A simple guide to vegan shampoo
Sections:
- What is Vegan Shampoo?
- Benefits of Vegan shampoo
- Ingredients to look out for
- Ingredients to Avoid
- How to choose the right vegan shampoo
- Vegan Shampoo bars
What is Vegan Shampoo?
A vegan shampoo is a product that is made without any animal-based components.
What sets vegan shampoo apart is its commitment to using plant-based and natural ingredients instead of relying on substances derived from animals. This means you won't find ingredients like animal fats, keratin (which often comes from animals like sheep), or even honey in vegan shampoos.
Vegan shampoos are free from animal-derived ingredients, but those who formulated these shampoos also uphold a no-animal-testing policy. That means these shampoos are not tested on our furry friends, ensuring that no harm comes to animals during the production process.
In addition to being animal-friendly, vegan shampoos often embrace a more holistic and eco-conscious approach. Like Washla, many of us steer clear of harsh chemicals like sulfates and parabens, can be harsh on both your hair and the environment. Instead, we opt for gentle plant oils like coconut, shea butter, and almond oil, which provide natural nourishment to both your hair and scalp.
Benefits of Vegan shampoo
One of the significant advantages of vegan shampoo is that it's not tested on animals. Using vegan products, you will contribute to the movement against animal testing and support ethical practices in the beauty and health industry.
Vegan shampoos utilise natural and plant-based ingredients. These ingredients are derived from botanical sources and are known for their nourishing and gentle properties. Plant oils, herbal extracts, and essential oils are commonly found in vegan shampoos, providing benefits such as moisturising, soothing, and promoting healthy hair and scalp.
At Washla, we prioritise sustainable sourcing of our ingredients. Like many other vegan shampoo brands, we ensure that our ingredients are obtained without harming the environment and, where possible, only sourced within the UK. As vegan shampoo ingredients are derived naturally, they are biodegradable, which means they can break down naturally and don't contribute to water pollution or environmental damage.
Some vegan shampoo brands are mindful of their packaging choices, opting for recyclable or biodegradable materials to reduce waste and plastic consumption. At Washla, our vegan shampoo bars are wrapped in biodegradable wood pulp and never with any plastic packaging.
Ingredients to look out for
Natural plant oils like coconut, shea butter and almond oil provide hydration and retain valuable moisture in your hair and scalp while keeping your hair nourished and healthy.
Look out for proteins like wheat or rice protein to provide strength and structure while boosting your hair's volume.
Essential oils such as tea tree or peppermint oil offer antimicrobial properties and help maintain a healthy scalp. To find out more about the benefits of essential oils in shampoo, visit this article.
Ingredients to Avoid
The most prominent ingredients to avoid are animal-derived ingredients. Avoid shampoos that contain ingredients like keratin, silk, or collagen, as they are derived from animals.
It's always good to avoid harsh shampoo, which generally contains sulfates. Sulfates aren't harmful but can strip the hair and scalp of valuable moisture. There are gentler vegan shampoos that don't contain sulfates.
You may have heard of Parabens, which is a preservative. Preservatives are essential in products that contain water or are in contact with water to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria. Parabens are a type of preservative that some studies have linked to potential health risks.
Our scalp and hair can be sensitive to harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Artificial fragrances can irritate the scalp and cause allergies. Look out instead for vegan shampoo scented with essential oils. Essential oils not only make your vegan shampoo smell divine, but these oils have many benefits to your hair, scalp and skin.
How to choose the right vegan shampoo
Your hair type really matters. Knowing your hair type will make finding the perfect vegan shampoo so much easier. Typically, our hair falls into these types:
- Normal
- Dry
- Curly
- Oily
- Colour-treated
We have written an extensive blog on finding the perfect vegan shampoo based on your hair type here.
Check for labels or product descriptions for clear indications that the shampoo is vegan, cruelty-free, and free from harmful chemicals.
Lastly, research the brand, and seek reviews and feedback to gauge the effectiveness and suitability of vegan shampoos.
Vegan Shampoo bars
We have been using vegan shampoo bars for many years and have found that shampoo bars are a lot more effective than traditional liquid shampoo. This is because vegan shampoo bars are concentrated, not diluted with water. Your hair and scalp will make contact with more active ingredients, and we find that you gain a better lathering experience.
The most significant value in adopting a vegan shampoo bar is the removal of plastic bottles. We are struggling with plastic waste, particularly single-use plastic, which takes an average of 500 years to fully decompose.
We loved shampoo bars so much that we decided to make our own and started a small business.
All Washla shampoo bars are vegan, cruelty-free, and free of parabens, sulfates and artificially produced fragrances. If you want to try our vegan shampoo bars, click here to view our range.
Vegan shampoo offers a combination of ethical, sustainable, and hair-friendly benefits. It allows you to take care of your hair while positively impacting animals and the planet.
