7 Best Vegan Leave-In Conditioner Brands for All Hair Types

Fear not, faithful friends. There are natural options out there, and you don’t have to subscribe to the “no-poo” craze.

But how to navigate through the myriad conditioners out there? What ingredients should you avoid? What products actually do what they claim?

That’s where we come in. Hang tight!

In a Hurry? Here’s Our Quick List of Top Picks

• Tree to Tub Argan Oil for Hair
• Original Sprout Leave-In Conditioner
• Sun Bum Revitalizing 3 in 1 Leave-In Conditioner Spray
• Beauty Without Cruelty Conditioner Leave-In
• TreeActiv Hair Growth Daily Nourishing Spray
• Hair Dance Ultra Light Leave-in Conditioner Spray
• The Honest Company Everyday Gentle Sweet Orange Vanilla Conditioner

What to Avoid when Choosing a Vegan-Friendly Leave-In Conditioner

Obviously, you want to avoid animal products in your hair care, and it goes without saying you’ll want to avoid ALL products tested on animals. No creature should be subjected to the absolute torture of animal testing.

If you wouldn’t want to be strapped down while chemicals are rubbed into your eyes and mouth, injected under your skin, or force fed to you? Didn’t think so. The bunnies, puppies, rats, mice, and countless other animals don’t want it either.

The good news is that animal testing is becoming a thing of the past, even in China, where it has been mandated for what seems like forever. Soon, though not soon enough, animal testing will be just another blight in the world’s history.

In the meantime, we consumers must remain vigilant, and refuse any and all products from companies whom engage in animal testing. Whether before, during, or after the manufacture of those products.

Some companies claim to be cruelty-free, but use ingredients tested on animals before they receive them.

It’s important to research the manufacturers of the products, as well as the company marketing the product. They may not be as cruelty-free as they claim.

Biotin

Biotin has long been touted as the key to stronger, thicker hair. And, while it can be found in many plant-based foods we eat, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, sweet potatoes, etc., much of the biotin used in hair care products is animal derived.

It can be sourced from milk, eggs, or other animals, but it can also be plant derived. Always check the labels to make sure your product is vegan to avoid sneaky animal derivatives.

Collagen

You’ve probably heard how amazing collagen is for your hair and skin, and how as we age, our naturally produced collagen tends to diminish, leaving us with lackluster hair and crepe-y skin. However, collagen in hair care is animal derived.

Where is it derived from? Cow skin, bones, muscles, bones. Chicken bones, cartilage, and tissues; or from egg whites and egg shells. Fish bones. If your conditioner has collagen in it, it’s not vegan.

Elastin

Elastin is usually the co-conspirator with the above Collagen, and the two are rarely apart. Elastin is derived from fish skin, and proclaims to help reduce breakage of hair, moisturize, and reduce damage from harsh chemicals.

A better plan? Skip the harsh chemicals altogether and let the fish keep swimming in their skin. Get your elastin naturally through eating beans, legumes, soy, and spirulina.

Keratin

Keratin is another miracle ingredient for hair. It’s also another ingredient sourced from animals. Keratin comes from hooves, feathers, animal hair and horns. Those animal parts are boiled, and then ground to a powder before being added to your hair care. Yuck.

Keratin treatments often also involve formaldehyde, so, suffice it to say, no thanks. Boost your keratin through your diet, by eating nuts, quinoa, and oats.

Animal Milks, Lanolin, Honey, Silk, and Beeswax

These additives are obviously not vegan, though they are added to products often to proclaim a “natural” label. Sure, they’re natural, but at what cost?

Cows and goats don’t willingly give up their offspring’s milk so we can use them in beauty products. Sheep don’t sit still and let the oil secretions flow into the loving arms of their shearer.

Silkworms are generally boiled out of their cocoons to obtain the threads that become silk fibers. Bees don’t work tirelessly their entire lives so we can steal their food and homes to make ourselves pretty.

The animals these products are taken from often live short, tortured lives, and even if they are “lucky” enough to live on a so-called ethical farm, their lives are diminished to a commodity. The animals trapped in these industries are not happy-go-lucky, despite marketing claims.

If you aren’t convinced about the cruelties of using animal products, we implore you to do a little search and see it for you own eyes. It’s scary how cruel and horrible humans can be when it comes to obtaining the fountain of youth and bouncy hair.

Other Harmful Ingredients

In our other personal care product reviews, we discuss the variety of other nasty chemicals that find their way into your beauty care products. We could go on ad nauseum, but we know you’re already a smart consumer, so we’ll just give a brief reminder.

Parabens, sulfates, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrance. Just to name a few. These ingredients are often as harmful to your body as they are to the environment.

7 Top Picks for Vegan Leave-In Conditioners

Although we should take care of ourselves and our bodies, we’re also entrusted to be ambassadors to our planet.

We can’t sacrifice the world in which we live just to look gorgeous. If we continue thinking this way, there’ll be no planet left to look great on.

There are much kinder, gentler alternatives, (for the animals, the environment, and your hair!) and we’ve found them for you!

Tree to Tub Argan Oil for Hair

Tree to Tub is a unique company because their products use the all-natural (and sustainably harvested) soapberry. Is that a real thing? A soapberry? In a word, yes.

The soapberry is the berry or nut of the tree, and when you rub it with water, it creates a creamy lather! No surfactants needed! This amazing little berry is good for your skin, your hair, and everything in between!

This fabulous conditioner with argan oil (though not a traditional leave-in) will help your hair become healthier and fuller and will help restore the health of your scalp. It’s calming lavender fragrance isn’t overwhelming.

Even though it isn’t an actual leave-in conditioner, many customers write that it’s more effective for dry hair and itchy scalp when used as one. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll have a greasy mess. A little goes a long way!

I love that they send you a soapberry with your purchase, so you can see what you’re buying! It’s such a neat little gift from Mother Nature. It really does lather up with just a rub and some water! So cool!

Original Sprout Leave-In Conditioner

Original Sprout is committed to providing safe and natural products for use by every member of the family including the tiniest babies on up. This leave-in conditioner is a testament to that commitment.

Many other natural products use essential oils such as Tea Tree and Lavender for fragrance. Those oils may make them unsafe for use by the very young. Original Sprout doesn’t rely on those ingredients for a worry-free hair experience.

The pump style conditioner allows you to have more control over how much or how little you want to use. For most people, this product works better when used sparingly.

Even so, as with many natural products, it may take some time before you see the results you are expecting. When you’ve been using chemical-laden products for so long, there is a period of adjustment.

Sun Bum Revitalizing 3 in 1 Leave-In Conditioner Spray

If you like the smell and feeling of beach fresh hair, this is the leave-in for you! Sun Bum’s unique formula sprays on in a light mist to hydrate, protect, and smooth your luscious beach locks.

The natural ingredients are gentle on even the kinkiest, driest hair, and will transport your ‘do to a delightfully scented new plain.

Sun Bum is committed to easygoing, natural beauty. They also aim to keep your skin and hair protected from the sun’s harmful rays, while still soaking in the benefits.

This leave-in is perfect for all types of hair and will leave your tendrils soft and tangle free. The proprietary blend of aromatic ingredients makes your hair smell like the perfect day at the beach!

Beauty Without Cruelty Conditioner Leave-In

Beauty Without Cruelty – the name says it all, doesn’t it? Since 1963, BWC has been creating personal care products that are as good for you as they are for the planet.

Never ever tested on animals, and no animal products to boot. This company is the epitome of vegan-friendly.

This hair solution conditions, detangles, revitalizes, and protects. Its unique blend of provitamins and jojoba leaves your hair feeling soft and smooth, but not weighed down. Excellent for all hair types, your hair will be bouncy and lush after just one use.

Provides protection from everything your hair may be up against. Pollution, sun exposure, coloring, heat styling. Whatever you put your mane through, this conditioner will keep it looking and feeling great.

TreeActiv Hair Growth Daily Nourishing Spray

Remember all those things we told you to look out for? Keratin, Biotin, Silk? Well, TreeActiv uses only veg-friendly versions in this nourishing conditioning spray. Hooray!

The Keratin and Biotin are both plant-derived. The silk amino acids are obtained from silkworm cocoons with no harm to the creature.

After the silkworm has completed its metamorphosis and emerged as a silk moth, the cocoons are collected.

So, you get the benefits of these ingredients without the cruelty. Win-win.

This spray defrizzes, revitalizes, treats, and moisturizes without leaving your hair feeling heavy or greasy. The added benefit of stimulating hair growth is unique to this product as well.

Hair Dance Ultra Light Leave-in Conditioner Spray

This lightweight leave-in conditioner spray by Hair Dance works hard to quench your thirsty locks without weighing them down.

Green tea, aloe vera, and soy and wheat proteins strengthen and hydrate hair, making it healthier from the inside out. Vitamin B5 helps prevent breakage and adds shine.

Coconut oil adds an extra source of moisture, while turmeric root can help stimulate hair growth. Grapefruit peel oil gives this conditioner its natural citrusy scent.

Because it is so light, this conditioner can be used on all hair types, even fine tresses would be overwhelmed by most leave-in treatments.

This hypoallergenic and non-toxic formula is made without sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates, DEA, artificial fragrances and dyes, petroleum, and alcohols. And of course, it’s vegan and cruelty-free!

The Honest Company Everyday Gentle Sweet Orange Vanilla Conditioner

The Honest Company’s everyday gentle conditioner is a lightweight, natural conditioner which doubles as a leave-in treatment.

This conditioner is formulated to be safe for everyone, even babies, so you can rest easy knowing the ingredients are super gentle and pure!

Honest Company products are made without parabens, synthetic fragrances, dyes, silicones, phthalates, and formaldehyde donors.

This conditioner features argan oil, shea butter, jojoba protein, and quinoa extract to naturally soften and nourish hair. These ingredients also help detangle hair, making this product perfect for your post-shower routine.

The sweet orange vanilla scent comes from natural citrus peel and vanilla extracts.

Top Choice for the Best Vegan Leave-In Conditioner

Leave-in conditioners are a usually a hit or miss. It’s often difficult to find a product that works well for multiple hair types, or for varying hair conditions.

What works great for fine, thin hair may not work at all for curly, thick hair. What is smoothing for normal hair may not tame color-treated hair.

These featured conditioners worked well on many different types and textures.

While we liked all the leave-ins reviewed in this round-up, we had to pick our favorite, which is Sun Bum’s Revitalizing 3-in-1 Leave-In Conditioning Spray.

Not only does this spray smell amazing, it left our hair feeling soft, shiny, bouncy, invigorated! In a word, perfect! The cute packaging and inspiring company philosophy add to the whole shebang.

It’s also a multi-generational product. Kids love it just as much as grandparents do, which isn’t an easy feat. Add the extra benefit of UV protection, and you’ve got a pretty near perfect product!

Fun, function, cruelty-free and environmentally friendly? Yes, please!