Our hair changes over the years—some even notice a 4-7 year cycle. I couldn’t begin to say where I am in my hair growth cycle, but recently it became evident that my hair was not loving its current situation.
I felt done lazily picking a grocery store bottle and calling it a day; it was time for a big upgrade. So I took a deep dive into the top recommended haircare brands out there: Prose, Aveda, Amika, and Olaplex.
We’ve got a lot of great contenders here, including brands that hair stylists recommend, but my own extensive trials have shown that one totally outshines the rest. Check it out:
If you have oily roots & dry ends…Prose
*Eagerly raises hand.* Yep, that’s me. And Amika’s got a clarifying & cleansing collection to take care of that. But here’s the thing: my light, limp hair could use some volume help, too.
With Amika, you’ve got to explore a completely separate line of haircare to meet another need. I could buy two shampoos, but then how would I decide which to use? Confusing. I found that with Prose’s custom haircare, you tell them all your hair needs and goals, and they create a custom formula to check your boxes in one single shampoo. 💆♀️🧴
On another note, there’s dry shampoo to tide you over ‘til the next wash. Amika’s best-selling dry shampoo was serving me well until I tried to board a plane with it. Womp. Prose’s non-aerosol dry shampoo is TSA-friendly and works just as well.
If you want to define & elongate curls without weighing them down…Prose
Curly girls might already know that both Aveda and Amika have curly hair collections with all sorts of hydrating shampoos, conditioners, gels, and oils. But Prose takes into account 85 factors from your consultation for a complete picture of your curls — and what they need.
We’re talking curl patterns (wavy, curly, coily), hair density, humidity where you live, and all sorts of other things that never occurred to me but make so much sense. They zero in on the specifics and target them with the clean ingredients your hair needs.
If you’re a frequent heat styler… OLAPLEX
Hair people know that OLAPLEX is the holy grail of hair repair. They developed and patented an ingredient called Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate to address disulfide hair bonds.
If you’re like me and only use heat tools on your hair sometimes, you can protect those strands before they’re damaged with Prose’s heat-protectant ingredients. My favorite is their leave-in conditioner, which offers heat protection for up to 450°F.*
If you love experimenting with color… it’s a tie
If you’re rocking bleached hair, Prose has a custom purple conditioner that goes beyond just protecting your color. Their anti-brass ingredients help to neutralize warm tones — and they’re added into your regular conditioner so you know your needs are being handled by one product.
Prose is my top choice as someone with lighter hair, and if you indicate that you have dyed hair of any sort, they’ll hook you up with fully color-safe products. A note for babes with funky hues that want to stay vibrant for as long as possible: Aveda and Amika both have specific lines that are meant to promote longer-lasting color in dyed hair.
If you could use a morning mood boost… Prose
I am a deep sleeper, not an early riser at all, and there is no right side of the bed I could possibly wake up on. I couldn’t have anticipated how much joy it would bring me to see my name on my shampoo and conditioner bottles in the morning, and the luxe fragrance options are a dose of aromatherapy I’ve come to look forward to.
Those small details make something that’s already special—a just-for-me formula that gives me good hair day after good hair day—and takes it to the next level. It’s the Good Mood level.
No shampoo can do it all, but Prose can do anything you need
It’s a wondrous time to be a human being who washes their hair—there are so many high-quality choices! From my experience, none compare to what Prose offers. Having the details of my hair and lifestyle taken into consideration, and then addressed by a custom routine of shampoo, conditioner, and more is my dream come true.
