Is your hair brush vegan? You may answer Yes, thinking no animal was involved in its production. Think again. Some hair styling products may have a different background story and you may not be using the best vegan hair brush.
Hair brushes can be made of different materials. Plastic, wood, bamboo, and other few examples. This refers more to the handle part. The bristles are usually made of boar bristle, horsehair, nylon, and wood (that’s right).
Paying attention to what you buy and use (on your hair) is the first step towards being environmentally conscious. You care about what happens to the environment, animals, and vegetation.
Vegan hair brushes are an alternative to conventional hair styling products. They are cruelty-free and may also contain eco-friendly materials.
You may wonder how come some hair products are vegan and others are not. There are a few elements that make a product vegan and we will explain them to you.
What makes a product vegan
The definition of the vegan attribute refers to a person who does not consume animal-derived products (meat, eggs, milk, dairy) or to products which do not contain any animal-derived ingredients.
When speaking of animal-derived ingredients, don’t think only about what we eat from them. Hair and fur fit in this category as well.
This is why hair brushes made with boar bristle are not considered vegan.
Let’s say you’re now looking only for the best vegan hair brushes. How do you differentiate them from other products in the store?
There are a few details that tell you whether the product is vegan or not:
- Ingredients list (if you aren’t sure about a term, look it up to see if it’s animal-derived)
- Vegan labeling (look for the “Certified Vegan” logo)
- Cruelty-free (look for the PETA or Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics – CCIC – logo)
Best vegan hair brush or conventional hair brushes?
Vegan and conventional hair brushes are different, that’s for sure. The big questions are in what way they differ and which one does its job better.
Product performance
Hair brushes play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy scalp and hair. They distribute the oil from the scalp along the hair. This way, the hair roots do not end up clogged with oil.
Boar bristle hair brushes are known for doing an excellent job at this part.
Vegan hair brushes can do a good job too, but they may not offer you the same results as boar bristle hair brushes.
In this situation, you may have to choose between a vegan and a not so vegan product.
Production costs
You may think that production costs refer only to what it takes to make and put the product pieces together. It goes way more than that.
Hair brushes made of boar bristles require the animal’s hair. This takes us to the next level: farms where animals are grown for their hair.
The costs at such a farm can be very high. They include food for the animals, constant cleaning, health care for the boars and their piglets, not to mention a decent space for them to move.
If these conditions are not respected, the animals may suffer and may have to live in an awful environment.
Some of the best vegan hair brushes are made of sisal, a Mexican agave. These products do not require any animal-derived ingredients or materials.
Eco-friendliness
This is an aspect which depends from one product to another.
Both vegan and conventional hair brushes can be eco-friendly.
Yet, if we were to look at the production materials used to make these hair items, the vegan ones are our greener option.
Make sure you check the product details and description to see if you are buying an eco-friendly product and if these hair brushes fit in the environmentally sustainable products category.