Is it Worth Investing in Custom Shampoo?
"Hair Health Hotline" provides direct access to professionals such as dermatologists, trichologists, hairstylists, and beauty experts. It aims to resolve common hair or scalp issues through science-based solutions specially tailored for your hair.
Today, custom shampoo, and conditioner is becoming a trend in the field of haircare. Brands like Prose and Function of Beauty are gaining popularity because of their personalized shampoo and conditioner options. These offerings are crafted according to your preferences, necessities, and apprehensions. They offer convenience in creating a shampoo which matches your hair type and corrects your hair issues, while also letting you select the color of the bottle and the fragrance of the product.
To “create” your custom shampoo or conditioner, you will typically be asked to complete a hair quiz. This user-friendly quiz inquires about your hair's characteristics, problems you may have with it, as well as some demographic and lifestyle-related questions. Accordingly, the website will recommend ingredients for your hair care products out of the ones they utilize. Brands like Prose and Function of Beauty are transparent about the ingredients they use, which are mostly derived from nature.
The price range of these brands’ shampoos and conditioners are akin to luxury brands such as Olaplex or Kérastase. However, they require a bigger investment compared to average shampoos found in drugstores. Therefore, why should one choose these personalized hair products? We sought answers from Alan J. Bauman, MD, the founder, CEO, and medical director of Bauman Medical Hair Transplant & Hair Loss Treatment Center. Having been voted as “America’s #1 Top Hair Restoration Physician” by Aesthetic Everything for seven consecutive years, Dr. Bauman’s insights are invaluable.
A: Dr. Bauman says custom shampoo can be highly beneficial for people with distinctive hair issues, which are difficult to resolve with standard shampoo. This could include unique hair types or personal preferences for fragrance and ingredients. But for those with conventional hair types that have no specific issues, regular shampoos and conditioners might suffice, making the extra cost of custom products unnecessary.
If you have been content with the results from regular, off-the-shelf shampoos and conditioners, there is no need for investing in custom shampoo. Customized shampoos and conditioners do, however, offer certain benefits that a basic product cannot provide. As Dr. Bauman says, "Custom products can be crafted to tackle specific hair issues like dryness, oiliness, or color-treatment and also consider the curl and cuticle level. You have more control over the ingredients in your product which is ideal for those with allergies, sensitivities, or ethical concerns about cruelty-free, vegan products.” Simply put, custom shampoo can improve your hair health if usual products have not been effective in addressing your hair issues. You also don't need to choose between having a pleasant scent or healthy hair ingredients; with these custom options, you can have both.
While completing the quiz to create your custom hair care products, it is essential to ensure that you are comfortable with all the ingredients included in your proposed products. Avoid ingredients that may affect you adversely like excessively drying sulfates, potentially harmful parabens, fragrances or dyes. Also, make sure to go for credible brands that are transparent about the usage of their ingredients. The two examples cited above, Prose and Function of Beauty, manufacture cruelty-free products devoid of sulfates and parabens. You may also choose to select a product without specific ingredients like silicones or fragrance.
Having a custom shampoo might be a good idea but it's not a necessity for everyone. For instance, if you have already identified a pre-formulated shampoo that suits your needs well, you’re good to go.
Meanwhile, while the quizzes custom hair care brands make you take will certainly help you get a more personalized product than if you just pick something off the shelf, Dr. Bauman warns that it may still take some trial and error to get the exact formulation that complements your hair. “The custom beauty industry isn't as regulated as mainstream products, which could raise concerns about efficacy and safety,” he notes. “They also might look at only your hair needs and not your scalp needs, when it is important to take both into consideration.”
Custom shampoo and conditioner is best suited to those with hair concerns they find difficult to address, as well as those with hair types that are less common, and those who have sensitivities to certain ingredients that are hard to avoid on the shelves of a drugstore. “Formulated shampoos may be less necessary for individuals with 'normal' hair types without specific issues and those who are satisfied with the results from standard, off-the-shelf hair care products,” Dr. Bauman concludes. “If you have a special scalp condition or hair concern, seeking advice from a Certified Trichologist or a Board-Certified Hair Restoration Physician who is knowledgeable in scalp health is recommended.”
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