If you spend any time in front of your television, and if the channel miraculously finds its way to QVC, perhaps you've seen the glamorous and persuasive informercial for the line of hair care products called Wen.
Now, normally on Weird Product Wednesdays, I like to feature a product I have used. But I'm making an exception this week, because it's the marketing and ingredient list of this product line that is weird to me. I have no first-hand experience with it -- and soon you will know why.
So, one morning as I ate my yogurt and muesli before work, I was channel surfing and saw the ad for this new line. Some celebrity was shilling it; Melissa Gilbert, I believe. Because it was a hair product, it immediately grabbed my attention. And then when they started condemning shampoo and talking about unnecessary it was, I settled in to hear more.
As with any marketing schtik worth its salt, you don't just buy one product -- you buy a whole line of them. Cleansing Conditioner, Styling Creme, Re Moist Intensive, Texture Balm, and oooooh, they throw in a comb. At no point, though, do they tell you what's in the products beyond the pretty stuff like almond oil and herbs. But they spend lots of time telling you how bad sulfates and detergents are, so if you're CG, you keep watching.
I waited until the end of the program, and then went to the company's Web site, in search of an ingredient list. I also went to the discussion boards at naturallycurly.com to see if anybody there had used this product line. Not many had (this was last summer). And then I found the ingredient lists.
Holy "Cone"heads, Batman!
The Cleansing Conditioner is not too terrible for CGers, but it does contain amodimethicone, which hardcore types like me would want to avoid:
Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Wheat, Protein, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Amodimethicone, Citric Acid, Menthol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance (Parfum, Limonene.
But let's face it... There's nothing in that list that's especially wonderful or that you couldn't find in other conditioners. (Plus, it has too much glycerin for my finicky hair.) Next, the Styling Creme:
Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polyacrylamide, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Panthenol, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum), Citral, Citronellol, Hydroxycitronellal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool.
Hear that siren in the background? It's the silicone police! And these are not the lightweight kinds of silicone -- they are the heavy hitters, people. Only the very cleansers that Chaz Dean and company steer clear of are the substances that will remove what's in this product. Is that crazy or what?
The Hair Repair Mask seems okay except for a little amodimethicone:
Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol,Glyceri, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Bark Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Gardenia Tahitensis Flower, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Menthol, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Annatto (CI 75120).
But you'll probably want to step away from the Texture Balm:
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Beeswax, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Paraffin, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Sorbitan Oleate, Propylparaben, Canola Oil Glyceride, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Citric Acid, TBHQ, Propylene Glycol, Fragrance (Parfum), Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.
The Texture Balm also contains castor oil, a viscous oil that some folks find very difficult to remove, even with shampoo. The hydrogenation process may make it less onerous but it's still an issue for many curlies.
It's weird that a product line based on the notion that traditional shampoo is damaging would offer up potions that need shampoo to remove it from the hair.
Have you used this stuff? What did you think of it?
21 comments:
Never used it, never will because 1) the cone police would get me, and 2) it's crazy expensive!! A little 6 oz bottle is $14 on curlmart and the directions say to use 20-30 pumps, then rinse, then another 10-15 pumps! At that rate, you'd be stocking up every couple of weeks! Yikes
I'm glad you posted this. I saw this 30 month supply where you get the conditioner, styling creme and balm for $29.95 but, hadn't gotten around to researching the ingredients yet.
I am also glad you posted this.
Funny how they are against sulfate but sell cone laden products, they must not know how about build up... or just don't care.
I tried Sally Beauty's (much cheaper) version of the cleanser when I was doing non CG products. Nothing to write home about, except it seemed to make me lose more than my usual amount of hairs each time I washed. Good moisturizing, but overall not worth it for me.
The Paraffin in the Texture Balm is actually the worst ingredient. Castor oil is a healthy oil for many heads.
I use Wen Hair products and love it!!! This product does better for my hair than any product that you could buy in a retail store. Yes, it is costly but my hair and I are worth it. As they say you get what you pay for, and it is so true in this case. I have very thick hair and tends to dry in the winter but no more and it is a lot more manageable. I recommend this to anyone, it cannot be any worst than what you buy in other products.
Starr sounds like a spokesperson for the company...never addressed anything said in your article! Being in Marketing, myself, seems super obvious this person is a plant. I'm very grateful for your informative article! It's saved me money, that's for certain. I was curious about it but then figured I should check the ingredients first, in case it's nothing special - and sure enough! You rock! Thanks for helping us all!
Wish I had seen this before I fell under the infomercial spell. I bought the introductory package off the infomercial website and tried the products for a week. After the first use of the sweet almond mint cleansing conditioner, (carefully followed directions and used ALOT of product) my hair looked like I had washed it with soap. Dull, dry, frizzy, and very tangled ends. "OK, my hair is going through an adjustment period", I think to myself. Next time I try the ReMoist intensive hair treatment. Seems to be a thicker version of the cleansing conditioner. Hair still looks dull and has frizz, and now I see a lot of breakage, especially at the ends that have been getting increasingly dry and tangled. I have long(about 6" below armpit)wavy hair. using the recommended amounts of this product, I would go through a full 12oz bottle within days. So besides the ridiculous out of control expense, the product seemed to actually damage my hair and leave it in worse shape than ever. NO thanks. No more WEN for me!
PEGs, parabens, THBQ... no thanks :)
I've never used Wen, but I'm never going to. I'll stick to my shampoo. I use baby shampoo half the time, and I love it. It's soap free, and it doesn't strip my hair.
Thanks will stick with Burt's Bee's. Love it. I also use castile soap. Usualy the tea tree kind. Had to repair my scalp after coloring caused burning scalp syndrome.
I've never used it for 2 reasons. He said on the ad that shampoos strip hair of their own natural "essential oils". Ummm, plants have essential oils. Not hair. There were also a couple of other things he said that proved to me he is an idiot and has no idea what he's talking about. But here's the main reason. Have you ever looked up Wen in the dictionary? Ever wondered what it means? Well here you go...
wen [wen]
noun
1.
Pathology . a benign encysted tumor of the skin, especially on the scalp, containing sebaceous matter; a sebaceous cyst.
eeeeewwwww! lol
First week of using this it was brilliant! I have very healthy glassy hair so after first few uses noticed I had to tone it right back, and use in frequently. The reason I googled the ingredients is I wanted to learn how much protein was in the product' as I just got extensions and was told to avoid protein based hair care products. It makes sense after reading this why my natural hair had more weight.
I truly believed this product was suited to another hair type other than mine, but if what you say is true, I guess I take it on board. My hair dresser always recommends great products, unfortunately no hair type is the same, and from someone who has spent a fortune on products it just shows you just try everything.
This stuff makes your hair look greasy- wish I hadn't bouhgt it- all hype
I have been using Wen shampoo for off and on for over a year now. I have long straight silver hair and this product actually keeps the yellow away and keeps my hair soft. If I overdo it on products, this shampoo does not wash it out, so I use a regular sulfate-free shampoo first and then Wen and my hair feels clean and soft and managable. The price keeps me walking away, but the results keep me coming back.
I do not work for Wen!
This product is nasty. It makes your hair greasy..even on tv the models hair looks stuck together and greasy. It made my hair fall out..the second indgrident is alchol and how many people put castor oil on their hair. That is another indigredient. Don't make this dude rich..he is conning you. This product is just nasty!!
I tried the cleansing conditioner and really liked it, even though I knew it was just coating my hair.
I didn't bother with any of the other products. The 'shampoo' isn't really that expensive for me as I've got a chin-length bob so I use WAY less than some folks with long hair.
I use a gentle shampoo (made by a company called Lush) once a week.
I used the cleansing conditioner and liked it a lot, but I didn't bother with any of the other products.
I've got a chin-length bob, so I really don't need the heavy stuff and I use much less product.
I use a gentle shampoo (from a company called Lush) once a week so my hair doesn't get too coated.
Hey peoples :) I too saw this amazing looking add last night and couldn't believe it myself, my big alert is the sulfates and silicone, however for all you guys looking for a good treatment I highly reccomend deep conditoning your hair with a mayo/egg/ olive oil mixture it really does work, I've been battling damaged hair being I dye and straightened my hair daily for a very long time. I know it sounds nasty, and smelly but the protiens are amazing for your hair and what the hay theirs no harm in trying a all natural solution right ;) goodluck!
I'm a HUGE FAN of EWG.org, and use it liberally, so I was wondering why your BOLD ingredients picked up on some non-issues and missed soooo many others? Try it, very anti-cancer, anti-allergy, anti-toxic ingredients, and they're very upfront when it comes to limited or no data molecules. Enjoy and use wisely. Also, for those that are interested - ACURE, now out in WF markets seems to be the most biologically- & environmentally-friendly, with others like Allafia, Aubrey, etc... And not so expensive, especially considering what good you're doing your body.
If wen is supposed to be so good, you shouldn't be able to pick out a list of damaging ingredients, Sxxxx Wxxxx. One bad apple can spoil the barrel!
Here's something I started two months ago which has cleared up my dandruff and keeps my hair clean and managable for days on end. Best of all, it costs less than 75 cents and is available in every grocery store!
Baking Soda :)
Mix some in a cup with water, pour it on your head and rub it around, rinse it out. It's wonderful.
I finish up in the shower with vinegar, and then chi silk infusion on my ends after it's all dry. But you should finish up however you're the most comfortable with.
What have you got to lose? If you don't like the baking soda, just stick it in the fridge for its "normal" purpose.
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