Are you guys wary of products/brands that are constantly hyped on Instagram? I definitely am, and it happens that Function of Beauty is one of them. So I’m here to spill the tea and also compare the 3 major custom hair care brands: Formulate vs Prose vs Functions of Beauty.
- Product Range
- Shampoo + conditioner combo (can be purchased individually), purple shampoo, hair serum, hair mask, and leave-in treatment
- Customization experience
- A short 4-step quiz that allows you select your hair type, goals, scent, and color preferences.
- Price point
- 8oz shampoo/conditioner – $29 each
16oz shampoo/conditioner – $36 each
8oz/16oz shampoo + conditioner combo – $43
8oz shampoo + conditioner combo – $39
16oz shampoo + conditioner combo – $49
3oz hair serum – $19
7.oz hair mask – $19
8oz leave-in treatment – $19 - Packaging
- Clear plastic bottles with with your name printed on them. The shampoo/conditioner come with optional pumps, and all products come with really cute stickers to decorate with.
08/05/20 update: the pumps for both my shampoo and conditioner stopped working for no reason ☹ I’ve readjusted my ratings to reflect this issue. - Scent
- They have 5 standard scents ranging from sweet to fruity to floral, plus an extra seasonal scent. You can customize how strong you want the fragrances to be, with the medium level being pretty strong already imo. There’s also the option to go fragrance-free. The scent would apply to all products in your order.
- Color
- The only custom hair care brand that allows you to customize the product color. There are 7 standard shades, occasionally a seasonal shade, and the option to go dye-free. You can customize the colors individually for the shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask.
Making your custom shampoo work
I first tried Function of Beauty years ago when they first came out and were the first of their kind. In short, I was disappointed by the products, but their customer service was kind enough to reformulate free of charge, and I wasn’t even working with them then, just a regular customer.
Fast forward to last year, they reached out for a collaboration and I agreed because I’ve already tried Prose and Formulate and wanted to see if Function of Beauty has improved since its early days.
Their hair quiz is the simplest of the 3 brands: 3 simple questions about your hair type and scalp condition, and then they let you select 5 hair goals:
Important: focus on your scalp care goals and what you want for your roots!
Think about it, you’re mainly applying shampoo to clean your scalp and roots. If you pick goals geared towards your ends like “deep condition” or “fix split ends“, you can end up with products that are too rich, leaving you with a greasy and flat scalp.
This is where I prefer Prose and Formulate’s more guided consultation process, as allowing the users to select goals openly like this can result in products that just don’t work.
Now that I’ve figured things out, let’s actually review the products:
Function of Beauty Shampoo + Conditioner
With my goals set correctly, I’ve truly enjoyed the shampoo this time around. The texture is creamy but lathers and rinses well. My hair does feel a bit knotted afterwards, and this is when I apply the conditioner near the roots.
Before you freak out, remember my formula mainly focuses on my scalp and roots, and that includes the conditioner. The instructions also said to apply to the scalp down, and I’ve found that using half a pump has helped balance the oil production and increased growth in the long run!
Once dried, my roots feel fresh and balanced. My color has also stayed fresh longer, since it’s one of the goals I selected. The results remind me a lot of the Formulate shampoo, but I prefer the usage experience of Function of Beauty because I’m a sucker for fun colors and scents.
I also find that the shampoo and conditioner work best together, if I use the shampoo alone my scalp feels a bit drier and actually gets oilier quicker. So in that sense, the Formula shampoo is better since it does everything with just one product vs two.
Function of Beauty shampoo causes hair loss?
There have been several reviews from other users about seeing increased hair loss with continuous usage of FoB products. Personally, I have not experienced this, however it’s definitely possible if you use a formula that doesn’t work with your scalp type. This is why getting the formula right is so important!
I won’t count this against their products, but it’s something you should be aware of before ordering from them.
Function of Beauty Hair Mask
As for my ends, my custom Function of Beauty hair mask takes care of those. It’s noticeably richer than the conditioner but not enough to weigh down my strands. The formula is created using the same quiz results as the shampoo + conditioner, but it removes any scalp/root goals and focuses on nourishing your ends instead.
I found this to be an above-average hair mask in that it did make my hair smoother and softer, but not as much as other in-shower treatments I’ve tried. I think if we could select separate goals for the mask, the results might’ve been better.
Function of Beauty Hair Serum
My favorite product from the brand! A single pump of this on dry hair instantly smooths flyaways and adds some serious shine to my strands, all without weight them down. Plus the delicious smell really lingers, but in a subtle way that might get a whiff when they hug you or stand really close.
I’ve also used this on damp hair in place of my usual hair oil and it did a great job of moisturizing and softening my hair. For those who don’t want to use a million hair products, this little bottle will do it all.
Function of Beauty vs Prose vs Formulate
I compared the brands briefly in my Formulate review, so this comparison is going to focus mainly on the products they offer:
Final Verdict
Function of Beauty
- Packaging8.5/10
- Ingredients9/10
- Texture/Application9/10
- Performance8/10
- Price8/10
Looking at everything, I would say that Function of Beauty offers the best value and selection of products overall. With their super cute packaging, I can see why they're a social media favorite. However their short and open hair consultation can lead to users creating a formula that just doesn't work, and why I had a bad experience with them the first time.
Once you have a good understanding though, I do think their shampoo + conditioner set is nice and definitely a joy to use! Make sure you add on the serum too, that for me is the star of the whole line!
Are custom formulas worth it?
After trying all 3 brands, I have to say that I do prefer custom shampoos to conventional ones due to my finicky scalp needs. Moving forward I’ll either repurchase the Formulate shampoo or buy the large Function of Beauty shampoo with the small conditioner.
As for custom conditioners, hair masks, and leave-in treatments, I honestly don’t think they’re superior to conventional versions. I’ll most likely stick to my current hair masks from Amika and Sachajuan, but I will eventually repurchase the Function of Beauty hair serum because I love the shine it adds.
If you have unique hair needs that you feel like regular products can’t meet, custom formulas are a great option. Otherwise if you already have products you love that work for you, I’d say keep using them
Follow Now
The packaging looks so cute!
I’ve always been intrigued by the custom shampoos! Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Brilliant review and I appreciate the comparison, Jenny. I am toying with the idea of getting a balayage but I honestly couldn’t be arse with the maintenance and am quite happy with my low key shampoo + conditioner routine. Maybe if I have a finicky scalp and higher maintenance hair then I would try Function of Beauty.
My hair is pretty average I d say, so I never looked much into customized hair care. It is good to see that they improved though, and really nice that you gave them a second chance.
I’d been curious about these honestly since seeing a commercial on tv. But for me I’ll probably stick with my usual rose scented shampoo and conditioner.
I tried Function of Beauty early on and I wasn’t that impressed but considering your recent positive experience, I might give them another chance. It takes me forever to go through shampoo and conditioner because my hair is short and it’s better for my scalp if I don’t wash it too often so I’m picky about what I use.
My sister recommended Function of Beauty and it does sound amazing! I have to try it out soon!
with love,
Bash
Hey Bash
I’ve never tried the brand before but I’ve seen so many ads on YouTube for it! It was really helpful seeing the brand broken down like this, the products sound great! xo
Makeup Muddle
I haven’t heard about these guys before. Then again the only social media I make rounds on these days is Twitter. I am a little weary about custom formulas. They do sound like the bees-knees. Who doesn’t want something formulated specifically for their needs. But something about it doesn’t sit right with me. I almost always feel like they create three basic profiles and catalogue you into one of them with the sprucing of being unique to you. I personally haven’t tried any myself but I do have a friend who had tried something after a recommendation from a work colleague and ended up with the same product as hers. Not that Function of Beauty had anything to do with the above!
Thanks for the review and comparison! I do have a sensitive scalp so i should really consider custom shampoos as well. Have you tried Vitabrid? That’s on my list too. I’ll stick with Christophe Robin and Sachajuan masks and conditioners. I am very intrigued by this serum though so will look into that.
Do you think they might be a little delay due to this pandemic because I ordered mine about 2 weeks ago and still haven’t gotten it.
That’s definitely possible, all my deliveries have been taking longer than usual as well. Did they provide a tracking number yet? If not I’d reach out to them directly.
Hi Jenny! I can’t thank you enough for this very detailed, well thought-out review. I, too, have a finicky scalp and selected the same 5 goals for Function of Beauty. Also, thanks for the pro tip about getting a larger shampoo vs conditioner! I will be purchasing through your links as a token of my appreciation for this post!
Hi Angie, thank you for your comment and for purchasing through my link! I really hope the products work for you too!
I’ve been using FoB for about 6 months since my sister got me some for my birthday, and I really like it. They do have silicon-free options in shampoo and conditioner, though not in mask, leave-in, or serum, so that’s nice.
Thank you so much for your honest review Jenny! I’ve seen Function of Beauty everywhere on social media and I’d love to give them a try <3
I am so glad I found this article because something you said resonated with me so much- i’ve been using my function of beauty products for four months now and just recently I noticed how greasy the inside of my hair is well after my hair has dried from washing. I realize now it’s because of what you said, how if you choose “deep condition“ and “fix split ends“, you can end up with products that are not the best for your scalp and can make it greasy! That has to be what is happening to me! And it’s annoying because I just realized this right as my second shipment is coming to me with that same formula. I found a phone number for the company and I’m going to try and call them today. I emailed with them yesterday and found the exchange annoying although in the end the rep did recommend the same thing you said, to replace those two choices with others. Well, how would I have known that? They should not offer choices that will make your scalp greasy! Great article :)
I’m glad my post helped! I agree, that’s definitely the danger of leaving these choices up to the consumer with no guidance, because our natural instinct is to focus on the state of our hair and not our scalp. I hope the new formula works better for you!