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9 best vegan shampoos and conditioners: Good for your hair and the planet

A surprising number of hair products  include animal products (iStock/The Independent)
A surprising number of hair products include animal products (iStock/The Independent)

Once a niche trend, veganism has hit the mainstream over the last five years. There are now around 1.5 million people in the UK who are currently vegan – and that number is growing rapidly.

Veganism doesn’t just revolve around diet though, but other lifestyle choices too. Case in point: what’s in your bathroom.

Vegan beauty is booming with the global market projected to grow 6.3 per cent a year to reach $20.8bn (approx £15.2bn) by 2025. Put simply, vegan beauty products are made without animal ingredients. And actually, a surprising number of hair products, like shampoos and conditioners, include animal products – with the common culprits being milk, honey, beeswax or keratin.

However, as interest in vegan products grows, the choices are increasing. The nine brands we tested have all been confirmed to be totally vegan. Some have certification (for example, from Peta and The Vegan Society) while others have confirmed to us their vegan credentials. And even though being “vegan” is different to being cruelty-free – as this typically indicates whether a product has been tested on animals – all those included here are, in fact, cruelty-free.

How we tested

To find the best vegan shampoos and conditioners we tested a range of new and best-selling products on medium-length coloured hair that’s prone to dryness and frizz. In each trial we observed the packaging and aesthetic appeal, formula, scent, in-shower experience and how our hair looked when dry.

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Whether you’re fully vegan or dabble or wary of making more conscious choices, these are the best vegan shampoos and conditioners to try…

The best vegan shampoos and conditioners for 2021 are:

  • Best overall: We Are Paradoxx repair shampoo and conditioner: £18, Lookfantastic.com

  • Best for taming frizz: Maria Nila eco therapy revive shampoo and conditioner: £25, Sallybeauty.co.uk

  • Best value: Phil Smith BE GORGEOUS total treat shampoo and conditioner: £3.50, Sainsburys.co.uk

  • Best long-lasting benefits: Ecooking volume shampoo and repair conditioner: £20, Feelunique.com

  • Best for dry or thick hair: Lazartigue Nourish shampoo and conditioner: £24. Lazartigue.com

  • Best use of natural ingredients: Tabitha James Kraan Hair cleanser and 4-in-1 conditioner: £25, Wolfandbadger.com

  • Best for dull hair: Evolve Organic Beauty superfood shine shampoo and conditioner: £13, Johnlewis.com

  • Best for scalp care: Gallinée soothing cleansing cream and care mask: £23, Cultbeauty.co.uk

  • Best in-shower experience: ESPA purifying shampoo and nourishing conditioner: £23, Lookfantastic.com

We Are Paradoxx repair shampoo and conditioner, 250ml

Best: Overall

Rating: 9.5/10

We Are Paradoxx are a plastic-free and vegan hair brand that focuses on hard-working yet natural formulas. Products are housed in aluminium, an infinitely replayable material, which looks stylish in our shower. And the pump makes it easy to apply the desired amount into our palm.

On use, the most notable observation is the amazing smell. An expensive botanical scent that fills the shower for a spa-like experience. The shampoo is enriched with carrageen moss for silk-like smoothness and the conditioner uses honey locusts and nettle to help fortify, smooth and tame. Once dry, our hair is noticeably soft, smooth and frizz-free – even the common face-framing flyaways are tamed.

We Are Paradoxx repair shampoo: £18, Lookfantastic.com

We Are Paradoxx repair 3-in-1 conditioner: £20, Lookfantastic.com

Buy now £18.00, Lookfantastic.com

Maria Nila eco therapy revive shampoo and conditioner

Best: For taming frizz

Rating: 9/10

Swedish-based Maria Nila is certified vegan by Leaping Bunny and Peta. Its latest shampoo and conditioner launch takes sustainability concerns a step further and is the first in the range to be certified by EcoCert for its use of natural and organic ingredients. Made from ocean waste plastic (another big tick), the squeezy bottles are easy to use and don’t dispense too much product.

The shampoo – a detoxifying formula using micellar technology – is a clear unscented liquid that lathers up well. The conditioner is a thick white cream that we find smooths through our hair and detangles well. Once dry our hair is straighter, sleeker and noticeably frizz-free.

Maria Nila eco therapy revive shampoo, 350ml: £20, Sallybeauty.co.uk

Maria Nila eco therapy revive conditioner, 300ml: £20, Sallybeauty.co.uk

Buy now £20.00, Sallybeauty.co.uk

Phil Smith be gorgeous total treat shampoo and conditioner

Best: Value

Rating: 8/10

This affordable range from the celebrity hairdresser is certified vegan. The bright pink packaging might not be to everyone’s taste but the squeezy bottles are certainly easy to use. The scent might not be for everyone – it’s a strong coconut fragrance that reminds us of holidays of the past.

Both formulas are a white thick consistency which feel quite heavy on the hair while in the shower. They are designed to restore damaged, dry and coloured hair to silky smoothness using the key ingredient of Moroccan argan oil. Once dry our hair feels soft to touch and supremely nourished.

Phil Smith be gorgeous total treat shampoo, 400ml: £3.50, Sainsburys.co.uk

Phil Smith be gorgeous total treat conditioner, 300ml: £3.50, Sainsburys.co.uk

Buy now £3.50, Sainsburys.co.uk

Ecooking volume shampoo and repair conditioner, 250ml

Best: Long-lasting benefits

Rating: 8/10

One of Denmark’s fastest-growing skincare brands, Ecooking launched its first “dermatological haircare” range earlier this year. Inspired by skincare products, the shampoo contains peptides for hair growth, the conditioner has a 72-hour moisturising complex and they both have added UV and pollution protection.

Housed in upside-down squeezy tubes makes the products easy to store in the bathroom and ensures they are used to the very last drop. The shampoo lathers well and the conditioner feels sufficiently nourishing.

Both are very subtly scented and when wet, hair is easy to comb through. Once our hair is dry, we find it is bouncier and brighter than normal with a smooth finish. The next day our hair still feels lovely and soft.

Ecooking volume shampoo: £20, Feelunique.com

Ecooking repair conditioner: £20, Feelunique.com

Buy now £20.00, Feelunique.com

Lazartigue nourish shampoo and conditioner

Best: For dry or thick hair

Rating: 8/10

With its dark green bottle and line-drawing design, the Lazartigue nourish shampoo and conditioner stand proudly in our bathroom. On opening, the shea butter scent is very strong, and that sticks around throughout the wash and long after our hair is dry. As long as you like this scent, this is a real positive.

The shampoo was easy to use and created a satisfying lather. The conditioner was very thick and not that spreadable though. So, for our medium-thickness hair, it felt a little heavy. After drying, our hair definitely felt less frizzy and very nourished but got greasier quickly as the days passed. We think this formula would work wonders for those with thicker or curlier styles.

Lazartigue nourish shampoo, 250ml: £24, Lazartigue.com

Lazartigue nourish conditioner, 150ml: £24, Lazartigue.com

Buy now £24.00, Lazartigue.com/

Tabitha James Kraan Hair cleanser and conditioner, 165ml

Best: Natural ingredients

Rating: 8/10

A high-performance vegan and organic range from the famed hairdresser. The products are housed in aluminium bottles – a great choice in terms of sustainability – with pumps for easy application. Both the cleanser (a shampoo) and conditioner have a strong scent of essential oils which creates a lovely in-shower experience.

The shampoo is designed to address a scalp that is out of balance by cleansing without stripping. It lightly foams and feels fresh in the hair. Meanwhile, the conditioner is made to deeply moisturise. It’s designed to be left in for a minimum of two minutes, which is a little extra faff but leaves us time to do other shower admin. Brushing our hair post-shower we find our brush/comb slips through smoothly and it dries fresh and soft.

Tabitha James Kraan hair cleanser in golden citrus: £25, Wolfandbadger.com

Tabitha James Kaan 4-in-1 conditioner golden citrus: £25, Wolfandbadger.com

Buy now £25.00, Wolfandbadger.com

Evolve Organic Beauty superfood shine shampoo and conditioner, 250ml

Best: For dull hair

Rating: 7/10

These organic, all-natural vegan formulas are housed in recyclable plastic bottles with chic minimal packaging. The scent of both is strong – a sweet almost chocolatey smell that we attribute to the inclusion of Baobab.

Both are a creamy and thick consistency, which feels slightly counter-intuitive when applying the shampoo but the product works in the same way and lathers nicely. The conditioner is a little tricky to get through our tangled hair but is easy to brush afterwards. We find our hair is noticeably shinier after it dries.

Evolve Organic Beauty superfood shine shampoo: £13, Johnlewis.co.uk

Evolve Organic Beauty superfood shine conditioner: £15, Johnlewis.co.uk

Buy now £13.00, Johnlewis.com

Gallinée soothing cleansing cream and care mask

Best: For scalp care

Rating: 7/10

Gallinée is a prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics based skincare and haircare brand built on the concept of nourishing the microbiome (the micro-organism living on and in the human body). Recent research links microbiome health with skin health and Gallinée’s hair products nourish the scalp for healthy looking hair.

The soothing cleansing cream (used like a shampoo) is a gentle non-foaming cleanser enriched with postbiotics. The cream is thick, unscented and doesn’t lather. As per instruction, we massaged this into our roots and left it on our hair for two minutes. The care mask (used as a conditioner) is also enriched with a postbiotic complex. We spread the thick, unscented cream through our hair and left for five minutes.

This is not a quick shower experience so wouldn’t suit those who are time-poor but the slower approach taking time to massage is enjoyable. Once dry, our hair looks brighter than normal, is frizz-free and feels sufficiently nourished.

Gallinée soothing cleansing cream, 200ml: £23, Cultbeauty.co.uk

Gallinée care mask, 150ml: £28, Cultbeauty.co.uk

Buy now £23.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk

ESPA purifying shampoo and nourishing conditioner, 295ml

Best: In-shower experience

Rating: 7/10

The vegan haircare range from spa brand ESPA naturally scores points for its lovely scent. The aromatic jasmine and bergamot formula smells lovely in the shower creating a relaxing experience. Housed in easy pumping bottles, the brand offers refillable pouches to cut back on plastic use (and save you money) when stocking up on new shampoo or conditioner.

The purifying shampoo is a clear liquid that lightly lathers while the thicker and creamier nourishing conditioner cuts through tangles in the hair. When dry our hair feels hydrated and healthy with frizz reduced.

ESPA purifying shampoo: £23, Lookfantastic.com

ESPA nourishing conditioner: £23, Johnlewis.com

Buy now £23.00, Lookfantastic.com

The Verdict: Vegan shampoos and conditioners

With its lovely scent, seriously softening abilities and planet-saving plastic-free packaging, We Are Paradoxx is our winner. Maria Nila’s detoxifying shampoo and frizz-fighting conditioner also gets a special mention. For a value product, Phil Smith be gorgeous is a great option.

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For more ethical beauty buys, why not try our best razors for women that are environmentally friendly