Function of Beauty Now Has Affordable, Personalized Styling Products — And We Put Them to the Test
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Instead of spending a fortune, you can get a tailor-made styling product for less than $20.
Function of Beauty
This may sound like an exaggeration but my hair is my prized possession — I treat it like my own child and, frankly, spend way too much money than I’d like to admit to ensure it stays looking vibrant, shiny, and healthy. But in all honesty, there’s no limit (okay, almost no limit) to what I would spend to have hair products that are customized specially for my strands.
That’s why I’ve been hooked on Function of Beauty since it first launched in 2015. The brand’s tailor-made shampoo and conditioner continue to be a staple in my shower after years of use. My hair has become less frizzy, more manageable, and all-around healthier. But I understand that $50+ for hair care (even if it is custom-made) simply isn’t attainable for everyone.
Luckily, Function of Beauty just launched a new line of personalized hair styling products that are a fraction of the price of their original offerings and are exclusively available at Target. The new line features one styling product designed for each type of hair texture (straight, wavy, curly, and coily), which can be enhanced with specialized boosters to address a wide range of hair struggles, including frizz, brittleness, and dullness, just to name a few. The base stylers are $13, while the two-packs of boosters clock in at less than $4 a pop — meaning you can get a tailor-made hair styling product for less than $20.
Our team at InStyle has a wide range of hair types and textures, so leading up to the launch, Function of Beauty sent us the line to test out for ourselves. Each team member selected a product to match their respective texture, then infused it with two boosters that fit their hair needs and incorporated the styler into their hair routine for two weeks. You can find detailed reviews on each product — based on hair texture — below, as each editor provided intensive feedback on their respective styler. Plus, you can find our overall thoughts on the line, too.
Function of Beauty Soft Bounce Texturizing Hair Spray
Straight hair has a tendency to fall flat faster than other hair types, which is why Function of Beauty formulated a lightweight texturizing spray for the hair type that won’t weigh it down. Made with coconut sugar and rice protein to boost volume and keep strands feeling soft rather than crunchy, the fast-acting spray just needs to be spritzed on damp hair — then you can either blow dry or let your hair air dry.
For Commerce Writer, Bianca Kratky (who added in the volumize and thermal protection boosters), her favorite aspect of the spray was how it left her hair feeling. “As someone who doesn’t typically use any styling products, I was worried it would make my hair feel sticky or clumpy, but it did not,” she says. “The product dissolved into my hair pretty seamlessly and didn't leave an icky hair spray feel, which I appreciate.”
Bianca Kratky
That said, Kratky didn’t see a major difference in her hair volume while air drying (which she attributes to her being very thick and heavy), but she loves the collection’s customizable aspect and is looking forward to incorporating it into her routine on the regular, especially for the added thermal protection. “Compared to other customizable hair products in the market, this is a steal,” she says. “I like that you can combine different boosters, allowing you to have more benefits in a single bottle.”
Function of Beauty Zero Gravity Styling Hair Mousse
When you think of hair mousse, you may imagine a thick, heavy cream. You can erase that preconceived notion when it comes to the Zero Gravity Styling Mousse, though, because its cloud-like texture is an airy foam, rather than a dense cream. Infused with aloe juice and apple extract, the multi-purpose formula creates weightless volume, minimizes frizz, softens strands, and enhances natural waves.
As someone with waist-length fine hair, it’s been difficult for me to incorporate any sort of mousse into my hair routine because typically my hair looks weighed down almost instantly — but that hasn’t been the case with this weightless styler. I added the color protection and shine boosters to the formula and have noticed that my hair color has stayed vibrant for longer (as someone with dyed red hair, that’s extremely important to me) and my hair is significantly shinier. Although the most impressive difference in my hair has been its manageability.
Mary Honkus
Especially in the winter months, my hair gets tangled so much more easily from wearing coats and scarves, but when I use this mousse, I rarely have to brush through my hair after removing my layers. This is a total game-changer for me because, along with keeping my strands smoother, it has lessened the hair breakage that has been almost inevitable every winter.
In terms of wave definition (it is a wavy hair product, after all), I will say my hair has a beachier effect when I let it air dry after running the mousse through from root to ends, but there’s not much difference when I blow dry it, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind, too.
Function of Beauty Super Shape Curl Hair Cream
Those with curly hair know the drill: Styling products are absolutely essential to ensure your ringlets are defined, well-moisturized, and frizz-free. If your hair has a looser curl pattern, Function of Beauty developed the Super Shape Curl Cream specifically for you.
Together, moringa oil and sugarcane work to tighten and define your natural curl pattern, while simultaneously increasing shine, deeply conditioning, and making your ringlets more manageable overall. Simply apply two to three pumps (depending on your hair length) to damp strands from root to end, then scrunch upwards and either air or blow dry with a diffuser.
Senior Commerce Editor Chloe Anello tried both routes. She air-dried and diffuse-dried her hair while testing this line out and recommends the former for the best results. “My hair actually looked better when it air dried,” she says. “It was much more lifted and defined.” But overall, her hair wasn’t as voluminous or defined as she had hoped it would be (despite using the anti-frizz and curl definition boosters).
“My hair is very thin, which makes it difficult to find products that nourish my curls without making it too heavy,” explains Anello. She thinks that the curl cream would work better for those with a more coarse hair texture, but says the product is still definitely worth a shot if you’re looking for something that’s personalized to your needs. “The price makes it worthwhile if this is something you want to try, but don't want to spend money on a product that will potentially not work for you.”
Function of Beauty Moisturizing Hair Styling Gel
Like we said above, most curls need all the products to keep them looking and feeling their best — but if your hair happens to be tight and coily, a styling gel is an absolute necessity to keep it smooth, soft, and defined. The key ingredient in this lightweight gel is carob tree seed oil, which not only deeply conditions, but also refines and strengthens hair without flaking or making it feel crunchy.
Our Commerce Writer, Linne Halpern, has 3B hair. For years, she’s had a tried-and-true routine down pat, but this gel (which she infused with the curl definition and deep condition boosters) made her reevaluate her beloved go-to products. “I immediately noticed an improvement in my curl definition, and my curls felt very light and bouncy,” she says. “My hair actually felt very soft, which is rare to achieve in conjunction with frizz-free strands (my biggest pet peeve is crunchy curls and this did NOT do that).”
Halpern did have some apprehension at first, though, due to the gel’s goopy texture, but she says that once it’s applied, the gel “ really soaks right in to create full, defined, and very soft curls.”
This is a personal preference, but one change she would make is to the packaging. She wishes it came in a pump or squeeze bottle, versus a jar you have to dip into, for a mess-free application.
Overall Thoughts
It’s virtually unheard of to find any sort of personalized hair care for under $25, so overall, our team agrees that this line is definitely worth the price — especially if you’ve never tried any styling products and want to start incorporating some into your routine. With 10 boosters to choose from, you can really craft your own hair care product that caters to your hair goals while also addressing any hair challenges.
The one thing we all weren’t total fans of was the scent: It is a fruity, mango-forward fragrance that smells slightly synthetic and is very strong when first applied. “I'd choose a more soothing scent,” says Halpern. That said, it does fade quickly and despite the fruity flavor, it didn’t deter any of us from using the product in the end. If you’re sensitive to scent, it is something to keep in mind.
Why Trust InStyle
Mary Honkus is the commerce editor at InStyle. With five years of experience in the industry, she spends her time testing out the latest hair, makeup, skincare products. With the help of InStyle staffers, Chloe Anello, Bianca Kratky, and Linne Halpern, the team tested the new styling products from Function of Beauty for two weeks in order to properly report on the results from using the new personalized line.
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