Allergic to Shampoo? Not With Prose

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We work with seasoned chemists and a team of customer service associates, dubbed The Pros, who handle your consultations and questions with care to make sure everything we deliver to your doorstep is tailor made for you—and keeps your haircare allergies in mind. To learn more, we sat down with Mindy, Prose’s OG Customer Service Manager, to discuss how Prose is helping the sensitive among us maintain beautiful, healthy hair.

How do I know if I’m experiencing an allergic reaction to my hair care?

Can you really have shampoo allergies? Allergic reactions can manifest in different ways, ranging from increased scalp sensitivity to breakouts and rashes—ouch! If you ever suspect that you’re experiencing an allergic reaction to your haircare, reach out to your doctor immediately. We also recommend consulting with an allergist to help identify your specific allergies so you know what to look out for ahead of time.

Does custom haircare help with allergies?

Is there such a thing as a shampoo for allergy sufferers? As a custom hair care brand, it’s in our DNA to accommodate each customer’s unique needs—that includes allergies. For example, our consultation offers the options of vegan and fragrance-free formulas, which helps us eliminate several possible allergens. In addition, our clean ingredient portfolio ensures that we steer clear of common hair care allergens or overly-aggressive ingredients.

What should allergy-prone customers do during their Prose consultation?

If you may be prone to allergies, you can check off common allergens in the Ingredient Preferences section of our questionnaire (i.e. vegan, etc.). At Prose, we pride ourselves in making allergy friendly shampoo. And feel free to look at our Ingredient Glossary, a comprehensive list of every single component we use and where we sourced it from, to ensure your specific allergy isn’t listed. If you do see any ingredient(s) listed, give us a shout at hello@prosehair.com—our team is happy to check if these ingredients will be used in your custom formulas. If you’re allergy-prone but not sure what exactly you’re allergic to, it’s always a great idea to consult with an allergist first.

How to properly wash your hair 

Do Prose products contain any harsh perfumes or dyes?

Prose products never contain any dyes and they’ll only contain fragrance if you want them to, since fragrance is a common allergen. Our proprietary fragrances are composed of both man-made ingredients and plant-based essential oils; they were created to enhance your wash day experience without causing any undue stress to your scalp or strands. In addition, our fragrance-free formulas do not contain chemical masking agents, which only cover up scents and exacerbate sensitivities.

Do Prose products contain any natural irritants such as mint, rosemary, lavender, ylang-ylang, tea tree oil or chamomile?

Some of these ingredients are in our portfolio, but they’re only used in formulas that can benefit from them, and in carefully selected concentrations.

Do Prose products contain abstracted irritants?

Our portfolio does include man-made ingredients such as cocamidopropyl betaine; but just like our 100% natural ingredients, these were carefully selected by our R&D Team for safety and efficacy. Cocamidopropyl betaine, a gentle cleansing agent, is a safe alternative to sulfates which we avoid in all formulas. And as part of our mission to provide the greenest formulas possible, we are working hard to remove some potential allergens from our portfolio (but not this one).

Can someone with psoriasis use Prose shampoos, conditioners, etc.?

Absolutely! Prose products are suitable for customers with psoriasis, dermatitis or an otherwise sensitive scalp. Our chemists recommend playing it safe by opting for fragrance-free formulas.

Are Prose products formulated to work with my chemically treated hair?

Chemical treatments can have a large impact on the hair, so they’re absolutely taken into account in our consultation and in each formula. For example: While all our haircare products are naturally color-safe because they’re sulfate-free, our consultation asks about color treatments to assess your hair’s need for additional color protection and its level of damage. 

A customer who frequently bleaches their hair from root to tip may see our Color Protect active ingredient (Oat Lipid + Sunflower seed extract) in their formulas, along with active ingredients to provide nutrition and repair the strands. Our consultation also takes other treatments into account such as keratin, straightening/waving, and extensions—this ensures your formulas will never contain ingredients that negatively react with your treatments, and that they’ll contain the right amount of hydrating/restorative ingredients to repair damage.

Are there any dermatologists on the R&D team?

No dermatologists, just a group of incredible chemists! It’s extremely important that our haircare  formulas are non-irritating to the scalp and eyes, which is why every product goes through rigorous third-party testing. For example: When testing a new shampoo formula, the shampoo will be applied to the skin for a full 48 hours to ensure there are no reactions after extended contact (but don’t worry, we’ll never recommend a 48-hour wash day!)

 

Does Prose sound like it’s the perfect fit for your finicky allergies? Get started with your custom Prose formula by taking your consultation here.