Shtrands is a subscription box that delivers personalized hair care products to your door every two months. The website promises that their hairstylists and chemists will choose products that let you discover and explore “luxurious, high quality hair care products, so you can achieve salon professional results at home.” Subscriptions start at $59 for delivery every two months.
This is my first time trying a box like this — but I will tell you I was super excited, because I have horrible hair! No really. My hair is dry and frizzy…because I swim and I run outside in the sun and I have my hair colored. Plus I live in the hideously humid mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Mostly I spend the summer with my hair pulled into a ponytail – and even then, it’s still a puff of frizz. And of course, since I live in ponytails (and have for most of my life), I have some thin patches too. Yep – I have HORRIBLE hair. So I was excited to see what the folks at Shtrands recommended for me!
Here’s what was inside the postal box – a card welcoming me to Shtrands and a funky burlap bag with products inside.
Before I show you what they sent me in the bag, I should tell you how Shtrands knew what to send. When you sign up, you fill out an extensive questionnaire on the website. They ask about your normal hair care routine (how often do you shampoo, deep condition, etc.), styling routine (blow dry, curling iron, etc.), hair length/color/texture/style, what types of products and scents you prefer (and don’t like), and more. I told them all about my horrible hair…so let’s see what they send me!
Each shipment of Shtrands “represents a regiment (made of 4 full size products) personalized to your hair and scalp type and concerns.” Here are the four products I got – shampoo, conditioner, leave-in product, and a therapy hair booster. The products are sized to last for the two months between shipments.
In addition to the products, there is an information card.
The back of the card includes handwritten and personalized instructions for how I should use the products! This is super helpful for me, because I’ve never been very sophisticated about beauty products. I like how they told me exactly how and when to use the products to achieve the best results. And who doesn’t love handwritten notes – it makes everything feel more personal and special.
Teadora Shampoo & Conditioner ($52/set): This shampoo and conditioner contains a bunch of “rainforest superfruit ingredients” from the Amazon that “prevent split ends, prolong the life of hair color, provide great frizz control, restore damaged hair, and protect against UV ray damage.” Sounds exactly like what my hair needs!
I have used these products a few times now – the shampoo creates a nice lather and the conditioner is super luxurious. The scent is very earthy, almost woody – it was very different, but very pleasant. The scents are also 100% natural, which I like a lot. My hair also feels clean, healthy, and soft. I like these products a lot. A LOT!
It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product ($18): OK, I almost feel a little embarrassed to admit this, but we already had this product in my house. My younger daughter swims and her hair stylist had recommended it for her hair care regimen. Why I never thought to buy some for myself, well…I have no idea.
This product is a leave-in deep conditioner that repairs dry hair, controls frizz, protects hair color, and prevents split ends and hair breakage. Well, those all sound like things my horrible hair could use! I have used this product a couple of times, following the instructions the Shtrands folks wrote for me (on damp hair after washing). I think my hair does feel a lot softer and healthier – although I want to use it a few more times before I can say for sure. My daughter loves it – it helps her detangle her hair after swimming and also keeps it from getting a straw-like texture from the chlorine and the sun. I’m pretty sure it will also work well for my hair.
Nioxin Intensive Therapy Hair Booster ($16): I’ve heard about Nioxin but I’ve never tried it before. It seems to get good reviews from people, so I’m looking forward to seeing if it works from me. As I mentioned, I have some thin spots in my hair, so this product could be great. I’ve applied it as written by the Shtrands folks, but it takes some time to work, so I can’t tell you about that aspect yet. It’s a little bit tingly when you apply it and it has a little bit of a medicine smell, but the good news is that the earthy smell of the Teodora shampoo/conditioner lingers much longer, so later in the day, my hair smells good and not like medicine. I’m going to give this product a go and see whether I get good results from it.
What happens after this? Before shipping another regimen in two months (depending on your subscription), Shtrands will send an email to get feedback, allowing you to request a completely new regimen, the same regimen, or a mix of new products and “ones you already received and loved.” With each shipment, you’ll get a new handwritten card with instructions and tips.
As I mentioned above, I’m not terribly sophisticated when it comes to beauty products, so I would generally hesitate to spend $50 on shampoo and conditioner…especially if I wasn’t sure whether the products were right for me. Having Shtrands specially select the products for me, however, takes away some of that fear and makes me more willing to buy good products. Plus, now that I’ve seen how well Shtrands picked products based on my questionnaire, I actually think the price is quite a bargain to get exactly what my hair needs!
Bottom Line: I think this is a great subscription box. I want to have not-horrible hair, but I don’t have the first clue how to go about it. Having hair care professionals select products for me based on my hair and my concerns is a fantastic way to fix this problem, plus having a subscription that lets you try different products every couple months (or better yet, keep getting what you like and what works!) seems like a great way to figure out how to have fantastic hair. I am super pleased with my first experience with Shtrands and I think other people would like it too!
What do you think of Shtrands? If you’d like to give it a try save 15% on your first month with coupon code HAIRLOVE.
Visit Shtrands to subscribe or find out more!
The Description: Shtrands delivers customized high quality hair care regimen every other month to women. One regimen consists of 4 full size products among cleansing, conditioning and styling. We are a team of cosmetic chemists and hairstylists that recommend and deliver professional hair care products. The regimens are customized to match all types of hair and textures.
The Price: $59.00 every other month
The Categories: Beauty Subscription Boxes. Beauty Subscription Boxes with Full-Sized Items, Subscription Boxes for Hair.
The Reviews: See all our Shtrands Reviews.
Comments
What a great service! I’d be interested in trying something like this; I strictly use salon products but I kind of just use whatever my stylist uses on me and don’t really troubleshoot my hair woes too much.
Thank you, Valerie! I’m Lacramioara, the founder of Shtrands. We have ‘salon-only’ brands as well but we work with variety of smaller , indie brands (like Teadora here) that have high performant products. If you have any questions pls don’t hesitate to ask me .
Thank you so much KJ for this thoughtful and very detailed review of our service!
Just a note here for the audience that we also added a plan that delivers every 3 months. Same price, just every 3 month delivery. Based on the feedback of few of our customers who told us they don’t finish the products in 2 months. So, depending on the frequency of use and hair texture, you may opt for 2 or 3 month plan.
Thank you again!
That’s great – I’m definitely a two-month kind of person…I wash my hair a lot given how much I work out – but I know a lot of people who don’t wash their hair as much and would probably prefer the 3-month.. So nice to have options!
I LOVE It’s a 10, such a great brand!
xo, Syd
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