Hair products like hairspray get a bad rep for being bad for the environment, and the planet. What does veganism have to do with hair? Let’s say that you’ve decided that, to do your part to help make the world a bit better, you’re going to become a vegan. You’ve thought about what this means in terms of your diet, and have started buying organic, vegan foods. And you’ve made a commitment to live your entire life according to your principles. You make certain that the products you buy (clothes, shoes, food) are created along those same principles. When you next go shopping, though, out of habit you start to reach for your same old shampoo and conditioner, the ones you really like for hair care. The label says ‘natural’ 
and ‘no animal testing,’ but are they vegan? How can you tell?
The first thing to do is to go online and Google for lists of ingredients commonly found in hair products. You’ll be surprised how many that we see everyday on labels are of animal origin. For example, acetate can be produced from egg yolks or fish liver oils and is found in hair dyes. Casein is produced from the protein found in milk, and is often found as an ingredient in many different hair products.
Even products marked ‘natural’ on the label may still contain some animal based ingredients. One particular example would be a hair brush with natural bristles. These are most likely the bristles from a wild or domestic pig. The best thing to do to be sure you are avoiding purchasing any hair products with animal derived ingredients is to print out a list of such ingredients and take it with you when you next go shopping. You can check the labels of any products you’re interested in, and safely purchase only the truly vegan ones.
The next thing to do is to learn which ingredients which really are natural and vegan are used by the manufacturers of hair products to substitute for the non vegan alternatives. For instance, various vegetable proteins, including those extracted from soy beans, can be substituted for the hydrolyzed animal proteins that are found in many cosmetics and other personal care items. Rosemary and nettle are two vegan, natural substitutes for keratin, a very common ingredient in a wide variety of hair care products which gives body to the hair. In this case, many believe that the vegan ingredients work better than the animal derived one!
As you can see, you can’t just settle for the ‘no animal testing’ sticker on the next hair care products you buy. That’s only the beginning of your commitment to a fully vegan lifestyle.
Photo: djtutusaus
and more brittle than your friend’s straight hair when she used the same product. On top of all that, the color doesn’t appear the same closer to your scalp than it does toward the ends of your hair!
exactly for your own needs. You can choose ingredients that will help oily or dry hair, give more volume to fine hair, brighten or lightly tint your hair, even control dandruff and address that slight thinning you’ve been noticing! You can create other hair products, too. Conditioners, rinses, gels, styling cremes, bleaches, and conditioning dressings are all easily made at home, and you can tailor each one to your personal preferences. Even the scent!
you need hair products like combs that are strong enough to allow you to form tight dreads. Dread wax is used during the formation phase and also to maintain your dreads as they grow. Using a wax that is formulated to moisturize your hair while helping to keep the dreads neat is very important to your overall look and enjoyment of your new hair style. Wax is especially helpful for those with straight hair, but if you have very curly hair you may just need a creme. There are also cremes for helping detangle dreads if you want to change styles.