A new year calls for a new hair care regimen, right? About a month ago, I partnered up with Formulate and have been trying out their shampoo and conditioner since. Formulate's purpose is to "solve the world's personal care struggles" by using a "chemist-to-consumer" movement. They take all of your hair needs and concerns then formulate a unique shampoo and conditioner specifically for you. On top of the specialized shampoo and conditioner, Formulate products are also sulfate, paraben, cruelty-free.
The very first step of starting out my journey with Formulate was filling out the "Hair Quiz" outlining my hair details and hair goals. Up to 5 goals can be chosen using a point method. At the end of the survey, there are fragrance options to select from and power of the scent: low, medium, or strong. The entire Hair Quiz was multiple choice, making it low-stress, unintimidating, and impossible to fail!
The list of goals I chose for my hair are:
Prevent Thinning
Color Protection
Anti-Frizz
Mend Split Ends
Hydration
Why I selected these options:
- Recently, I've noticed that the fine baby hairs at the side (between my temple and forehead) seemed to be thinning, making me self-conscious about my hairline. I figured this wouldn't necessarily help with the damage already done but definitely wanted to prevent any more thinning.
- Color protection because I typically dye my hair darker and wanted any help with preventing fading.
- Anti-frizz since my hair is thick and reacts to humidity. Also, those little baby hairs I mentioned before have a tendency to form those "devil horns" when I put my hair in a ponytail.
- Mend Split Ends. I chose this over the hair growth option since split ends are a reason that hair doesn't grow. I figured mending my damaged ends would make my hair more healthy and grow over time. Also, my hair is currently the longest its ever been so I don't necessarily need the length.
- Hydration. Using a blow-dryer and curling iron, it's going to cause hair to dry out so I can always use the hydration.
The trial process:
Since the products are created specifically for you and your needs, the turnaround time can take 3-4 weeks for them to arrive at your home. I was so surprised when they arrived much quicker than anticipated.
I have used sulfate-free products in the past and honestly thought the current shampoo I was using was sulfate-free (which upon checking the bottle while filling out the survey, I realized that it is NOT in fact sulfate-free). You might be asking what is it with all this sulfate-talk and what is so bad about them!? Basically what sulfates (detergents) do is strip your hair (so if your hair is color or chemically treated, you're washing money down the drain at a faster rate), can cause hair loss, dry out your hair, and leave chemical build up over time. If you want to know more, just Google it ;)
Once the products arrived, the first thing I noticed was the flawless packaging. The bottles are hexagon shapes, black and white with a straight-line font, extremely modern and cool. They also come with PUMPS! Very exciting!
The products also show up with this personalized card outlining your hair type, where you're headed to, how to get there, how you'll smell, and the ingredient insight. My shampoo and conditioner include awesome ingredients like Lactic Acid, Vitamin E, and Pumpkin Seed Oil. The card also lays out how many pumps to use to achieve the desired hair. This is important (especially when splurging on quality products) because many people unknowingly overuse hair products. It told me to use 4 pumps of shampoo and conditioner to achieve my Hair Goals!
Throughout the entire process, the Formulate team was awesome. I worked with Caroline and she was very friendly, helpful and ready to answer any questions or concerns I had at any moment. Formulate also offers an app to download, where you have information about your products and can change anything at any time!
Before Formulate
After Formulate
After a month of using my Formulate shampoo and conditioner, I've noticed a major change in my hair. When I let it air dry, my natural wave appears a more yet in a smoother less poofy way. The second day (non-shampoo days), the waves are even better. Those areas where I've been concerned about thinning have filled up a little bit. Split ends are non-existent. The frizz is gone (along with the ponytail devil horns). My hair is healthy, hydrated, and holds styles much better.
The only things I would change for my next Formulate products: I absolutely love the scent I chose but wish I would have gone with strong. Another thing is that I may have slightlyyy overdone it with the hydration aspect so would scale back there a little bit. But that's the extremely cool thing about working with Formulate: the formulations of the shampoo and conditioner are not permanent. There is always the option to edit the product formulas.
Now's the time for you to have the opportunity to try Formulate! One lucky reader will be selected to win their own customized Shampoo and Conditioner set! (a $49 value AND you won't even have to pay for shipping! WOO!) Just follow the link below and click "ENTER MY GIVEAWAY" on the left-hand side to enter:
Formulate Shampoo + Conditioner Set Giveaway
♥ always
Allison
