I am smack dab in the middle of an experiment and I am going to let you in on it! If the outcome is favorable then we have just come to the end of many of our hair woes. If it is not favorable, well then we just tried yet another product that did not support its claims (which is unfortunately often the case).
This whole experiment began after my older daughter had a hair care setback (mentioned in Hair Woes) that prompted me to add special aide to her hair care regime. Because of the setback her hair condition was much dryer and seemed to require more moisture than before. Our regular hair care champion Kera Kare by Avlon was not cutting the mustard and it seemed that with every shampoo it got dryer and dryer.
I complained and lamented audibly daily about how I was having no success in finding a product that would help my child’s hair retain moisture. I tried “kiddie” products, ethnic products, organic products, etc, etc. I was stumped. Then my caring husband (who was probably tired of hearing my complaints) happened to be watching an info-mercial one day advertising WEN by Chaz Dean. Surely, you are laughing by now as many of you have probably seen this product advertised on QVC. As you may have noticed there are very few people of color in the advertisement and no children to speak of. BUT the tag line really caught his attention, “A new approach to the way you cleanse your hair”.
WEN claims to have all natural ingredients that are much healthier alternatives to “harsh” shampoos laced with sodium laurel sulfate (a strong lathering detergent). Many celebrity clients endorse the product, like the always beautiful, Holly Robinson Peete. And Mr. Chaz Dean is a pretty convincing force in the marketing scheme given the fact he has a large catalog of “A” listers whom he’s styled over the years who sing his praises. Convinced by the hype, my husband said, “We should at least give it a try”.
I, on the other, did not want to “give it a try”. It looked rather fishy to me. The concept didn’t even make sense. NO SHAMPOO! What in the world was a “cleansing conditioner”? Well since, the WEN Healthy Hair Care System had a 60 day money back guarantee and the 30 day supply came by way of free shipping, reluctantly, I decided to order Sweet Almond Mint via the internet.
When the product arrived it was packaged rather modestly and it did look very “organic”. The appearance of the container gave a “zen”, tranquil sense. It smelled clean and refreshing. It felt light and moist to the touch. I was not sold, but I was intrigued.
Fast forward to the present. I have used the product three times on my daughter’s hair. I am not overwhelmed by its performance (yet). I can say, however, that I have seen some positive improvements, like increased moisture retention and with that her hair has begun to look lively again. It looks healthy and has a natural intrinsic shine. Also, her hair is soft to the touch and not brittle. At this point I have not seen much improvement on manageability, especially in the detangling category. I still have to employ other products for that duty.
In fairness to the products claims, I have read various different reviews from various different sources that maintain that success with WEN requires multiple applications, multiple uses. You will then see gradual improvement over time. Most of its users are Caucasian and wash their hair more frequently than I wash my daughter’s, so they are in a position to notice results much more quickly, siting noticeable improvements within a week (3-6 shampoos). To see the same level of improvement I guess it would be closer to two months given the fact we shampoo bi-weekly.
Nonetheless, there have been some improvements in my daughter’s hair, enough for me not to write it off. And though I do not think WEN will be the Nirvana it markets its self as being, I feel it will be a benefit to our hair care program. I will post results and improvements as they take place.
Pros:
- Money Back Guarantee
- Added moisture retention and shine
- Easy to understand instructions; simple process
- Helpful customer service
- Improvement in hair health as a whole, (softness, less breakage, less brittle)
- Product does not strip hair of natural oils and nutrients
Cons:
- Takes getting used to as there is no lather, the process is very different than the usual shampooing experience
- Not a good detangler (a biggie for me)
How to use WEN:
1. Part hair into for big sections
2. Saturate the hair with water (never use hot water throughout entire process)
3. Distribute product throughout hair (be very liberal if hair is thick)
4. “Scrub” scalp gently as you would with shampoo (but there will be no lather. The product will feel like a very rich conditioner)
5. Work from scalp and distribute down hair shaft
6. The longer the product stays on the better so once you have cleansed the hair you can then let it set like a conditioner
7. Rinse with warm to lukewarm water
8. Repeat if necessary
Note: surprisingly this process gets my daughter’s hair clean, which was my biggest question before purchasing it, but it really does.
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