my thoughts on Formulate-custom hair care
I recently tried out a few products from the brand Formulate, which is a brand that asks a series of questions to create a shampoo and conditioner perfectly suited for you. I tracked how my hair and scalp reacted when using these products in a log, and here are my honest thoughts.
Before using formulate, my routine was shampoo, condition, volume/(thicc)ening spray, and a little bit of a light gel/hair lotion for curl definition. Typically, using styling products after my wash is essential to help retain moisture. Without them, my hair is pretty frizzy, lacking definition, and flat. With the routine I practiced before, my hair may hold the curl/style for maybe one or two days before I have to wash and repeat. This is a little frustrating, seeing as I already am already prone to itchy/sensitive scalp, and washing my hair every other day only results in dryer hair/scalp.
When placing my order with Formulate, I asked to focus on hair Strengthening, since my hair is on the finer side, Lengthen, Prevent thinning, Curl definition, and Volumnize. They also give additional options of if you want your formula to be vegan, silicone-free, gluten-free, etc. One thing I found odd, was while I filled out my quiz, they suggested adding silicone. I’ve always heard that silicones were not great for your hair, but I decided to go and trust them on this part and added silicones. I personally don’t recall that I’ve had a negative experience with silicones in the past, so I figured it couldn’t hurt.
So after my first wash with Formulate, I had great results. I did notice my hair felt a little heavier than before, almost as if I hadn’t washed the conditioner out thoroughly, but my hair still retained a great amount of volume and curl definition, so I kind of ignored it. This may have been from the silicones, but my hair did feel stronger after one wash. I also noticed a lot less shedding/scalp irritation compared to other shampoos I’ve used, so this was also a plus.
After my second/third time using it (which was maybe 3-4 days later), I noticed the same weighed down feeling that I experienced after my first wash, except this time there was no volume accompanied, so that bothered me a little. It almost felt/looked like my hair was not thoroughly washed. On the plus side, my hair did feel very moisturized and thicker even without using a follow up leave-in conditioner, but on the negative side, it felt kind of heavy on my hair. Luckily, because of the quarantine, I didn’t need to leave the house.
On my fourth time using this set, I experienced the same curl definition, volume, and moisture that I did after the first use. I also deep conditioned my hair, which could have added more moisture/oils, but I made sure to rinse twice to thoroughly remove any excess product. My hair felt and looked unbelievable! Seriously. It was very soft and my curls had a great amount of bounce that I’ve never seen them have before, especially without any follow up products. My hair even retained this amount of curl definition for about 4 days which is craaaazy to me. My hair rarely does that, especially being at the shorter length that it currently is at. (The photo below is a picture of my hair at day 4.)
As far as pros, I loved that this product didn’t irritate my scalp, as I have sensitive skin and have had to ditch holy grail products due to them irritating my skin. So not having an itchy scalp after washing is a plus. I also like that I didn’t have a ton of hair loss in the shower, as that is also common for me.
The conditioner had a ton of slip which made detangling a breeeeeeze.
This product made my hair feel very moisturized and never stripped. I love that it was able to hold my light curls for extended periods of time.
Also as I mentioned before, it did follow through on what I asked for as far as less frizz, curl definition, and volume. I got my set in the scent Verdant, which smells really floral/earthy. I love it.
For cons, I would say in the beginning, the fact that the bottles aren’t labeled was a bit confusing. I would sometimes end up shampooing my hair twice or conditioning my hair when I should have shampooed first. So I think some labels on there would be helpful.
As I mentioned before, there was a little bit of an adjustment period of my hair adjusting to the silicones (I suspect–it could be the product as a hole) where my hair did feel a little bit weighed down. For my next set, I may try it without silicones and see how my hair reacts.
Would I recommend this product? Definitely. I feel like the questions asked in the beginning were detailed enough and did follow through on what I asked for. If you are new to trying out custom hair care, I think this is a great affordable option compared to Prose or other brands, and the reps who I talked to were also very helpful.
This giveaway ends May 8, 2020, so sign up so you can try it out for yourself!
