This personalized hair-care startup makes shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair needs and goals - and it actually works

Connie Chen,Connie ChenJan 22, 2019, 21:00 IST

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Prose

Most hair-care options on the market aren't fully catered to your specific hair needs and goals.
The made-to-order shampoo, conditioner, and hair masks (from $25) from Prose are.
These effective, safe, and personalized hair-care products are made possible through its online quiz and feedback platform, which you can learn more about below.
I went through the process and truthfully, I didn't love my first formulation. However, after giving Prose a second try and tweaking my formulation, I'm convinced of the power of personalization.

Friends can share secrets, food, and maybe if they're lucky, even jeans a la "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." One thing my friends and I can't really share is shampoo.

With all the different types of hair out there, a one-size-fits-all hair-care product is surely a myth. What makes my medium-thick, mostly straight hair soft, shiny, and strong may have a different effect on my friend's coarse and wavy hair.

And outside of hair type, many hair-care products fail to consider external factors like environment and stress levels. Increasing awareness about ingredient safety is also causing people to doubt their current shampoo and conditioner.

Personalization is proving to be a successful service as people seek solutions that are fully, not just "kind of" or "mostly" catered to their needs. In the world of hair, Prose is the company from which to buy your personalized hair-care products.

The founders of Prose took their experiences in marketing, digital strategy, and R&D roles at consumer product companies like Procter & Gamble and L'Oréal to help define Prose's data-driven and ingredient-centric business model.

With dozens of different data points and high-quality, highly effective ingredients at its disposal, it can create a unique formulation suited to your hair type, hair goals, lifestyle, and environment, starting at $25 a bottle.

If you're curious about how the process works and whether Prose's personalized shampoo and conditioner really work, read on. You can try it for yourself at the link below. As I discovered myself, the company will follow through on its 100% satisfaction guarantee to make sure you have the best personalized hair-care experience.

Get your personalized hair-care formula at Prose here

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To create your Prose formulation, start with the hair quiz.

Most of the questions revolve around your hair type and hair care habits — nothing too surprising here. You'll also be asked about your diet, stress levels, and physical activity, which are all factors that can affect hair health.

It even takes into account where you live.

Every city experiences different levels of UV, pollution, humidity, and wind. The water you drink out of the tap and that you wash your hair with matters, too.

For the most part, the answers to these questions will determine what goes into your formulation. One feature you do have control of is the fragrance of your Prose products.

There are three fragrances to choose from, but you can also go fragrance-free. I got the Signature and loved its fresh, floral scent that lingered on my hair.

Signature (violet leaf, peony, blue iris)
Napoli (lemon, neroli, orange blossom)
Botanical (eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary)

With your hair profile and fragrance choice in hand, Prose makes your products to order in its NYC lab.

Prose currently offers three products: a hair mask, shampoo, and conditioner. You don't have to get all three, and you can order more than one bottle of any product when you check out.

The mask lasts up to 10 weeks while the shampoo and conditioner last six to eight weeks. Each product's price will depend on your unique combination of ingredients, but start at $25.

You can also subscribe to automatic shipments (every one, two, or three months) for 20% off your order.

Prose selects from a collection of over 75 natural ingredients to make your formulation.

Here's a sampling of a few of those ingredients and what they do:

Argan, sacha yushi, and jojoba oils to nourish the hair
Pea sprout extract to stimulate growth
Oat lipid and sunflower seed extract to protect color

Formulations are always free of parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, dye, and GMOs. You can also specify if you want it to be vegan, gluten-free, and/or silicone-free.

Given the highly personalized nature of the service, I had high expectations for my Prose shampoo and conditioner, but they actually fell flat the first time around.

Though the shampoo and conditioner smelled amazing, my hair felt limp every time I used them. I was disappointed, so I took advantage of Prose's 100% satisfaction guarantee policy, which lets you give feedback on your first formulation and offers a reformulation, free of charge.

I'm glad I did, because my new Prose products were a hit. My hair was less oily, it felt stronger and smoother, and it boasted a healthy shine.

There's a clear difference between the hair-care products from Prose and the generic, catch-all ones I had been using — as there should be, considering Prose uses natural ingredients and personalized insights to treat your hair's specific needs.

You can expect to pay at least double what you're probably used to paying for shampoo and conditioner from a drug store. There's certainly a price to pay for personalization, but Prose's high-quality, better-for-your-hair formulations make the higher cost worth it.

Get your personalized hair-care formula at Prose here

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This personalized hair-care startup makes shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair needs and goals - and it actually works

Get your personalized hair-care formula at Prose here

To create your Prose formulation, start with the hair quiz.

It even takes into account where you live.

For the most part, the answers to these questions will determine what goes into your formulation. One feature you do have control of is the fragrance of your Prose products.

With your hair profile and fragrance choice in hand, Prose makes your products to order in its NYC lab.

Prose selects from a collection of over 75 natural ingredients to make your formulation.

Given the highly personalized nature of the service, I had high expectations for my Prose shampoo and conditioner, but they actually fell flat the first time around.

There's a clear difference between the hair-care products from Prose and the generic, catch-all ones I had been using — as there should be, considering Prose uses natural ingredients and personalized insights to treat your hair's specific needs.