, too much sun; all these things can dry out and damage your hair.
If this is you, Evolve’s Monoi range has been formulated especially for you! Using quinoa proteins to lock in moisture, and with flower extracts that give it a glorious fragrance, using this vegan shampoo and conditioner will put that oomph back in your hair.
With organic ingredients and recyclable plastic bottles, this is a fairly eco-friendly and sustainable option too and more reasonably priced than many others in this list too.
Chāmpo Kapha
- Price: from £7.40 / 100ml
- Type: oily hair
- Discount code: ICHAMPO
Another lovely shampoo and conditioner from the Chāmpo brand, which I tend to use in the summer when things heat up a bit. With the same luxurious feel as all their other products, friends have also found this is the best product for their coloured hair too.
And, just like their Pitta shampoo, this shampoo and conditioner imparts a lovely shine, is very gentle on sensitive scalps and leaves behind an amazing fragrance that lasts without being overpowering.
Their whole range is based on ancient Indian Ayurvedic principles, although they are using the latest in haircare technology. Consequently, this range blends the best of old and new to bring you a high quality shampoo and conditioner that is perfect for oily scalps and colour-treated hair.
Faith in Nature
- Price: from £1.26/100ml
- Type: budget
Can there be a better, value for money, organic shampoo and conditioner range than Faith in Nature? This B Corp company manages to produce ethical products which are natural (parabens, sulphate and silicone free), largely organic and of consistently good quality.
There is a range for every hair type and a wide range of lovely scents making this a go-to brand for so many people who are looking for an everyday product. However, I don’t use this all the time and like to alternate with other products that feel a bit more nourishing, like Chāmpo which I find adds more volume back into my hair.
But if you’re looking for an unflashy, everyday haircare product that is good value for money, Faith in Nature might be just the brand you’re looking for.
Kin Kind
- Price: shampoo bar from £6.33
- Type: Strengthening
If you’d rather go completely plastic-free and use a shampoo bar instead, Kin Kind’s are really pretty good. I don’t always get on with shampoo and conditioner bars because I tend to find them hard to use, but these both work very well.
The shampoo bar lathers quickly and effectively, and smells lovely. The conditioner bar also glides onto my hair easily, which is fairly fine and straight, although I can’t say how effective it would be on longer, thicker hair.
You can buy the travel set (pictured) comprising the 2 bars, 2 travel tins and a drying rack, or just buy the bars separately.
The only thing that made me think before buying was the branding to be honest, which looks a bit too retro for me. However, don’t let that put you off because once you’ve opened the box and you’re in the shower, you won’t see it anyway!
The other great thing is that they are made in the UK, so no horrendous air/road miles when it comes to transportation.
Evolve Superfood Shine
- Price: from £5/100ml
- Type: family
Another good product from the Evolve brand, these Superfood Shine vegan Shampoo and Conditioner products come in 500ml bottles – great for general use by the whole family. With aloe vera, it helps sort out those tangles, and it cleanses naturally and gently using coconut and baobab proteins.
So a family-friendly, organic offering from this B-Corp brand that is also reasonably-priced, although at the top end of the ‘lower price’ category. And the branding is definitely gender-neutral, meaning anyone and everyone should be happy using it in the shower!
Aveda Be Curly
- Price: from £12/100ml
- Type: curly hair
Containing plant-based peptides, this silicone-free shampoo & conditioner range from Aveda is formulated to coat your curls and prevent them from frizzing up. Alongside the shampoo and conditioner, they also offer a curl-perfecting primer, a masque and a coil-defining gel so you have pretty much everything you need to make your hair look the best ever.
Not having any curls, I’ve not been able to try this. However, my testing team (in this case my daughter with a newly-cut trendy mullet) has tried these products and thinks they are – and I quote – wonderful and promote a lot of bounce and curl lasting for several days.
Green People Aloe
- Price: £9/100ml
- Type: Daily use
I really like this vegan shampoo and conditioner from Green People. It is light, smells great and a little really does go a long way. It has good ‘squeakability’ – a word I have probably just made up to describe how clean it makes your hair feel after it’s been washed – and leaves my hair soft and shiny too.
The fragrance is a subtle and lovely lavender, and quite different (in a good way!) from most vegan shampoo and conditioner products I’ve had before. And with a high percentage of organic ingredients, it also comes in plant-based packaging which is made from sugar cane and is totally recyclable.
This, together with the fact that it is quite concentrated, means that although the price might initially seem high, it is actually better value for money than you think, and therefore suitable for frequent use.
FAQs
How have we chosen which brands to include in this list?
Easy! Each product has to fulfil the following criteria, and each one has been researched and tested by us to ensure that they do just that:
free from harmful chemicals
vegan
cruelty-free
appropriately priced
deliver claimed benefits
makes reasonable efforts towards sustainability and the environment
Are cruelty-free, vegan haircare products better for your hair?
It’s fair to say that vegan shampoo and conditioner products are not always better for you just because they’re vegan. But often they are.
Of course, you still need to look carefully at ingredient lists for nasty chemicals (yes, there are vegan nasty chemicals too!), how products are made, and where they are from because they won’t always be sustainably sourced, or even environmentally-friendly.
However, there are many vegan brands out there who are going through quite stringent B-Corp accreditation processes (or that have already achieved accreditation) because ethically, they know it’s the right thing to do.
Putting together the right ingredients – vegan or not – to formulate an effective product that makes your hair look good is another thing entirely, however. Not all vegan shampoo and conditioner products do that, which is why I have produced this guide!
More vegan haircare articles
I hope you’ve enjoyed our Best Vegan Shampoo and Conditioner guide. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, there are lots of other lovely, natural vegan shampoos and conditioners out there so take a look at some of my other guides and reviews below:
Leave a Reply