Vegan Hair Care Products I Love

Here is Part Two of my Hair Care Series – Vegan Hair Care Products I Love! 

Be sure to read Part One with my Hair Care Secrets from last week, in case you missed it 🙂

It can take some time finding the right hair products that are vegan and cruelty-free. They have come a long way though! I’ve tried many brands… some are amazing, some are just okay and some don’t work at all. It’s important to buy cruelty-free products and support brands that do not perform animal testing or use any animal products – these products tend to be gentler, use less chemicals and more ingredients from nature (that we can actually pronounce) and are friendly to our animal friends! Even swapping out a handful of your current beauty and household items to cruelty free items makes a huge difference!

So here are my favorite products (all very affordable!) and exactly what I do to keep my hair healthy, strong and growing:

1) Clarify Once a Week

Removing oil and build-up from other products (like dry shampoo!) is essential to keep hair shiny and not looking dull or feeling grimy! I use the MopTop clarifying rescue treatment (or the Acure Clarifying Shampoo – amazing!!) once a week before I shampoo. I occasionally do a baking soda treatment (just baking soda and water mixed together, to form a paste) but it can be very drying, so only when my hair has a lot of build-up. The rescue treatment and clarifying shampoo are designed to give your hair a “reset” which in turn makes shampoo, conditioner and other styling products work better and do their job. So essential; like a clean slate to work with!

2) Shampoo & Conditioner

My hair is heavy and can get weighed down so I love a volume shampoo, but some of them can be so drying! My absolute favorite shampoo so far and one that I keep re-purchasing is the the Acure Volume Shampoo. Made with Echinacea and Mint for natural volume, it’s created for normal to fine hair. I’ve grown to love minty products, especially in the summer months. This one doesn’t tingle (in case you hate that feeling) but it does feel SO refreshing, without drying out your hair. The Acure products are literally amazing – so happy I finally got into them.

Sticking to the same brands for shampoo and conditioner is important because they’re often formulated to work together. I love a super moisturizing conditioner, one that acts like a hair mask. Since I only wash my hair 2-3x a week, it can really use the extra hydration! Sticking with the same brand, the Acure Repairing Conditioner is SO hydrating and leaves hair silky soft and de-tangled. I apply this on the ends and let it soak in for a good 5-10 minutes. Right before rinsing it out, I gently brush it through with a wide tooth comb to make brushing easier after the shower. It smells amazing and my hair actually feels nourished without the waxes and fake chemicals in conventional products.

I wish I could do at home coconut oil hair masks… I have no idea how people do it because washing oil out of my hair is a nightmare. It doesn’t wash out! My hair is so greasy and nasty afterwards. If you have tricks for that then please help! Oils on my hair just don’t work for me but maybe I’m missing something? 

3) Choose the Right Brush

I talked about brushes in my Hair Care Secrets post (be sure to read that for more secrets!) but I wanted to mention the types again. Most plastic and metal bristle brushes seem to get the knots out easier but they cause a lot of damage while doing so. I’m obsessed with my wooden brush (when my hair is dry) and my wide tooth comb (when hair is wet). The key to less breakage, which in turn helps the length and look of hair, is to be GENTLE and brush slowly from the bottom up rather than ripping through knots. 

4) Split End Mender & Heat Protectant Spray

When hair is still damp, I feel weird not applying something to my ends to lock in moisture and smooth them out. I was introduced to the Marrakesh Endz Lotion in my Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. I’ve mentioned it on Snapchat (@glowingfridge) numerous times, it smells AMAZING and doesn’t leave my ends oily, acting more as a hair lotion which I love! 

If I’m going to blow dry or curl/straighten then I make sure to use a heat protectant spray. Not sure if these even work but oh well, I use it anyway! Vegan and cruelty free options for heat protectors are hard to find… the only one I’ve used so far is the DermOrganic Thermal Spray which seems to work well without leaving hair sticky or gross. 

5) Dry Shampoo

In between washes and for extra volume, dry shampoo becomes an absolute lifesaver. Even sometimes after washing my hair I like to add some in for texture because freshly washed hair can be hard to work with… it’s too clean lol! I talk more about the dangers of spray dry shampoo in my DIY Dry Shampoo post if you want to read up on that or make your own at home, which I often do! I used to love the spray dry shampoo… I know the powder dry shampoo is annoying to work with and messy but it’s a much healthier option than spraying aerosols and breathing in hazardous chemicals like propane, butane and aluminum on top of spraying them on your delicate scalp — eek!

I’ve talked about it many times here on the blog, but the Acure Powder Dry Shampoo is affordable, healthier and makes applying it much easier and less messy (than the shaker bottle I mention in my DIY shampoo post)

Do you have any dry shampoo favorites?! Please share in the comments!

6) Shine Spray

Hair can lose it’s shine after a couple days of no washing and using dry shampoo, so I recently got into shine sprays and I love them! They add a nice scent to your hair too. Just be careful not to spray it too close to the hair or you’ll end up greasy. A few spritz’s here and there and that’s all you need. 

The Giovanni Shine Spray smells fancy and smoothes out any frizz. I’ve been loving it, especially after styling!

That’s pretty much it for my fave hair products!

If you have any good homemade masks that aren’t all coconut oil then leave me a comment. Also, a good vegan and cruelty-free hair spray if you know of any. I love your recommendations!