~ This post is kindly sponsored by Formulate ~

 

Let me set the scene – you’re walking through a large department store and finding the personal care section. The number of products is massive, each with a unique claim that it’s better than the other. We’ve all been there. Asked ourselves the question of “Where do I start?” I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older, the look of the products doesn’t matter to me as much as it used to. Now, what I’m concerned with, is trying to find products that are not only going to fulfill the promise on the bottle, but also are actually good to be using. Synthetic colouring and dyes, unnatural chemicals and companies that produce a large amount of product waste no longer interest me.

My goal for this year has been to make my life as sustainable as possible in terms of the goods that I consume, and that as a consumer, the waste that I generate. Whilst this is a great practice when it comes to food and simple switches like metal or glass water bottles, reusable coffee mugs and shopping bags, or trying to cut down on your use of single-use plastics – this wasn’t enough for me. I wanted my personal care and beauty products to be from brands that carry the same values that I do.

 

 

NOT ONLY GOOD FOR YOU, BUT THE ENVIRONMENT TOO

I was introduced to Formulate hair care in the beginning of this year. For those of you that haven’t heard of this brand, it’s new and on the rise – in my opinion, completely worth checking out. When one of the lovely ladies from their PR team contacted me asking if I wanted to trial the products and share them with you, I jumped at the chance. For us, you know who you are, hair care junkies out there – trying to find fantastic products at low cost that are effective is not always the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes it means a lot of trial and error, and like I mentioned previously before, that doesn’t coincide with trying to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. I’d like to know that a formula is likely to work with my hair type, without having to try four or five products until I find one that I can’t live without. Plus – if I’m being honest, I also don’t have tons of room in my shower for products that I know I’ll never use again.

 

FORMULATE HAIRCARE: CHEMIST TO CONSUMER

What then, makes Formulate hair care so different? For starters, they are focused on bringing the chemist and consumer closer together when it comes to creating the perfect personal care products for every individual. Their products are not only good for you, but for the environment as well. Cruelty-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free and preservative free – Formulate cares about what goes into their products and bases their ingredient sourcing on peer reviewed scientific studies. Their goal is to put an end to the “test-and-guess” process, that often ends up being incredibly costly and creates more product waste than necessary. The best part is after every formulation you receive, you can give their chemists feedback on what should be altered and how the next formulation can be improved. Great, right?

 

 

THE PROCESS

The entire process is done online. For the on-the-go consumer, this is such a perk, because you don’t have to book in for a special appointment or wait in the queue during a lunch hour. You’ll begin with filling out your basic information – such as name, email, gender – and then you describe your hair type in a simple, easy-to-navigate questionnaire. What colour is your hair? How long is your hair? What type of texture does it have? Simple questions that you would typically search for when at the drugstore picking out hair products. The questionnaire gets specific, because Formulate really aims to create a completely customized product for you. One thing I thought was incredibly cool was the location factor – meaning, they’ll ask you where you’ll be for the next few months (how long their product should last), and they take that into consideration when creating your custom formula. Other questions you’ll answer are:

 

• What is the weight of your hair?
• How oily is your hair?
• How sensitive is your scalp?
• Do you ever notice dandruff?
• How many days per week do you shampoo your hair?
• How many days per week do you use conditioner?
• In the past two months, have you ever used sulfate-free shampoo?
• Is your hair coloured?
• What kind of hair products do you use?
• What goals do you have for your hair?
• What scent do you prefer?
• How strong would you like the fragrance?
• When do you need your formula by?
• What size would you like?

 

GETTING YOUR FORMULA

Once you’ve filled out all the necessary information and your product is on the way – delivery is quick depending on when you’ve chosen for your order to arrive. If you’ve chosen immediately, the longest you’ll have to wait is roughly one week, which in terms of custom formulated products is quite fast. They come in a black and white box with an information sheet telling you exactly what’s been used in your formula, as well as best practices for how to get the longest use-time out of your product and best results from your formulation.

Upon beginning to use the product, one thing to keep in mind – especially if you’ve never used a sulfate-free formula before – is that your time in between washes will be shorter for the first couple uses. Personally, I rewashed my hair about two days after first introducing it into my care routine. This is natural when switching to a new type of haircare product – especially if you’re used to using sulfate-containing products. Your hair takes about a week to two weeks to get used to the new product.

 

 

USING THE PRODUCT

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m a bubbles gal. When I was little, I gave myself bubble mohawks and ‘Jimmy Neutron hair’ in the shower. I suddenly feel really old, seeing how long it’s been since that show has been on television. Anyways – one thing to note about sulfate-free products, there is less bubbles and less lather. Less lather doesn’t mean less clean, it just means you’re using a gentler product. As I have incredibly long hair that is naturally very curly, I tend to use more hair product to ‘tame the mane’. This was a concern of mine originally, until I realized the only difference for my own personal use was adding a second mini-cleanse after the first wash of my hair. This won’t be the case for everyone, and it’s definitely ceased for me upon receiving my second formulation.

Communication with the chemists was simple and easy – and the feedback you provide is instantly taken into account if you choose to continue on with Formulate. It’s part of the chemist to consumer aspect – and it makes your personalized product feel much more unique.

 

THE FORMULA THAT EVOLVES WITH YOU

My absolute favourite aspect about Formulate is the evolution of the products. I’m the type of person that needs at least five to six weeks to determine whether I really like a product, especially when it comes to skincare. Sure, you may like it initially, but what about in the long-run? Formulate is unique in that their chemists send a feedback request about three weeks after you receive your products, giving you ample time to try them and see if you would like anything changed.

The first formulation that I received, I chose the Verdant scent (which is absolutely divine and leaves you smelling like a garden after a rainstorm). But, as I used the product more and more, I found that it wasn’t washing out all of the product that I used in my hair every day and I was using way more than the recommended amount. This was partially because I have A LOT of hair, but also I’m a hair product junkie. I gave these notes back to the chemist and received my new formulation shortly after. It was like magic. The next formulation was exactly what I was looking for – it didn’t grease up my hair, and oddly enough, it almost seemed like my hair dried faster than when I was using sulfate-based products.

 

 

HOW CAN YOU GET STARTED WITH FORMULATE?

Getting started with Formulate is very easy to do. All one needs to do is head over to their website and begin by filling out the questionnaire. If you’re super keen to try out Formulate, they’ve kindly offered you all a giveaway. It’s simple to enter, just click here to enter and fill out your information. I’m looking forward to hear if any of you have either tried Formulate, sulfate-free products or are keen to give Formulate a try!

 

 

Don’t forget to enter the Formulate giveaway!

 

Until next, xoxo.

 

The Look

 

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