11 At-Home Vegan Hair Dyes As Good As a Salon Visit

Lockdown restrictions around the world have meant that many hairdressers have closed their doors for the foreseeable. While many may start to reopen in the coming months, if you’re eager to dye your hair before then or you don’t want to break the bank on a salon visit, there are plenty of vegan, cruelty-free hair dyes you can buy to dye your hair at home.

Before you go ahead, there are a few things to consider first. Do you want to go vibrant or natural? What shade are you really after? Do your research to find out the color and brand that’s best for you. Next, you need to decide how permanent you want your color to be. Just experimenting? Try semi-permanent first to get an idea of how the dye will look before you dive in with a permanent product.

To help you decide what to choose, here are 11 at-home vegan hair dyes as good as a salon visit. When you get your dye, follow the instructions carefully, and always do a patch test first to ensure the product doesn’t react badly with your skin.

11 At-Home Vegan Hair Dyes As Good As a Salon Visit

1. Manic Panic

Manic Panic’s vegan cruelty-free hair dye is available in a wide range of colors. Want to go bright red? Try Red Passion or Wildfire. If you’re after a vibrant green, there’s Electric Lizard, or for pink, try Pretty Flamingo. If you want a really vivid color, the brand recommends lightening your hair first before applying the hair dye. If you’re not sure what you want, or you don’t want to commit to one color long-term, most of Manic Panic’s products fade out after four to six weeks.

Buy it here.

2. Arctic Fox

Arctic Fox is free from harsh chemicals, plus it’s vegan and cruelty-free. The brand is committed to the fight against animal cruelty and gives 15 percent of its sales to animals in need. Choose from a wide variety of vibrant colors, including Aquamarine, Electric Paradise, and Cosmic Sunshine. What’s more, the products don’t just change the color of your hair but condition it too.

Buy it here.

3. Punky Colour

Punky Color’s vegetable-based hair conditioning cream will dye your hair semi-permanently. Like many other bright hair dyes, its broad range of colors—including Turquoise, Purple, and Alpine Green—work best on pre-lightened hair. If you have darker hair, the brand says it will give more of a highlighted effect.

Buy it here.

4. Bleach London

Bleach London offers a wide variety of colors, from pastels to bright reds and vivid oranges. The brand is cruelty-free, vegan, and it aims to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. All of its cardboard is 100 percent recycled and it hopes to make all of its plastic recyclable by the end of the year.

Buy it here.

5. Lime Crime

Lime Crime is certified cruelty-free by both PETA and the Leaping Bunny Program. Choose from a wide range of bold and vibrant colors for full hair coverage, or try one of its Unicorn Hair Tints—like Caramel or Oyster—to give your locks just a little hint of color.

Buy it here.

6. RAW

RAW offers vegan vegetable-based demi-permanent dyes. The difference between demi-permanent dyes and semi-permanent dyes is that the former contains peroxide, while the latter does not. Peroxide helps to open the hair cuticle a little so that the color lasts longer, but it’s still not permanent. RAW’s dyes will last around three to six weeks. Choose from a range of colors, including Candy Pink, Peacock Blue, Twisted Teal, and Lavender Cloud.

Buy it here.

7. Herbatint

If you want less of the vibrant colors and more of a natural look, try vegan, cruelty-free hair dye brand Herbatint. It offers everything from Dark Chestnut to Platinum Blonde. Made with herbal extracts, including rosemary, chinchona, and walnut husk, Herbtatint’s formulas are ammonia-free and use ingredients that aren’t harsh on those with sensitive skin.

Buy it here.

8. Splat

Just want different hair for one day or one night? Splat offers one wash hair dye. It also offers dyes that can be washed out in 10 washes or 30 washes. Since its launch, Splat Hair Color has been a vegan and cruelty-free brand. The brand also offers hair chalk and Iridescent Halo Spray, which will add sparkle, shimmer, and shine to your locks.

Buy it here.

9. Lunar Tides

Seattle-based Lunar Tides offers “one-of-a-kind” semi-permanent colors in 34 different shades. According to the brand, each hair dye is ready to go straight out of the pot. You don’t need any add-ons, like developers or pastelizers. Choose from a wide range of colors, including Smokey Mauve, Juniper Green, and Petal Pink.

Buy it here.

10. Directions by La Riche

La Riche’s vegan and cruelty-free Directions range of hair dye has 36 different colors, including Dark Tulip, Pillarbox Red, Bright Daffodil, and Apple Green. Each product is semi-permanent, manufactured in the UK, and free of ammonia, peroxide, and PPD.

Buy it here.

11. Shrine

Shrine is a little different from other hair dyes, because instead of smothering your whole head in a new product, you just add a few drops straight to your conditioner. According to the brand, the number of drops you choose depends on the strength you want the color to end up. Each bottle contains 200 drops, so you can color your hair 30 times per bottle, says the brand. The dye drops are vegan, cruelty-free, and come packaged in 100 percent recyclable materials.

Buy it here.