I feel like every time I turn on my TV, I see an infomercial for Wen by Chaz Diaz. Every commercial involves limp, low sheen hair becoming sexy and voluminous-a Carmen Electra sort of mane that inspires the tight lipped envy of every female viewer. That included me, of course.
After a few weeks of searching, I finally scored a bottle of Sweet Almond Mint from a user on Makeup Alley. Since a full size bottle costs $28 (ouch!), I really wanted to do the whole “try before I buy” thing. Boy am I glad I did!
Normally, I hate products that don’t lather-but I was prepared to give Wen a pass on that, because I knew that Wen contained no sodium laurel sulfates (the ingredients that Chaz say harm hair). However, the lack of lather was the least of my issues with the product. I’ll give you a quick run of the experience!
When I first got into the shower, I was really excited to cut down my routine time by only having to apply one product to my hair-after all, when is a “cleansing conditioner,” so the typical shampoo isn’t needed ahead of time. The bottle’s directions recommended sixteen to twenty pumps, and I was surprised to find that I actually did need at least sixteen to fully coat my short bob. I suppose that had mostly to do with the fact that the product doesn’t foam, but for $28 a bottle, I’d like it to last a long time!
Since I applied Wen to my hair as soon as I wet my hair, I rubbed it in and left it on for the rest of my shower. I enjoyed the sweet almond and mint smell; it was light enough not to overpower me, but strong enough that I could definitely enjoy the definite blend. Unfortunately, that’s where my enjoyment ended.
As soon as I stepped out of the shower, I knew something was wrong. My hair is extremely curly-though not in the tightly wound way my boyfriend’s is. Normally, as soon as I towel dry it, the twisting starts. However, after using Wen, my hair felt limp-fine, even. I had hope that my hair’s new texture meant that it would dry smoothly-I could finally give my flat iron a break!-but it only seemed to shrivel as it dried… Seriously, not EVER a word I want to use to describe my hair!
When I realized that my hair was now bent on being flat (no pun intended!) I did the usual; I flipped my hair upside down and hit it with my blow dryer. No luck. Hair spray? No difference. I must have tried five different products before I finally gave up. Even the next morning my hair was flat, even though it’s usually very 80’s metal when I wake up.
Bottom line? This is one of those situations Wen you’re better off saving your money. Seriously, grab a bottle of Johnson & Johnson Kid’s Shampoo. It’s only $2, and it makes my hair feel a heck of a lot better!
LOL Well I guess I won’t be trying that stuff now… Sounds awful!
The first time I saw Chaz Dean was on ‘How Do I Look?’ I thought the whole concept was a crock…LOL
I bought off the infomercial, with the 60 day, money back guarantee. My personal experience was great. The difference in my hair after just the one wash was almost unreal. I used it on my daughter’s hair as well. She has very fine hair that, after washing, end up a tangled mess- even with conditioner. This changed that and made her hair so much easier to comb after her having slept on it all night.
Like most products, not everything is for everyone. I say readers try the Guthy-Renker offer. You have nothing to lose with the MBG. The only reason I won’t continue with it is that it’s too pricey for my budget.
Although I am sure it will end up on eBay for less soon =)
Cindi-I’m glad you had a good experience! Maybe my problem was that I have thick hair? You could probably score a bottle on makeup alley… If you don’t know what that is, look out for a post all about it soon!
Hi Laney!! i have thick, curly hair too and i love,love,love this stuff although i did NOT like the sweet almond mint!!!! i prefer fig and have also just started using the new lavender! both are awesome for thick, curly or coarse hair. i take it with me to my hair dresser for weekly blow-outs (because i prefer to wear my hair straight) and she is amazed at how well it works for me. she has been my friend and stylist for more than 25 years and we’ve tried it ALL!!!
i believe if you try the other “fragrances” you will see a better result! xoxoxoxo
Uh oh, my wallet is groaning! I guess I’ll have to shop around, because I really want to have the great results that so many people are telling me about!
Laney,
A few more suggestions- Pureology and Alterna makes some really good products, all sulfate-free. Pricey, but a little goes a long way.
Personally, my favorite brand is Enjoy. I have been using the products for quite some time and really like them. Also, all the products are sulfate-free. I have been using the Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner and am hooked.
I have tried so many sulfate-free products over the last few years, only to be frustrated when my hair felt like straw after I was done. I did some research and the reason that happens is that your hair pH is not balanced. The Enjoy products all give the hair the proper pH level, therefore the results are great.
My local salon sells travel size bottles so you don’t have to commit to $20 plus bucks a bottle. I’d try that first.
http://www.enjoyhaircare.com/
i never saw the infomercial but randomly came across it online and wanted in on the rage! i was skeptical, esp after reading reviews on amazon.com and an infomercial review site – it seemed to work for some and not for others. however, the general consensus was that the almond mint was the one that seemed to clog people’s scalps and make their hair seem oily.
i couldnt resist and bought a bottle from amazon for $28 (fig “scent”). the smell isnt great, and the menthol “tingles” a LOT, but it wasn’t a bad product. it left my hair clean, voluminous, and almost a different texture, more fine (i have coarse asian hair). overall not a spectacular product but not bad either. BUT i hate having to pump tons of product. its not ergonomic and takes forever. id rather just pour it!
I tried Wen before and I have to say – wash with a real shampoo and if you must- use it as a conditioner…but otherwise it is expensive and I don’t recommend it either. shoppingandinfo.com
So sorry to hear your bad experience. I’ve used WEN for 2 years now and i used it with my 6 year old daughter. It money well spent in my opinion but i have Asian straight hair. Maybe that’s the difference… that sucks though that they did advertise it for all hair types and it seems to only work with straight hair… maybe they have different variations that might suit your hair type?
I have curly, dry color treated hair and love, love Cucumber aloe. It ,plus a leave-in conditioner, gives me virtually no frizz ringlets and great condition. I’ve tried the other formulas (tea tree, fig, almond mint) and they did not work as well, weighed curls down or didnt help frizz. They should do a better job of explaining that there are very different results for each “fragrance” formula.
I had the same problems when i first started using Wen too. I found that i wasnt rinsing it out completely. It definately didnt cut down on my shower time, but it didnt add that much either. You should give it another try. There are some websites that provide specific instructions and these helped me to master the “technique” and now i really love it. ( my hair is straight so i dont know if that i why i had better luck.) Also, i found that if i added a little water when applying the cleansing conditioner, i didnt have to use as much.
I personally have not tried Wen I am just here to tell people to please not use Johnson and Johnson kids shampoo on your hair especially if you are a color client. I cant stress this enough to some clients not only does it have a high Ph level 3 times what your hair is naturally supossed to be witch leads to color fading and dryness and even dry scalp over long periods of use its also tested on animals. Like people have stated above different products work differently on all people maybe you will like Wen maybe you will not, but if you all are looking for professional advice for something that is a little more accessible I highly recommend Joico color preserve in a gold bottle with a red lid not only is it Ph balanced to your natural Ph level (4.5-5.5) its got human hair proteins and improves your shine and its great for fine and thick hair textures if you have extreme frizz from curly hair or thicker hair use the color preserve shampoo with the moisture positive conditioner in a blue bottle. Well good luck all hope this helped!