As someone with long, ultra-fine, color-treated hair, I’ve historically had to stack my routine with a lot of products to target each of these individual concerns. And, sure, I’ve found a line-up of shampoo, conditioner, detangler, thickening treatments, smoothing serums, volumizing sprays, and dry shampoos (Phew!) that breathe new life into my mane, but have always dreamt of finding a single product (or product duo) that can do it all—or at least achieves most of my hair goals in one fell swoop.
With the launch of its new PRO line, Function of Beauty promises to fulfill that dream. But is it too good to be true? I tried it to find out.
What is Function of Beauty PRO?
Function of Beauty launched in 2015 with a line of customizable hair-care products, and most recently introduced Function of Beauty PRO (a Sephora exclusive) to target damaged hair. The products on offer include Recovery Shampoos and Conditioner Masks, which can be personalized with concentrated boosters. Instead of offering pre-mixed, one-size-fits-all formulas, the brand created clean, effective bases that can be tailored to your needs.
“Function of Beauty PRO targets more demanding hair,” says Marianna Trofimova, the brand’s chief marketing officer “It is designed with your unique hair goals in mind, which is why you can further customize your product by selecting up to the three Hair Goal Concentrates to add to your Shampoo and Conditioner Mask. This allows you to select concentrates that target specific areas you want/need for your hair in order to create a formula that’s tailored just for you.”
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There are four different shampoo and conditioner bases that cater to different textures (straight, wavy, curly, and coily) and nine different concentrates you can add to them to treat a range of concerns, including volume, curl pattern, moisture, color vibrancy, dry scalp, brassiness, frizz, dullness, and oiliness.
The thought behind the formulas
“The Function of Beauty PRO shampoos and conditioning masks not only offer clean bond repair technology that targets damage only where needed, but they are also formulated by hair type so that your hair is getting exactly the ingredients and care it needs to be stronger and healthier,” says celebrity hairstylist Justine Marjan. “Additionally, the Adaptive f3 Bonding Complex self-adjusts to your level of damage to relink broken hair bonds. It’s enriched with arginine and designed to work with the different amino acids in each hair type formula. As a result, your hair gets only what it needs and nothing it doesn’t.”
For my own experiment, I tried the Function of Beauty PRO Recovery Shampoo for Straight, Damaged Hair ($24) and Conditioner Mask for Straight, Damaged Hair ($28) with the Lift Legend Volumizing Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In, Color Savior Vibrancy Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In, and Moisture Shot Moisture Boosting Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In ($4 each).
My honest review of Function of Beauty PRO
Point blank: I’m impressed. From my very first wash with the Function of Beauty PRO products, my hair felt hydrated, had shockingly less tangles, didn’t require a leave-in conditioner to brush, and looked incredibly straight, smooth, and shiny when blown out with the volumizing round brush attachment on my Dyson Airwrap. The shampoo and conditioner made my split ends looked so nourished I was able to mask my dire need for a haircut, and my month-old color looked extra bright.
According to Marjan, my results make sense. “Glutamic Acid in the Straight Recovery Shampoo is an amino acid that works with the Adaptive f3 Bonding Complex and is going to help condition and promote smooth and shiny hair,” she says. “Glutamic acid and mokate oil also work together [in the custom Recovery Condition Mask for Straight, Damaged Hair] to help moisturize hair without weighing it down, which is often a challenge someone with long, fine hair is trying to solve for.”
Then there are the Mix-Ins. “The Sarcosine and Rice Seed Protein in The Color Savior offers protection from fading by providing gentle moisturizing and shine benefits,” Marjan says, noting that hair can hold onto color longer as a result. “I love The Moisture Shot as an added boost of moisture from the naturally hydrating red and brown algae extract within the booster. It’s the perfect add-in for the Recovery Conditioner Mask if you’re worried about weighing strands down but hair needs an extra bit of hydration.”
As hydrated, shiny, and bright as my hair looked, I did notice that my custom formula didn’t seem to do much in the way of volume and lift—despite incorporating the Lift Legend Volumizing Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In into both formulas. That said, in the future, I’d swap that mix-in for The Frizz Genius Anti Frizz Hair Goal Concentrate ($4) to see if it can adequately rid my hair of flyaways. Admittedly, I wish you could infuse the shampoo and mask with four mix-ins (the brand only recommends three), as I’d be interested to see if The Oil Heiress Scalp Oil Control Hair Goal Concentrate Mix-In ($4) could help extend my time between washes.
One more thing to keep in mind? These formulas are fragrant. As someone sensitive to scents, I found the fresh, floral fragrance (which is described as “a bouquet of fresh spring flowers, with notes of pink peony, wild freesia, and creamy sandalwood”) to almost be too powerful. It stayed apparent on my hands for hours post-wash and embedded in my strands all day long.
Still, with the unbelievably shiny, sealed mids and ends it left me with, I’m leaving my duo on a pedestal in my shower.
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