The Best Vegan Hair Masks

Hair masks are a key component of any hair-care routine for their ability to repair damage, seal frayed ends, detangle knots, and enhance shine. Many hair masks can tick off all the boxes on your list of hair-related goals, but unfortunately, a lot of them don’t align with vegan beauty routines due to animal by-products, like proteins or fish oils. The best vegan hair masks contain moisturizing oils like argan, almond, avocado, and coconut, along with plant-derived proteins and amino acids.

Which Hair Mask Is Right For You?

If you’re dealing with dryness, brittleness, or unwanted frizz, reach for a hair mask that contains one of the aforementioned oils (or a blend of them) to seal moisture into the cuticles of your hair while it’s still wet. Additionally, choose plant-based proteins and amino acids if you’re looking to repair and rebuild damaged hair and seal ultra-frayed cuticles. Finally, if you have cool-blonde hair and have been noticing unwanted yellow or orange pigments coming through, try a purple hair mask, which will help neutralize brassy undertones while simultaneously restoring moisture and repairing damage (these can work on brown hair with highlights, too).

Shop The Best Vegan Hair Masks

In a hurry? These are the best vegan hair masks:

1. The Overall Best Vegan Hair Mask: Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask
2. The Best Budget-Friendly Vegan Hair Mask: Eva NYC Therapy Session Hair Mask
3. The Best Bond-Building Vegan Hair Mask: OLAPLEX No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
4. The Best Quick-Rinse Vegan Hair Mask: Amika Flash Instant Shine Mask
5. The Best Vegan Purple Mask: VERB Purple Mask

1. The Overall Best Vegan Hair Mask

Pros:

• Leaping Bunny-certified.
• Award-winning product with a cult-like following.
• Works for all hair types.

Cons:

• Pricey.

Briogeo’s cult-favorite Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask is packed with nourishing ingredients and antioxidants to moisturize, restore, and protect hair of all textures, from coily to fine. If you love proteins in your hair products but don’t want to stray away from your vegan beauty routine, the silicone-free mask contains hydrolyzed corn protein to repair damaged hair, while fatty acid-rich rosehip oil and other nutrient-rich, plant-based ingredients offer immediate smoothing, softening, and shine-enhancing benefits. This deep conditioning mask is well-loved by countless beauty insiders — so much so that it has landed a spot in the Allure Best Of Beauty Awards five times to date.

Key Ingredients: almond oil, hydrolyzed corn protein Cruelty-Free: yes Size: 8 oz.

2. The Best Budget-Friendly Vegan Hair Mask

Pros:

• Leaping Bunny-certified.
• Cost-effective.
• Works for all hair types.

Cons:

• None.

Whether you would classify your hair as fine, coarse, or any texture in between, you can find the secret to shiny, hydrated hair in Eva NYC’s Therapy Session Hair Mask. This mask contains argan oil, which is one of the best oils for hair, while vegan plant proteins work to repair hair on a cellular level. And much like how antioxidants protect your skin’s integrity, antioxidants can also help to protect your hair against environmental damage, too — luckily, this mask contains vitamins A, C, and E to ward off said damage and boost your hair’s overall health.

Key Ingredients: argan oil, vegan plant proteins, vitamins A, C, and E Cruelty-Free: yes Size: 16.9 oz.

3. The Best Bond-Building Vegan Hair Mask

Pros:

• Leaping Bunny-certified.
• Contains a proprietary Bond Building Technology.
• Made by a pro-favorite brand.

Cons:

• This is a pricey product for its size.

OLAPLEX is an industry leader for its Bond Building Technology, which includes the brand’s proprietary ingredient, bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. The brand explains that this isn’t a protein treatment, but rather a bond-builder that repairs the hair’s natural disulfide bonds that can break due to damage. The OLAPLEX No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask harnesses this technology to counteract dryness, brittleness, and damage-induced frizz, along with fatty acid-rich avocado oil and meadowfoam seed oil, which work to restore moisture, boost shine, and encourage healthier, stronger hair. This is undoubtedly the best hair mask for damaged or weakened hair.

Key Ingredients: bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, avocado oil, meadowfoam seed oil Cruelty-Free: yes Size: 3.3 oz.

4. The Best Quick-Rinse Vegan Hair Mask

Pros:

• Leaping Bunny-certified, PETA-certified.
• Takes 60 seconds to penetrate the hair.

Cons:

• The brand says that most hair types can use this in lieu of a conditioner, but people with thick or curly hair should use this in combination with a conditioner, which would add another step to your shower routine.

The Amika Flash Instant Shine Mask is worth trying if you don’t often find yourself having an extra 10 to 15 minutes in your routine for a traditional hair mask. This 60-second rinse-off mask can replace your conditioner while adding maximum shine with ingredients like flaxseed and amino acids. It also leaves hair silky soft, whether you let your hair air dry or bolster the effects of the mask with a blow dryer. And not only does this mask take just a minute to do its job, but the nozzle tip makes it easy to ensure that each and every strand gets coated.

Key Ingredients: flaxseed, amino acids Cruelty-Free: yes Size: 6.7 oz.

5. The Best Vegan Purple Mask

Pros:

• Contains purple pigments to neturalized brassy undertones in blonde and gray hair.
• PETA-certified.

Cons:

• Do not use this if you like the warmer tones in your blonde, gray, or lightened brunette hair.

To keep your blonde, white, or gray hair looking icy and cool, incorprate this VERB hair mask into your weekly (or bi-weekly) routine. It contains purple pigments that counteract unwanted brassy (i.e. orange or yellow) tones, effectively ‘toning’ your hair in between salon visits. Furthermore, this vegan mask is formulated with vitamin B5 to encourage smoother, more hydrated hair, as well as antioxidant-rich açaí extract and sunflower seed extract, which is rich in hair-healthy fatty acids.

Key Ingredients: pro-vitamin B5, violet pigments Cruelty-Free: yes Size: 6.3 oz.