Being your typical type-A personality, I thought I had prepared for everything that pregnancy would bring. Nausea, fatigue, achy joints—whatever it was, I had a plan in place. What I hadn't expected, or prepared for, was a dry, itchy scalp. I did some investigating, and it turns out that lots of expectant moms experience profound changes to their hair and scalp that can persist even after giving birth.
What I couldn't find was an adequate solution. I tried dry-scalp shampoo from the drugstore and even a more expensive product recommended by a hair stylist, but it's hard to find products with natural ingredients that treat dry scalp. Since becoming pregnant with my first child, I've been even more careful with what I'm putting in and on my body. So, I even tried various essential oils that provided short-term relief but left my hair lank. Nothing really worked. That's why I was relieved when a friend who'd gone through the same thing recommended Prose, a new hair care brand that makes custom products for your hair.
Prose uses natural active ingredients to create your custom routine that consists of a pre-shampoo treatment mask, shampoo, and conditioner, all of which are formulated in the New York-based lab to meet your specific hair needs and goals. Taking into account your hair type, styling preferences, history of treatments, lifestyle, and external factors, Prose is the ultimate solution to addressing hair and scalp issues without compromising the look and feel that you want.
When I signed up for Prose online, I was taken through a consultation so their chemists could determine the best formula for me. I was impressed by the questions, which asked about my diet and stress level, and even presented me with the UV, pollution, and humidity levels in my zip code. Next, I chose my personal preferences. I opted for a lychee, rose, and strawberry scented formula, that was vegan and silicone-free. I am super conscious of what kinds of products I expose my body (and my baby) to, so was very happy to see that all Prose products are free of parabens, dyes, sulfates, and GMOs. Once the consultation was finished, I was given a comprehensive breakdown of my hair type and needs, as well as the list of ingredients that would comprise my made-to-order mask, shampoo, and conditioner. My formula included soothing ingredients like reed extracts and jujube bark for my dry scalp, pomegranate peel to help control scaliness and itching, as well as collagen and lilac to repair the hair's core and add a nourishing outer layer.
I am happy to report that the formula actually worked! Not only is my dry scalp finally feeling relief, but my hair has also kept all of the thickness and volume that I had when I was pregnant!Being under so much physical and emotional stress, the small details made a difference; I loved having something packaged so beautifully with my name on it. The products look and smell amazing, and it was nice to spend some time each day on the kind of beauty regimen that I'd expect from a trendy salon.
My hair and scalp feel the best they have in months, and now I know I have a healthy hair care regimen that I can stick to throughout my pregnancy and post-baby. Pregnancy comes with a whole host of unpleasant side effects, but at least a dry, itchy scalp does not have to be one of them.