I say the title of this post with tongue in cheek. I know what society claims is “good hair” and I don’t want to be confused as “Becky with the good hair.” No side chick here, just a girl with decent hair. When I was younger, I had the “good hair.” It was long, thick, natural and those edges were laid. After many tears and burns from the hot comb, my momma gave into the Just For Me treatment. I was all about the relaxers for much of my life. That straight, thin, damaged hair was giving me life. At least I thought that was the life, until I realized how much breakage I had. I remember taking down my pony tail in high school (I was a cheerleader and ran track, so a pony was the only way to go) and the hair in the middle of my head was half the length of the parameter of my scalp. I knew something had to give. I had so many different haircuts and styles to keep up with the relaxer and the breakage. It wasn’t until I was about to head to college that I scheduled a micro-mini braid session to grow out my natural hair.

Matt, my then boyfriend (now husband) was tossing around the idea of locking up. My mom already had locs and spoke so highly about them. So after Matt got them, I figured, let me get the big chop and start this process. Now I’ve had my locs for 15 years.

Okay, so why am I talking about this journey? The hair journey of an African American female is ever-changing and honestly I do not see an end in sight. There are always new styles, new techniques and new products coming on and off the market. We take such pride in our hair, but I believe the tides have shifted where we are now focused on taking the best care of our beautiful locs, which means limiting the chemicals. In keeping with the natural hair life, it was very important for me to find hair products that use natural ingredients as well. This is why I’m excited to talk about my partnership with Formulate.

Formulate is a shampoo & conditioner for everyone! It is perfectly engineered for your specific hair, environment and lifestyle. They have a fun “hair wizard” that guides you through questions about the current state of your hair, styling, product use, activity, environment and most importantly, your personal hair goals.

From there, their chemists create a special formula using all different types of natural ingredients that are all sulfate free, paraben free and animal cruelty free. The best thing is that this isn’t a one and done solution. Formulate can redo formulas and send brand new sets, for free. Their goal is to create the best formula for you, so you can stop wasting money on trying out new products. Fun bonus, they have a super user friendly app. You can schedule your shipments from there and adjust your formula.

I remember years ago, my husband and I were talking and he made an observation, that I was very liberal with my soap use. He said it so easily, like everyone knew this was true about me. I did not know, but apparently I use a lot of hand soap, body soap, shampoo, detergent, all of the above. I totally thought that a good lather equaled a good clean. I learned through this process that many sulfate-free shampoos do not lather and lather has nothing to do with cleanliness. Mind blown and product not wasted! My Formulate consultant also told me that my hair might get oily, dry, residue feeling, or heavy. She reminded me not to panic, as this is very common. Using shampoo with sulfates strips your scalp of oil so thoroughly, that your scalp has gone into overdrive, trying to produce way more oil than usual to protect itself from the elements.

I’ve been using my special formula for a little over a month and I love it. I love the packaging, the smell, the creamy texture and the lasting results. If you decide to purchase, first you just want to stare at it. How unique are those bottles? Second, you want to make sure you shake your Shampoo and Conditioner very well to make sure everything is mixed and to the consistency that the chemists intended. Last, remember to listen to your body- specifically your scalp. As mentioned, certain ingredients take a bit of time to get your hair used to them, but if there are other aspects you do not like, feel free to report it and get your formula updated. This is a formula that is unique to you and it should meet and exceed all expectations. My second shipment is supposed to arrive today and I’m super excited to open it.

So enough about me, time to talk about you. Would you like the opportunity to have your own customized Shampoo and Conditioner created? Enter using this link and you could win your very own set for free. Fear not, if you do not win, all entries will receive $5 off their Formulate purchase.

Are you ready for a Shampoo and Conditioner that will evolve with you? Turning your hair from okay hair to perfectly-you hair! Jump on this Formulate train!