I’ve written a few posts about my favorite vegan and natural skin care products, and I even wrote about my favorite natural remedies for stress. So I figured name-dropping some of my tried-and-true vegan hair care products only made sense to do. Please note that these are products I’ve used on my own hair, which is naturally very straight, color-treated, but generally healthy. If you have textured hair I can’t make any promises, but I can direct you to The Sistah Vegan Project for some of her favorite products.

Wash

I’m not going to lie, I’m a real shampoo tramp and it’s hard for me to be loyal to just one. However, I received a set of EVOLVh UltraShine Shampoo and Conditioner in my Petit Vour box a while back and actually repurchased. Those of you who receive sample boxes know that it takes something special for that to happen. Obviously I like that it’s vegan and cruelty-free, but I also thought the shampoo did a good job of removing product and sweat without stripping my color-treated hair.

When I’m having a little Lush splurge, I always grab a bar of New Solid Shampoo. I’m obsessed with all things clove, so this spicy scented bar smells good enough to eat. P.S. If you know of ANY clove beauty products please tell me in the comments. I’ve started making my own at home because there is a serious clove shortage in the beauty world. Solid shampoos are cool, just remember to make the lather in your hands and then rub that into your hair – don’t rub the bar on your head or you’re going to damage your do.

My fave solid shampoo from Lush

Another request – if you have a dry shampoo you love I want to hear about it. My hair is so fine and dark I’ve never found one that doesn’t show. I’ve also been told by my stylist that the best way to use it is on clean hair – kind of like putting deodorant on clean pits. That way it can absorb oil as your scalp makes it, rather than trying to sop up oil that’s already there. I’d love to hear your tricks if you have them!

Hair Color 

My hair is box black and has been for years (this is my natural color if you’re curious). If you want to go the totally natural route, henna is a great, but messy option. You should know, however, that once you’ve used henna on your hair you pretty much have to grow it out because it goes insane when you try to lift it – and yeah, you can lie to your hairdresser about that, but they’ll find out soon enough when you have some kinda clown massacre under those foils.

If you’re looking for something natural (aka a color that could feasibly grow from a human head) you’ll find options in your local Whole Foods Market or health food store, I’ve personally never used those as I mentioned, I go for vampire black. For that, Arctic Fox’s Transylvania is a great semi-permanent option. Not only is Arctic Fox vegan and cruelty-free, but they also donate 15% to help animals (read more). It’s a little messier to use than what you might be used to – so buy a hair color mixing bowl and a brush, and be sure to rub some coconut oil on your ears and around your hairline so you don’t dye your skin. It’s really inexpensive, creates less waste than boxed hair color, and like I said, no bunnies were harmed, so I think it’s worth a little effort.

My hair is Black No. 1… I really just wanted a reason to put this picture of Peter Steele on my blog.

To keep my blue-black looking sharp between coloring, I use Overtone‘s Extreme Blue daily conditioner, and once  week I throw on the deep conditioning treatment. (Use my affiliate link for $10 off your first $30+ purchase.) Overtone is cool because if your hair is light, you can actually color your hair with it, and you can use it to tint medium shades. For dark hair like mine, I use it as a toner. As I mentioned, my hair is blue-black, but dark purple is also a nice tone to use with black hair. It’s a quality conditioner, to boot, so your hair will feel great. Do be aware that it can stain your hands, so keep a pair of plastic gloves in the shower.

Treatment

I mentioned Overtone’s weekly conditioning treatment in the paragraph above – that’s an easy way to keep my color fresh and give my hair some love. In a pinch, I also sometimes wet my hair, apply coconut oil, top it off with a plastic cap (real talk, I never have one, so I end up with a Target bag on my head) and let it sit for 20 or so minutes before shampooing it out. I’ve also massaged straight avocado into my hair – this is actually a good use for avocados that are too ripe to eat. Why waste them?

There are two other products that I use religiously to treat my hair. One is Hair Revive Oil by French Girl Organics – another company I discovered in my Petit Vour box. I actually just read their instructions and realized I have been using it incorrectly for years, but it works for me so whatevs. I put literally ONE DROP in my hands and rub it on the ends of my dry hair – then whatever is still on my hands gets smoothed over the crown of my head where all my frizz lives. I’ve had so many friends tell me how soft and shiny my hair looks and this is 100% why. I’ve had one 2oz bottle for more than a year now so it’s well-worth the $38 investment.

This stuff is magical.

I noticed that my stylist always uses leave-in conditioner on my hair before she blow-dries it and I always thought it was overkill since we obviously just conditioned it when it was washed. But, I couldn’t deny that it was always smoother and less frizzy when I left her chair than when I do it at home so I grabbed some Giovanni Direct Leave In Treatment Conditioner at Whole Foods. I just use a little bit on my wet hair whenever I wash it (which is not suuuuper often) and it helps keep it smooth and prevents tangles while I blow dry.

Styling

I realized after I created this category that I actually only own one styling product because I have a super low maintenance bob. That’s Max Green Alchemy Texture Paste, if you’re curious. Otherwise I just smooth on some French Girl Organics Hair Revive Oil and I’m done. But, if you need more product to make your hair big, smooth, curly, bouncy, or what have you, some good brands to check out include:

• Zerran
• Max Green Alchemy 
• Kevin Murphy (not all vegan, so please read the ingredients)

Also, don’t be shy when you’re visiting the salon – tell your stylist you don’t want to use products containing silk, collagen, keratin, or beeswax and request that they use synthetic brushes. More and more high end styling products are going vegan and cruelty-free these days so it shouldn’t be tough for them to accommodate and if it is, see if you can bring your own products for them to use.

Finally, see if there are any cruelty-free salons in your area – lots of salons are starting to set themselves apart in this way. In Chicago we have Starship Salon, Black Hearts Hair House and Fix Hair Studio, just to name a few.

Your Turn

So those are my favorites – I’d love to hear yours! Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget – if you have hot tips for using dry shampoo or know of any great clove-scented cosmetic products let me know!

Disclaimer: Please note that I purchased all of the items mentioned here, and did not receive any of them for free, nor did I receive compensation for this post. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I will earn a commission.