The 9 Best Cruelty Free Leave-In Conditioners For Healthy and Shiny Hair (2024 Update)

When it comes to choosing a cruelty free leave-in conditioner, there are a lot of available options.

No matter what hair type you have or the budget you’re willing to spend, you’re guaranteed to find something that fits your hair needs, without compromising on ethics.

Even if you’re using a regular hair conditioner after washing your hair, leave-in conditioners are a must! After all, rinse-out conditioner only has a couple of minutes to work and then you wash it down the drain.

Leave-in conditioners help detangle and moisturize your hair, and keep it healthy and protected between shampoos.

They’re essential for everyone who has hair that is damaged, dry, brittle, colored, or just needs a little more shine and moisture. 

With so many cruelty free and vegan leave-in conditioner options, there’s really no excuse for supporting brands that harm animals.

The following are the 9 best cruelty free leave-in conditioners:

• For dry hair – OUIDAD Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner
• For curly hair – SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner
• For fine hair – Sachajuan Leave-In Conditioner
• For bleached hair – Ouai Leave in Conditioner
• Drugstore – It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner
• For frizzy hair – Living Proof No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner
• For wavy hair – Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler
• Delicious smelling – R+Co High Dive Moisture + Shine Crème
• Best salon quality – Paul Mitchell The Conditioner

All brands listed in this article are 100% cruelty free. They aren’t tested on animals and aren’t sold in countries where animal testing is required by law (e.g. mainland China).

For dry hair – OUIDAD Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner (100% Vegan)

This product is primarily formulated for curly hair which has the tendency to feel weak and dry.

However, regardless of your hair type, if your hair is damaged or dry, or just needs extra moisture – this cruelty free leave-in conditioner is the right choice for you!

The moisturizing botanical extracts within this conditioner, such as Arnica and Prickly Pear, will help hydrate your hair and leave it feeling soft and silky.

On the other hand, antioxidants like Green Tea and Vitamin B5 help maintain health at the core, protect your hair and help prevent breakage.

OUIDAD is a cruelty free haircare brand. Their products aren’t tested on animals by anyone, anywhere in the world.

And, since you might be asking yourself:

The OUIDAD Moisture Lock Leave-in Conditioner is 100% vegan and doesn’t contain any animal by-products, so you can get silky hair without worries that animals were harmed in any way.

More good news:

This awesome leave-in conditioner is super affordable, too! Check the prices on Amazon.

For curly hair – SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Leave-In Conditioner

Powered by a blend of certified organic raw shea butter, black castor oil and peppermint, this amazing leave-in conditioner is the best cruelty free choice for curly hair and even wavy hair!

This stuff will moisturize your hair and make it smooth, soft and manageable – without making it greasy or causing product build-up. 

Tons of curly people swear by this awesome leave-in conditioner for a reason. This product is sulfate free and color safe, so you can be sure that there will be no surprises if your hair is colored.

Shea Moisture products are never tested on animals and are 100% cruelty free. Additionally, this brand is cruelty free certified by PETA.

Check it out on Amazon.

For fine hair – Sachajuan Leave-In Conditioner (100% vegan)

This awesome cruelty free leave-in conditioner is the best lightweight and oil-free option if you have fine hair which tends to get greasy and is hard to style.

It comes in a spray bottle, which is super easy to use.

It’s especially designed for thinner hair types – it will help detangle your hair and make it more manageable, without weighing it down.

The best part?

It cares about your scalp, too!

It’s packed with extracts from cold water algae naturally harvested from the ocean – it’s what Sachajuan calls “Ocean Silk Technology” for simplicity.

These carefully selected ingredients will give your hair more body and shine, while also helping keep your scalp healthy.

This formula is 100% vegan and Sachajuan is a cruelty free brand that never tests on animals, so you should definitely try this leave-in conditioner out. 

Check out my post about Sachajuan’s cruelty free status if you want to learn more about this brand.

Check the price on Amazon.

For bleached hair – Ouai Leave in Conditioner

Bleached hair is always in need of some love and care. Bleaching your hair can be damaging and drying to your hair, so you have to be kind to it!

The Ouai leave-in conditioner is one of the most moisturizing and strengthening hair conditioners out there.

It instantly detangles and smoothens hair, which dramatically improves the look of damaged hair.

It’s powered by a blend of amino acids, tamarind seed extract, proteins, Panthenol and Vitamin E, which all have different responsibilities in taming frizz, adding shine and nourishing your hair from the inside.

Ouai is 100% cruelty free – none of their ingredients and finished products are ever tested on animals, anywhere in the world.

Check the price on Amazon.

Best drugstore – It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner

It’s A 10 is a drugstore brand that doesn’t compromise on ethics and quality.

This leave-in conditioner is really a miracle – it helps moisturize dry and damaged hair, prevents hair breakage, detangles, reduces frizz and also doubles as heat protectant.

It’s totally color safe, so if your hair is colored, you have nothing to worry about.

It’s suitable for all hair types, so you can use it regardless of whether your hair is natural, bleached, curly, wavy, straight, fine or thick.

This affordable leave-in conditioner comes in an easy to use spray bottle, which is really convenient to use before styling.

They never test on animals and are 100% cruelty free. It’s A 10 is also Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free.

And the good news:

It’s super affordable! It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Conditioner proves that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get great amazing hair while also saving animal lives. 

You can find the best price on Amazon.

For frizzy hair – Living Proof No Frizz Leave-In Conditioner

If your hair tends to get frizzy, especially when humidity is involved, you have to try this leave-in conditioner.

This conditioner really blocks humidity and helps to get shinier, softer hair that is more manageable.

It also will condition and nourish your hair without weighing down or making it look greasy.

The formula is silicone free, paraben free, phthalate free and completely safe for colored and chemically treated hair (perms, etc.).

This leave-in conditioner is also suitable for all hair types, but works best when used on medium to thick hair.

None of Living Proof’s products or ingredients are tested on animals anywhere in the world, and they don’t sell in countries where animal testing is mandatory (e.g. mainland China). Also, they’re PETA cruelty free certified.

It’s kind of on the pricey side, but it comes in various sizes so you can buy a small one to test it out first to see if it works for you.

You can find a great offer on Amazon.

For wavy hair – Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler (100% Vegan)

This moisturizing leave-in conditioner is perfect for wavy and even curly hair as it really helps smoothen, detangle and tame hair.

The main ingredients are cupuacu and mango seed butters, which have amazing moisturizing and smoothing properties, leaving your waves or curls silky, bouncy and in their best natural shape.

The formula is free from parabens, sulfates, silicons, sodium chloride and gluten, and even provides heat and UV protection. 

This leave-in conditioner is 100% vegan, cruelty free, and gluten free, too! 

Oribe is an amazing high-end brand, that is truly cruelty free – their products are never tested on animals, anywhere in the world, by anyone.

You can buy it on Amazon.

Delicious smelling – R+Co High Dive Moisture + Shine Crème (100% Vegan)

This super moisturizing cream is one of the best smelling hair products out there! But don’t let the name fool you – it can totally be used as a leave-in conditioner (and it even works better that way!).

It’s lightweight and suitable for all hair types, and doesn’t cause any product build up.

And what about the scent?

You literally wouldn’t need to use perfume ever again.

It’s a fresh, devine, girly, flowery smell that will leave your hair irresistibly smelling between washes. But in the good way!

The smell is not too heavy or strong, it’s more subtle but definitely noticeable.

This R+Co leave-in conditioner is powered by sodium PCA, sunflower seed extract, Vitamin E and Provitamin B5. All of these ingredients work together to provide maximum moisture and frizz control for your hair, while also making it shiny, soft and preventing damage.

The formula is color-safe, and protects hair from heat and UV, and also free from gluten, parabens, sulfates (SLS or SLES), mineral oil and other harmful chemicals.

All R+Co products are 100% vegan and cruelty free. And they’re Leaping Bunny certified cruelty free as well, so you can be sure that they never compromise on ethics.

Check it out on Amazon.

Best salon quality – Paul Mitchell The Conditioner (100% Vegan)

Paul Mitchell is a reputable high-end salon haircare brand, so you know what to expect from this leave-in conditioner.

Hawaiian awapuhi and soy-derived conditioners are just part of the ingredient list which is packed with high-quality ingredients.

It smoothes hair, reduces static and frizz, and prevents dryness. This leave-in conditioner is super moisturizing for your scalp, too. You can even use it on your skin as a moisturizer.

The scent is refreshing and subtle, so that’s also a plus!

It’s free from dangerous chemicals such as parabens, and is completely color safe.

Best of all:

The formula is 100% vegan and contains no animal-derived products and by-products.

Paul Mitchell is a cruelty free brand that never tests on animals and is PETA certified cruelty free.

You can find a good deal on Amazon.

---

Now, we’d like to hear from you!

What is your favorite cruelty free leave-in conditioner? Tell us in the comments below!