Function of Beauty: Is Customized Hair Care Worth the Splurge?

Brought to you by Function of Beauty. All opinions are my own.

The story of my hair is a long one. I had straight hair as a kid, which became wavy then loosely curly as I grew older. Having no idea how to deal with my natural hair shape, I spent a ton of time fighting against it with hot tools and products that weren’t necessarily beneficial to my hair. Rows of half-used products lined my shower when test run after test run didn’t give me all the results I wanted.

Now in my late 20s, I’m discovering my natural hair type for the first time and trying to do right by it… which has meant a lot of product testing, and wishing I could just “skip to the good part.” Enter: customized hair care from Function of Beauty.

Function of Beauty lets you build your own cruelty-free and vegan hair care formula with a quiz that asks you about your hair type, hair goals, and even fragrance and color preferences (and options for dye-free, fragrance free formulas). The results are supposed to be your goldilocks formula that gives your hair everything it needs. Could this let me skip the never-ending search, and streamline my routine?

Here is what I input on my quiz:
Natural Hair Type: Curly
Hair Structure: Medium
Scalp Moisture: Dry
Hair Goals: Deep Condition, Moisturize, Anti-Frizz, Curl Definition, Soothe Scalp
Silicone Free Formulas

I chose the newest fragrance, Takes Two to (M)ango and coral-toned pink colors for my products. Aesthetically, this hair care collection is everything. My name is printed on the bottle, it’s minimalistic but still makes a statement on the shelf.

Ok… but what about the product itself? First off, this scent is divine and it lingers in the hair which I like, even after blow drying.

The consistency of the sulfate free shampoo was rich and spread nicely through my hair. I use a scalp massaging tool while shampooing, which produces a little suds action. The conditioner was surprisingly effective without being thick or heavy. After using just these two products, I noticed enhanced shine, smoothness and softness in my hair.

I also tried the customized hair mask, which I loved. I could see my curls drink it up and start forming smooth patterns. After my shower, I applied the leave-In treatment which consists of avocado oil, argan oil, and a custom blend based on my quiz results. After drying using a diffuser attachment, a bit of the serum helps pull the look together and reduce frizz.

When I tell you my curls love this formula… a huge difference I saw was more uniform curls, more bounce and an overall healthy appearance. I think the shampoo and conditioner made the biggest impact, as well as the hair mask. The auxiliary products I tried (Co-Wash, Leave-In Treatment and Serum) were all nice, but not necessarily more effective than what I already had been using.

The one thing I wish my formula addressed more was my scalp, which I did indicate in my quiz. I’ve struggled keeping flakes under control my whole life and I don’t feel like these products really catered to that, so I would still have to incorporate some treatments on that end.

Is Customized Hair Care Worth It?

As far as pricing goes, I would consider this a high-end hair solution. New subscribers can get 20% off your first large custom shampoo and conditioner set, bringing the cost to $39.99, with refills at 6-month intervals at $49.99. Personally, I’m not sure the 16oz bottles would last me 6 months even washing weekly.

If finding products that “check all the boxes” for you is nearly impossible, Function of Beauty is absolutely worth giving a try. As long as you don’t have any secondary conditions like dandruff, Function of Beauty lets you create the perfect products and routine for your hair. Especially for hard to manage hair, tricky hair textures, or if you have preferences that are hard to find on shelves, this is the way to go.

I wanted to note that Function of Beauty also just launched a line of products at Target which still give you the power to customize your products on a smaller scale. You can get an entire routine for under $30 and the collections are divided by hair type: straight, wavy, curly and coily.

With both options, I think Function of Beauty is revolutionizing the way we treat our hair… moving away from the one-size fits all approach and really giving it exactly what works.

Would you try customized hair care?