Okay, here’s a little truth about me… I’ve never been one to splurge on haircare products. I grew up using products from the drug store and never really thought much more about it. My hair always seemed to be healthy, and I didn’t have any concerns so I could never justify the price. I did NOT know what I was missing out on until I finally gave Prose a try. It’s been 8 weeks since I started using Prose hair care products, and today I’m giving you the scoop!
I first came across Prose while scrolling through Instagram. (Targeted ads strike again!) They touted no-nonsense ingredients that are better for hair and individually customized formulas. After some research, I looked into it and decided to give it a try.
The Quiz
The first step to getting your customized routine is to take their in-depth quiz. I had tried other hair care quizzes previously, and each of them were at MOST ten questions. Prose is different. It feels like they truly think of everything! Your hair characteristics are of course taken into account, but they also look at how often you use heat on your hair, the water quality and climate in your area, AND how time-consuming you want your routine to be.You can also choose whether or not to include silicone in your products, pick a fragrance, or go fragrance-free.
Once you start your subscription, you can also adjust how frequently you receive each different product, and they give you the opportunity to refine your products after using them for a bit. Edits can also be made to your hair profile after the fact so that your products change accordingly. After taking several minutes to answer the questions, their product recommendations were delivered straight to my inbox!
My Routine
Once I reviewed the full routine they recommended, I liked that I could make edits. I also didn’t have to commit to the full routine up front. You can choose to do just the shampoo and conditioner or pull the trigger on everything! They recommended a custom shampoo, leave-in conditioner, a scalp mask, and their hair supplements. I’m not really in need of extra supplements, so I opted to leave those out to try their dry shampoo instead!
Once I committed to my first order, it arrived about 10 days later. Just a fair warning- because each formula is completely custom, it takes a bit of extra time for them to be shipped out. I was impressed with the package when it arrived because there wasn’t much to it! Not a lot of extra waste inside, and the products were all safely tucked into the recycled cardboard.
Complete instructions on how to use all my products correctly were also included. I really appreciate a brand that goes the extra mile to explain and educate consumers regarding proper use of their products, because I feel like that can be the make-or-break reason why you love it or not. Hair care seems really self explanatory, but I learned a lot reading through the instructions they included! It also helped me set expectations since I was taking the leap from my usual drug-store hair care.
Your specific routine will include different products and formulations than mine, but I wanted to review each of the products I have been using just to give you an idea of what to expect!
Pre-Shampoo Scalp Mask
I was excited to give this product a try, because I’ve never used a hair mask before. Prose provides two main types of hair masks, one for your scalp and one for the lengths of your hair. Mine works to balance my scalp and prevent some flakiness I was experiencing. My formula’s key ingredients include kale, spirulina, vitamin B6, jujube bark extract, kombucha tea, prebiotics, and bamboo charcoal. The instructions say to apply it to the scalp while the hair is damp, so I’ve been using it after a good and sweaty workout. It has a bit of grit to it to help exfoliate the scalp, and it also has a refreshing sensation thanks to a touch of eucalyptus oil. I let it sit for about 15-minutes, and then hop in the shower to rinse it out before I shampoo my hair.
After 8-weeks of consistent use, I am noticing that my scalp is less itchy, irritated, and flaky. I have also noticed that I can go longer between washes than I was previously. Overall, I really love the mask!
Shampoo
My custom Prose shampoo cleanses hair and works in tandem with my hair mask to balance the scalp so I can go longer between washes. Key ingredients for my personal formula include kale, spirulina, vitamin B6, and green tea water. It takes about 2 pumps for my hair, and it doesn’t work into a super thick lather like products I’ve used in the past. However, it has consistently resulted in fresh-feeling hair after each use, though! I am 8-weeks into the bottle and still have about half the bottle left.
Leave-In Conditioner
I’ll be honest, this product scared me. I have always used a traditional conditioner that you rinse out in the shower. Leave-in conditioners have always left my hair feeling greasy and weighed down, but this one is different! It comes with a spray pump that you can use to apply it directly to your hair or in your palm. With my hair being short, I prefer to spray it into my palm so that I have more control over where I apply the product and to help me avoid getting it on my roots. I will also use a small amount between wash days to help manage frizz and flyaways.
The leave-in conditioner should be applied on damp hair after showering. Then you can blow-dry and style like normal! It contains active ingredients like arginine, pea & quinoa proteins, fermented rice water, red algae extract, and professional silicone that result in soft, silky strands that don’t feel weighed down.
Dry Shampoo
The last product in my routine is what helps me get the most out of my wash days. The Prose dry shampoo doesn’t contain perfume, alcohol, essential oils, or added fragrance which all can cause irritation to the scalp if used frequently. It comes in a non-aerosol bottle that is PERFECT for travel, and the application is a dream. I part my hair into sections and pump the product into my hands. It comes out as a puffy cloud of powder. Next, I massage it into my scalp with my head flipped upside down for added volume. I let it sit for about a minute before brushing my hair and styling as usual.
It was a bit of an adjustment from my aerosol dry shampoos, but now I really like it! It works well and adds a few days of life to my hair when needed!
Overall Thoughts
In general, my first impression of the size of all the products is that they are SMALL. I have been thoroughly impressed with how long they have lasted, however. I do have very short hair, but it is THICK so I tend to go through product fairly quickly. I’ve even had to bump out my next few delivery dates because I still have plenty of everything! For me, this helps justify the higher cost of the product. They aren’t nearly as expensive as some luxury brands, and you can save even more money by subscribing, but they are definitely more than I’ve been spending on hair products in the past.
So far I have been impressed with the quality of the products, as well as the result I’ve seen on my hair. My scalp no longer feels itchy and flaky, and I can go 4-5 days without washing my hair vs the every other day situation I had going on before. Prose is so detail-oriented in their customization of products AND they want your feedback to optimize them after you’ve given them a try. They provide tons of education on how to properly use your products and care for your hair as well. This has felt like such a luxurious upgrade to my routine, and I would highly recommend giving them a try!
If you decide to give Prose a shot, be sure to use my referral link for $10 off your first order! And remember- you don’t have to change everything at once, you can piece your routine together step by step as you run our of your older products.
Please let me know if you’ve tried Prose or if you decide to order for the first time! Tell me your thoughts and how it’s changed your hair for the better!
