How Clients Can Maintain Vegan Haircare Routines

With the number of people adopting a vegan diet increasing and Veganuary gaining momentum at the start of each year, we take a closer look at vegan haircare routines and how clients can continue them after January.

 
Clients are increasingly aware of what goes into their grooming products and are making the effort to seek out vegan hair products. "I think clients are really considering carefully what type of products they now put on their hair, scalp and face and we are seeing more people turning towards vegan hair, scalp and skincare ranges," says Carolyn Newman, UK Ambassador INSIGHT Professional. "Beard grooming is essential and now very popular from cleansing, softening and nourishing to using products which will not irritate, but gently care for your beard."

The Benefits of a Vegan Hair Care Routine

"Needless to say the environmental impact that some scrubs, body washes and colognes have are detrimental in their environmental impact," explains Elliott Pritchard, Marketing Executive for Murdock London. "In addition to this, harmful, irritable sulphates and artificial ingredients are in no way of any benefit to your overall health. When we say we’re more than a barber, we mean it, we follow through on our promises. Veganuary and beyond." Joana Neves, Editorial Director at Alterna, agrees, telling us that not only are vegan products kind to clients' hair they are also kind to the environment and animals. "You often find vegan hair care products are made with sustainable packaging, effectively helping to reduce pollution. Clients will feel comforted by the fact they are doing their part to promote sustainability, whilst using cruelty free ingredients," she says.

Jake Nugent, OSMO Ambassador, goes on to say that committing to vegan haircare products means clients will be using products which are much less harsh on their hair. "As vegan products contain mainly natural and organic ingredients, they are better at promoting hair health. Vegan products are great if you want longer, more moisturised hair, as plant-based ingredients tend to be extremely nourishing, they are also better for things such as scalp health, as the ingredients used don’t tend to clog pores.” Carolyn agrees, telling us: "I would recommend your client's hair and scalp routine includes cleansing, nourishing and then taming, using a shampoo, conditioner or scalp oil and taming with a paste or wax." For clients who suffer from sensitive scalp or scalp redness, Carolyn suggests they look out for sensitive hair products, she recommends the Insight Sensitive hair range for clients who suffer from hypersensitive skin and the Lenitive range to eliminate skin inflammation and redness."

How to Start a Vegan Hair Care Routine

These days vegan hair care ranges are readily available, with most brands adapting their existing ranges, or launching new ones that are cruelty free. Ian Harrold, American Crew All Star Education Team, Lead UK Educator, tells us he has seen the benefit of working with the American Crew vegan hair care range: "Becoming vegan has enriched our hair care with higher quality ingredients that are also all silicon free. As well as the environmental advantages, the absence of harsh chemicals and the enriched natural ingredients are gentler on the hair and scalp which reduces scalp damage and dryness and leaves the hair in an optimum condition."

"I always say to the client to start with the basics (your shampoo and conditioner) and then add as you go. Experiment with different styling products and see what you like – what works for your hair type and texture," advises Joana, who recommends the The My Hair. My Canvas. Me Time Every Day Shampoo and Conditioner from Alterna. Similar to vegan food alternatives, vegan haircare alternatives are often surrounded by misconceptions. Jake shares: “I find a lot of people are sceptical of vegan products due to the common misconception that they aren’t moisturising enough. The truth, however, is the opposite. Vegan products often include ingredients such as argan oil, jojoba oil and aloe, which are intensely nourishing whilst also being plant based.”

With vegan haircare having clear benefits, you might decide to incorporate them more into your salon. However, there are various ways that you can approach this. Jake explains: “Unless a client is vegan, I don’t think it necessarily needs to be the main selling point. I would definitely highlight it, however this would be to educate non-vegans on how good vegan products actually are. I would take this approach rather than using it as the main selling point, as you can run the risk of non-vegans thinking the product may not be for them – when vegan products are for everyone.”