If you’re dedicated to living a vegan lifestyle, it can be a bummer to find out that animal-derived ingredients are fairly common in hair care products for curls, from silk protein (harvested from silkworms) to lanolin (derived from sheep’s wool). Thankfully, the demand for vegan hair care is driving more options when it comes to vegan curly hair products, so you can achieve smooth, defined curls without the traditional non-vegan ingredients that don’t jive with your lifestyle. Let’s break down everything you need to know to help you on your search for the best vegan hair products for curly hair, including:

• What are vegan hair products?

• How can I tell if my curly hair products are vegan?

• What are the best vegan hair products for curly hair?

What are vegan hair products?

Vegan hair products are made without animal-derived ingredients or animal byproducts. Some commonly used hair care ingredients that are sourced from animals and therefore not vegan include honey, milk, lanolin, collagen, gelatin, keratin and silk protein.

Keratin is an especially popular ingredient in curly hair products thanks to its ability to smooth the hair shaft and eliminate frizz, which is why a number of alternatives to keratin have hit the market recently. Plant-derived alternatives to silk protein have also paved the way for new vegan curly hair products that actually work. There are also a number of vegan hair care ingredients that help hair feel smooth, frizz-free and moisturized, including argan oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil and shea butter. Plus, these ingredients are all plant-based with no components derived from animals.

How can I tell if my curly hair products are vegan?

Vegan hair care products commonly have labels on the packaging that read “vegan,” “vegan-friendly” or “vegan-certified” to indicate that they contain no animal-derived ingredients or animal byproducts.

6 vegan curly hair products to try

Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Conditioner

Curly hair care starts with a reliable shampoo and conditioner, and this reliable duo helps revive dry, frizzy curls by infusing them with moisture thanks to Pureology’s proprietary Advanced Hydrating Micro-Emulsion Technology. Both formulas are entirely sulfate-free, making them safe for daily use on color-treated hair, and they also contain soy, oat and wheat proteins to help strengthen strands as sage, green tea and jojoba extract work together to leave hair feeling shiny and smooth.

Surface Curls Serum

This styling cream is one of the best vegan curly hair products to use before blow-drying. Plant-based ingredients such as cocoa butter and shea butter help smooth frizz, soften hair and reduce static while omega 3 and fatty acids help fortify your hair for stronger, more elastic curls. The addition of vitamins E and K also help prevent free radical damage from environmental pollution and stressors.

K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Repair Mask

If your curly hair also tends to feel dry and damaged from coloring, chemical treatments or heat styling, this hair repair mask is one of the best vegan hair products to add to your curl care lineup. It’s an intense hair treatment that you can use on towel-dried hair before styling as usual. The powerhouse ingredient in this formula is K18Peptide, a patented peptide technology that helps smooth and soften rough, dry hair and for restored strength and bounce. This mask has been a hit with customers. You can read about their experiences in these K18 Reviews.

ColorProof TruCurl Enhancing Creme

If you’re looking for a vegan hair styling product that will help define, shape and separate your curls, give this curl cream by color-safe hair care line ColorProof a try. The show stopping ingredient in this formula is IllumaCurl Complex, a proprietary blend of grapeseed oil and sugar cane that's designed to enhance your natural curl pattern. It also contains plant-derived collagen to help nourish hair and reduce frizz, leaving it looking and feeling smoother after air drying or blow drying with a diffuser.

Virtue Curl Defining Whip

Hair styling products that smooth hair with keratin are usually a no-go for vegans as keratin is traditionally made using animal byproducts such as hair or feathers. Virtue has set themselves apart from the competition with their use of a patented vegan keratin ingredient called Alpha Keratin 60ku that is derived from ethically sourced human hair instead of animal sources. This ingredient helps strengthen and repair brittle hair, and paired with shea butter and baobab oil, makes this curl cream one of the best vegan hair products for curly hair out there.

Leonor Greyl Bain Restructurant A La Banane Volumizing Shampoo for Curly Hair

If you’re on the hunt for the best vegan natural hair products, this shampoo from French hair care line Leonor Greyl could be for you. In addition to being vegan, it is also made with 97% natural ingredients, including hibiscus extract to help boost volume and shine, banana extract to hydrate dry hair and linden extract to provide antioxidant protection. It works just as well for wavy hair as it does for curls, and it leaves behind a light and pleasant banana scent.

Ready for more hair care tips? You can learn the difference between fine hair and thin hair and even discover if you have one or the other—or both—on the LovelySkin Hair Care Blog.