As long as your hair is all right! But which shampoo will do the trick? You have options like: silver shampoo, shampoo for dry hair, lifeless hair, anti-dandruff shampoo and so on. Then you can also choose shampoo with or without sulphates, with or without parabens, or vegan. And then… panic strikes: choice stress! To help you on your way, let me explain the main differences between natural and vegan shampoo. Then you can make a better choice
What do we mean by natural and vegan shampoo?
Natural shampoo is a shampoo in which the majority of the ingredients, after the production process, have retained their original structure.
Vegan shampoo is free of animal ingredients and does not contain any ingredients that have been tested on animals, nor has the final product been tested on animals.
These are the 6 main differences.
- Sulphates
Natural shampoo is free of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) or SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulphate). These cleaners may occur in vegan shampoo.
You can recognise these sulphates very well. This ingredient ensures that your shampoo is rich in lather. In addition, this aggressive substance causes your hair to become clean. That sounds fine, and yet it is better to avoid sulphates. Sulphates are very good at getting rid of any build-up in your hair. They also remove natural oils, making your hair rough and dry.
- Silicones
Silicone makes your hair shiny and tangle-free. At the same time it lays a layer on the hair, allowing it to breathe dewy. To wash this layer out of your hair, you will need an aggressive cleaner such as SLS.
For this reason you will not find this ingredient in natural shampoos. Because it is not an animal ingredient, it can occur in vegan shampoos.
- Parabens
You may have seen the concept of paraben-free shampoo passing by. Parabens are normal shampoos because they make sure that the shampoo stays good for longer. However, according to some studies, this ingredient can be extremely harmful to your health. For example, studies have shown that some parabens can mimic the activity of the hormone oestrogen in the cells of the body. Although oestrogen activity is associated with certain types of breast cancer, parabens have been found in breast tumours.
Therefore, parabens are NOT found in natural shampoos, but can be found again in vegan shampoos because they are a chemical and not an animal ingredient.
- Perfume
In the case of cosmetical products, this remains one of the most vague ingredients. Perfume. Simply because it can be anything. Normal shampoos, for example, can be about – what we love so much – oversweet fragrances, which are actually very chemical and not good for your scalp. You will NOT find these in natural shampoos.
However, the term perfume can also describe an animal scent such as caster oil, without literally saying and mentioning it. In that case it concerns an animal ingredient that you do NOT find in vegan shampoos, but possibly in natural shampoos.
- Animal ingredients
There are NO animal ingredients in vegan shampoos. I hear you think: duhh! Yes, that makes a lot of sense indeed. It concerns the following ingredients, which you may encounter in natural shampoos:
Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin (B8) that is mainly found in eggs, liver, milk, nuts & peanuts. It is often used as a texturizer. Biotin is found in all living cells and in large quantities in milk and yeast.
Cetyl alcol is found in shampoos. Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol found in the head cavity of whales, dolphins and other cetaceans.
Hyaluronic acid is a protein that is often added to hair care products because of its ability to strengthen dry and limp hair. This substance is derived from umbilical cords and the synodal fluid around the joints of animals.
Keratin is very popular nowadays. And especially keratin treatments. This substance promises to repair damaged hair, strengthen the hair and prevent frizzy curls. As a human being you also produce keratin; just look at your nails. In animals it is extracted from animal hooves, feathers, horns and hair.
Stearic acid is found in your conditioner. When it comes from animals, it comes from safety nets of cows, pigs and even domesticated pets.
- Animal testing
Vegan shampoo has never been tested on animals. This applies to the final product, but also to the individual ingredients. In the case of natural shampoos, once again, this can be the case.
Which is better: natural or vegan shampoo?
The question then is: which of the two is better? Well, as far as I am concerned, the answer to that question is personal, because that is almost a moral question. Your own health or animal suffering. So I would say, opt for a combi – then you’ll do well anyway! And that exists. This shampoo is an example of it; natural and vegan and free of it:
- Sulphates
- Parabens
- Silicones
- Chemical and animal perfume
- Animal ingredients
- Animal testing
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