Like many of you, I try to resist the urge to click on ads on social media. I like to think I am too smart to get drawn into target ad marketing. However, I am not perfect and after seeing an ad for a company that makes shampoo and conditioner custom made for your hair on my Facebook AND Instagram, my curiosity got the best of me.
As someone who has tried almost every shampoo and conditioner brand in the CVS hair care aisle in hopes of finding the perfect combination of products, custom made shampoo and conditioner intrigued me to say the least. Against my better instincts, I clicked the link which lead me to the Function of Beauty website and clicked on START THE HAIRCARE QUIZ. The quiz consisted of 9 questions including questions like hair type, scalp moisture and your hair goals. After that you choose the colors you want the shampoo and conditioner to be and the fragrance. I went with lavender shampoo and conditioner (you heard it here first: lavender is the new millennial pink) and a strong hibiscus scent.
After naming my formula using my nickname and entering my email, I chose the size and decided if I wanted to subscribe to have it delivered every month. I went with the 8oz shampoo and 8oz conditioner, and a one-time purchase because I’m afraid of commitment and ~ballin’ on a budget~.
9 days later my phone pinged with my favorite notification: an email from the university mail service saying I had received a package! I practically sprinted back to my room to open the box and was a little disappointed with what I discovered inside. The bottles were a bit smaller than I thought they would be considering they cost $36. What was even more disappointing was that the shampoo was open and leaked in the box! When I unscrewed the cap, I noticed the rubber stopper was loose and had caused it to leak.
Apart from that, the packaging was very trendy and aesthetically pleasing with cute postcards with some temporary tattoos, tips for practicing self-care, and instructions on how to get the most use out of your products. The box also included twist on pumps for easier product distribution in the shower.
After realizing (twice) that I had gotten into the shower without switching my usual shampoo and conditioner from my shower caddy for ~function of gratz~, I finally gave it a try. My first impression of the shampoo was that it was thicc (with 2 c’s), so it was a little harder to work through my hair. The conditioner was pretty standard in texture and the fragrance was definitely strong but very pleasant. After showering I used my regular leave-in conditioner and let my hair air dry.
In the quiz, the hair goals I selected were: fix split ends, hydrate, anti-frizz, shine and straighten. Once it dried, my hair was clearly smoother and shinier than it typically is, and it seemed even easier to style. However, after 5 washes it does not seem any straighter and I haven’t noticed a decrease in split ends.
Overall I am more impressed with the products than I expected. Considering the hair quiz was only a few questions, the look and feel of my hair is much better than it was before and I am eager to see what long-term effects it will have. That being said, I don’t plan on signing up for it to be delivered on a monthly basis because I’m on that #collegestudent budget and it simply would not be sustainable. I recommend this process to my friends because it was fun and fascinating to see how unique your hair is and the potential it has when a product is tailor made for it!
Here is the link to Function of Beauty for you to try it out for yourself!