Hello, everyone! Wow. It's been a long time since I wrote and published my last blog post about my Leia Dapper Day bound from last fall. I was hoping to come to you with more content, but I (nor any of us, I imagine) could have foreseen what was coming. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this crazy time. Today I want to talk to you all about personalized hair care.
I first became aware of this new hair care trend last year when I saw ads on Instagram for different companies that promised to deliver hair care products specifically tailored to your specific hair type and hair goals. I was very intrigued with this idea and was lucky enough to partner with Formulate last February. I've been on my hair care journey with them for over a year now and I want to share it with all of you! I've loved my hair so much more ever since I started with Formulate that I don't ever want to go back to unpersonalized shampoo again.
The Quiz
So how does it work? The first thing you do is take a quiz all about your hair and your hair goals. When you start, Formulate will ask a few basic questions about you specifically and how to contact you. Then it's all about your hair.
You'll be asked about:
natural hair color
hair length
hair pattern
hair thickness
oil level
scalp sensitivity
dandruff level
recent scalp conditions
Next, you'll answer questions about your current hair routine:
shampoo frequency
conditioner frequency
color treatments
styling
current shampoo brands
Next, they ask you where you will primarily be for the next two months and you can input the zipcode of where you live. I really like that they do this because for me, they can see I live in the good old Florida humidity which makes my hair a frizzy mess. Because they know this, they can tailor my formula to work better in such a humid climate. Formulate is is currently only for US residents.
The last part of the quiz is all about your personal hair goals. You will first be asked whether you have any restrictions to your formula from the following choices: vegan, silicone-free, gluten-free, nut-free. Something that I absolutely love about Formulate is that all of their formulas are automatically free of sulfates, parabens, or dyes, and are also cruelty-free. My hair has been so much healthier after getting rid of sulfates and parabens that are found in traditional drugstore shampoos and conditioners.
After you have chosen any applicable restrictions to your formulas, it's time to choose your personal hair goals! You can choose 5 goals from a list of 20. The good thing is, you can change your goals at any time and choose new ones if you decide you want to focus on something else. Your new goals will be applied to your next set of products
Once you have decided on your hair goals, it's time to choose a scent. They've gotten some new ones since I first started my journey with Formulate and I am really interested in trying the Berry Blossom scent next time! However, the two scents that I have tried so far are Freshly Squeezed and At Dawn. I loved both of them! I started with Freshly Squeezed, then changed it up last fall with At Dawn, and now I'm back to Freshly Squeezed for the summer. The scents are so nice and I really have liked both of them. After you choose your scent, you get to choose the strength of it. You can choose light, medium, or strong. I really like the smell of shampoos and how it lingers in my hair so I've chosen strong every time. For me it hasn't been too overwhelming.
The last question of the quiz could be the most important. They ask you if there is anything else your chemist should be aware of. Formulate gives you the opportunity to type an open ended response. This is where you let them know of any concerns you might have that weren't addressed in the quiz or that you weren't able to provide enough information on by just choosing their answers. If there's something really important to you about your shampoo and conditioner, make sure to say it here so your chemist can create a product that will actually work for you.
The Price (and a coupon!)
Let's talk about the part of personalized hair care you might not be so fond of. The price. I'll admit, I wasn't too happy about it when I began my personalize hair care search last year. They're all what I would consider pricy, but I'm pretty cheap. My shampoo and conditioner before this was Herbal Essence's curl line. Something that was easily accessible and traditionally priced for drug stores. I was hesitant about paying so much for products when I wasn't sure if they were going to work. But here's the thing: they do work and they're worth the price! My hair has never been better since using Formulate shampoo and conditioner. It's worth it to me now to pay for something that is going to give me the hair I want.
If you're hesitant and just want to try it out, you can purchase the trial size. It's $19.95 for 4 oz bottles of your shampoo and conditioner. You can choose the 8 oz size for $39.00 or the 14 oz size for $49.00. Luckily for all of my lovely readers, Formulate has given me a special discount for all of you to use on your first order! If you shop through this link, $5 will automatically be taken off of your total at checkout.
My Experience and Final Thoughts
One of the things I love most about Formulate is that they really do want you to succeed with your formula. When I first started out last February, I took the quiz and received my first shipment. After a couple weeks, I just wasn't quite satisfied. My curls were more defined, but I wasn't seeing any change with the oil control and my hair was actually feeling dried out after using my shampoo and conditioner. I wrote to customer support and explained the situation which they relayed to my personal chemist. She made a couple adjustments and sent out a completely new set free of charge. Of course, this already made me like the company even more.
A few washes into the new set, I realized that the formula was correct and was accomplishing all the goals I had for my hair. That doesn't mean my chemist hasn't made any changes since I started. I'm always giving them feedback on how the current formula is working and if I'd like to focus on something a little bit more and they are very good about working with me to make sure I'm getting what I want.
It's so easy now to make all your personalizations, manage your subscription, and even talk to the support team through Formulate's newly updated app. Everything is at your fingertips and you can edit how often you want your shipments to come if you decide you need a different time frame. The ease of personalizing my shampoo and conditioner and making sure it's exactly what I want makes this subscription service worth it.
Since using Formulate, I have noticed a significant change in my hair. It doesn't get oily as fast. My split ends have decreased and are no longer so noticeable. But the biggest improvement with my hair has been with my curls. Before they would just be wavy and undefined unless I specifically styled them or spent time twisting them as they dried (I air dry my hair. Blow drying it turns it into an even frizzier poof ball!). Since using Formulate, they have been so much more defined and bouncy without me having to do anything. They just dry that way! My hair is soft and much healthier than it was before. I couldn't be happier with the results of using my personalize hair care products. If you've been considering taking the plunge into the world of personalize products, go for it! I really think you're going to like them. If you have any questions, feel free to let me know!
As a partner with Formulate, I receive product for sharing my thoughts. All opinions shared here are my own.