It's not an exaggeration to say I've spent hundreds – maybe even a thousand or two – on hair products over the last eight years. Hours of my time were spent squatting in beauty stores reading conditioner labels, and watching wash-and-go tutorials on YouTube.
But, recently, I tried the personalized hair product brand Prose. While the products made my hair feel good – especially the curl cream – the price was too much for too little product.
Prose, a company that sells personalized hair products, looked promising.
I came across a Prose ad while binge-swiping on TikTok a few months ago, sending me down a rabbit hole. Prose is a haircare company founded in Paris that creates personalized products for customers based on their lifestyles.
After years of going back and forth between products, I thought Prose could be a good option for my hair.
I took an online consultation, which shocked me with its thorough questionnaire.
Prose's consultation asked many questions to get an idea of my goals.
Prose
Prose required I complete a consultation about my lifestyle and environment to help them formulate the best product, but I never anticipated there would be so many questions.
The consultation asked about everything from my hair texture to what makes up the majority of my diet. Prose even asked my area code to show me what environmental factors affect my hair in my Brooklyn neighborhood, like UV rays and local pollution.
In the end, Prose shared the aspects of my hair health that needed attention and presented ingredients that would work best. The consultation recommended I purchase the custom shampoo, conditioner, curl cream, and hair oil, but I skipped the hair oil since they don't typically work on my hair.
The entire Prose order cost more than $100, which is a bit pricey in my book.
Without the hair oil, the entire order cost more than $100.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
In total, the shampoo ($32), conditioner ($32), and curl cream ($28) cost $107. 74 after shipping and taxes.
My products arrived a few days later with labels that broke down the ingredients.
Prose shampoo, conditioner, and curl cream.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
The three products arrived a week later with an ingredient breakdown. I was surprised the bottles were tiny but optimistic that the products would speak for themselves.
Week one: The products left my hair feeling soft – especially the curl cream – but prone to frizz as the days went on.
Pictures of me during week one of using Prose.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
My hair was a hot mess when I began week one, so I had high hopes that the shampoo and conditioner would soothe my scalp. The shampoo and conditioner left my curls feeling soft, washing out all the unnecessary oils. In my opinion, the curl cream was the standout product.
Prose's curl cream brought moisture back into my hair and didn't weigh it down too much, which is always a plus. I wore braids for three days which produced fairly defined waves. Unfortunately, it didn't hold longer than a few days.
I only used a dab of hair gel during the week because I wanted to see how the products worked without it, but I quickly learned I'd need more to compliment the curl cream.
Week two: The curl cream was almost empty after my second wash day, and the conditioner wasn't far behind.
Pictures of my hair during week two.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
During week two, I started questioning the product portion sizes. While my shampoo was ¼ empty, the conditioner was nearing halfway, and the curl cream was even more than that. I'm used to products between 12 and 18 fluid ounces, so Prose's bottles that held 8.5 fluid ounces felt insufficient for my hair length.
After washing my hair, I twisted my hair for the week to see how the product fared in a different style. The curl cream and copious amounts of gel left my hair extra soft and bouncy compared to the week before. I also saw less frizz, though that's likely because of the hairstyle and gel, than the curl cream.
Week three: My scalp felt clean and my curls popped after I added a generous amount of gel along with the products.
Photos of my hair in week three.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
By week three, my scalp and hair felt healthier than last month – a huge plus! I was happy with how the shampoo and conditioner worked on my third wash day, but my only gripe is that the conditioner was now ¾ empty and my curl cream was nonexistent.
I did my hair using the Curls brand cream I had lying around, which ultimately performed better, in my opinion. To style, I combined Prose's curl cream, leave-in conditioner, and gel to achieve defined curls.
I let my hair dry loose that week, and like the twists, this style also lasted longer than week one.
I won't buy the product again because of the price and bottle sizes, but I'd be open in the future to using Prose as the company grows.
A photo of my hair in week three after it dried.
Lauren Edmonds/Insider
I liked the custom product formulation but longed for brands with larger containers like Pardon My Fro and Carol's Daughter the entire time. Prose has many positives, like its thorough formulation, ingredients, and environmentally friendly ethos.
However, the bottle size and price made it a hard sell since I'd likely pay over $100 every three weeks for tiny portions. While I'm not keen on re-ordering Prose, I'm open to trying more of their products as the company expands.
