- Function of Beauty makes shampoos and conditioners customized to the needs of customers' hair.
- People have given Function of Beauty products rave reviews, so I tried using a customized shampoo and conditioner for a month.
- I immediately noticed a little more volume in my hair.
- My hair shed less and had virtually no split ends.
- It felt cleaner for longer, and I was even able to skip washes between workouts.
I've always felt that the concept of a beauty product that's customized for you seems impossible.
In my opinion, "personalized" or "customized" products end up being more about the experience instead of the quality. And usually, creating a customized product means that you get to pick a scent or color without actually changing the formula to suit your needs.
But then I tried a shampoo and conditioner from Function of Beauty, a hair-care brand that creates customized formulas tailored to different hair types and needs — and it has completely changed the way I feel about customized products.
According to Function of Beauty cofounder Zahir Dossa, the brand has yet to repeat a single formula, of which there are over 12 billion possibilities — and that's not even taking its various fragrances and colors into account. The brand's website boasts over 5,000 five-star reviews and a less than 1% return rate.
Even though I was skeptical of customized products, I was dying to try my own personalized set to see if it lived up to the hype.
Normally, you can order your set online, but, because I live in New York City, I scheduled an appointment at the Function of Beauty lab in SoHo to witness the whole experience in person.
First, I took a hair quiz (the one at the lab is the same as the one that you fill out online), which asked me to specify the qualities of my hair (type, structure, and scalp moisture), as well as five "hair goals" (these choices vary person to person, but range from "deep condition" to "oil control"). Then, I got to select the color and scent I wanted — green and "peony tail," respectively.
To give the set a fair try, I got a haircut to get rid of any split ends and unhealthiness in my hair the day before I started using it. I washed my hair a minimum of three times per week, and more if my hair was getting oily (I'm a huge fan of dry shampoo so I space out my washes as much as I can). After using it for a month, here are my biggest takeaways.
After the first time I used the set, I immediately noticed a little more volume in my hair.
My hair is pin-straight and has little to no volume when I air-dry it (which I almost always do), but after using this the first time and allowing my hair to dry naturally, I had a little lift at the roots and my thin hair generally looked fuller. I was impressed.
At work the next day, people complimented me on my hair and how healthy it looked. Granted, it could have been because of the fresh cut, but no one had noticed the cut when I first got it done; they only complimented me after I used the shampoo and conditioner.
My hair shed less and had no split ends.
My hair and scalp are generally very dry, leading to a lot of breakage and split ends — especially during the dry winter months. I've come to accept the fact that my hair just breaks a lot, so I get it trimmed often and hope for the best. However, after a month of using the customized shampoos, I have yet to get any split ends in my hair. I honestly can't remember the last time I didn't have breakage, so my mind is blown.
I also tend to shed a lot when I wash my hair, which, in the past, I have blamed on the thinness and dryness of my hair. But I've noticed that my hair sheds significantly less when I wash it with the Function of Beauty products, allowing my fine hair to keep the minimal thickness it has.
My hair stayed cleaner for longer.
I work out around five or six times a week, which can be rough on my hair because I sweat a lot. With previous hair cleaning regimens, I would wash my hair every day in order to combat the oiliness from working out, which was then drying out my hair more (shampoos and conditioners, when overused, can strip your hair of their natural oils that prevent breakage).
As gross as it sounds, the Function of Beauty products seemed to keep my hair clean enough to last through two or three workouts — even the scent from the products lasted through my sweat sessions, so I just touched up my hair a bit with some dry shampoo.
I thoroughly recommend giving the Function of Beauty products a try, regardless of whether or not you're happy with your current hair-care regimen.
I wasn't really looking for a new shampoo or conditioner when I picked these up, and now I wonder how I was ever satisfied with anything else. The experience of customizing your own product is very special (the bottles even come with your name on it!), and makes you feel like you're a VIP client of a great brand.
It's also affordable. A shampoo and conditioner set of two 16-ounce bottles is $49, which is a lot cheaper than other luxury brands.
After using the Function of Beauty set and seeing what's possible for my hair, I don't think I could ever go back to store-bought — or salon-bought — products. Function of Beauty has made me believe in personalized beauty again.
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