WEN - Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing ConditionerDo you love haircare products? For the longest time I was in search of the ultimate shampoo and conditioner. I tried everything I could get my hands on! Matrix products, Paul Mitchell, etc. Now that I am a stay-at-home-mom on a budget I don't have the luxury of buying salon products as much as I would like. So when I was recently presented with the opportunity to try Wen's Cleansing Conditioner I jumped at the chance.
To give the product a fair review I read the information and instructions carefully. Before actually stepping into the shower I noticed that the Cleansing conditioner is advertised as a single step process that cleanses and conditions your hair. (Cool! Save me some time!) It is made with natural ingredients, and contains no sodium laurel sulfate or other damaging detergents found in other shampoos (Excellent! It's great to go green when you can!) The natural ingredients helps prevent stripping your hair and scalp of their natural oils (We certainly don't want that!)
Okay. So far so good. But then I began to wonder about the words they used to advertise. "Cleansing Conditioner". How is that any different from a "2-in-1" or "shampoo plus conditioner" product? Is this all just semantics? A play on words? After all, most shampoo plus conditioners are just that, a one-step process to shampoo and conditioner your hair?
Then I noticed that the instructions say to use between 16-24 pumps of the stuff! WHAT? That's a LOT of product! But wait a minute, according to the website it says for long and/or coarse hair to use 32-40 pumps! Wouldn't that be, like, the WHOLE bottle? Hmmmm. Interesting. (But I have to admit, I find this much more realistic than the "apply a dime size amount" that other shampoos instruct you to do! )
At this point I'm beginning to feel a bit skeptical because 1) the above mentioned reasons - is this all a marketing gimmick? (Use more so you have to buy more?) 2) I didn't want to be that person that fell for a product being advertised on an informercial and 3) I love my current shampoo and conditioner! This is going to be a tough sell!
So I tried it. My first experience with the cleansing conditioner was....(drum roll please....) "Wow. This stuff really wakes you up!" It made my scalp tingle and it smelled so good! For a second I even thought, "Could this be just as good as my morning coffee?" Yeah. It was THAT invigorating! (But no, it has not replaced my morning cup of Joe!) But something was missing - the LATHER. It even states on the bottle that the cleansing conditioner doesn't lather but I didn't realize how much I liked lather and bubbles and foam until I lacked it! *Sigh* That's okay because when I stepped out of the shower and combed through my hair it was like butter. It was SO SLEEK that I decided to try some in my 7-year old's hair. She loved it. NO CRYING afterwards when it was time to comb through. THAT right there should be enough to get every mom in America to buy the stuff! :)
I continued to use the product for about three weeks - every other day. I really went back and forth with, "I love it" and feeling as if I needed more conditioning. My hair definitely felt really, really clean but it still lacked that silky, soft feeling. As recommeded by the website I started adding a small amount of the product as a leave-in conditioner. I still wasn't getting the results that I wanted so I ended up conditioning my hair with my regular conditioner.
So my final thoughts and recommendations are a bit mixed. As for MY experience with the product I liked it enough that I was scraping the bottle for the very last drop. And while I felt that the Cleansing Conditioner cleaned my hair really well I felt as if it did not condition enough. Would I consider using it in conjunction with my own conditioner? YES. However, the cost is a deterrent. Actually it's not even the cost, it's the ordering of the products.
Currently their website is offering the entire Wen haircare system for $29.95 plust $5.95 shipping and handling. The system includes:
- 12 oz. Wen Cleansing Conditioner
- 2 oz. Wen Styling Cream
- 2 oz. Re Moist Intenstive Hair Repair Mask
And these bonuses:
- 10g Wen Texture Balm
- Wen Wide Toothed Shower Comb
So that's about $1.00/day if you use all the products. Not bad if you break it up that way. However, I don't like the fact that when you order the system at that price you are also committing to the automatic renewal system - every three months you are automatically billed and sent a 90 day supply of the products. Personally, for me I like the option of being able to walk into a store and purchase what I want, when I want without having to commit to anything. Maybe Wen will eventually have that option? If they did I would probably continue to use the Cleansing Conditioner (in addition to my conditioner) as well as try some of their other products.
For more information on Wen haircare products please check out their website here.
DISCLAIMER: I was given the opportunity to review this product as a result of my membership at The Product Review Place . The Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner was provided at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.
Edited to add:
ENTER TO WIN:
While scouring some blogs I found a couple of contests/reviews giving away Wen products. Check them out! Maybe you can win and try it out for free!
Simply Stacie - win the entire system! Contest ends January 13th
Mommy's Online Garage Sale - win a bottle of the Cleansing Conditioner! Contest ends January 20th
Stopping by from SITS :) I enjoyed reading your review! I hope you have had a lovely Tuesday! xo, KA
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your review :-)
ReplyDeleteIF YOU WANT TO GET RIPPED OFF, BUY IT ONLINE. I agreed on what she said above and I want to put some additional comment. For first few days I loved it as it new to me then later it became to heavy to my hair as u need to put so much of it to make it work. Realistically, kinda expensive in a way that u cannot buy single product as u have to go for like a combo even if u dont need it.
ReplyDeleteWhat made turned off with this product is like a scammy wherein you will purchse on the web like for 30 days use as a trial and then later on you will be surprised that they already take away money on your credit card by doing UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTION! which I really hate it and its no longer $40 and soemthing. The price would increase to $52 I find it ridiculous! I called their customer service and their reply was OH! IT'S AUTOMATIC AND YOU DONT HAVE AN OPTION. I was so mad and told them that what their doing is not right like a scam and doesnt stop charging your account. I told them I didnt sign any contract with you. My credit card company told me to call you and If I didnt get any good wordings from you, that's the time they gonna act on my behalf. So agent said they will cancel my account and return the box once I received the package and call them back to give them the tracking number. That was April 4, 2012. Today I called them again to give the tracking but the one I spoke with doesnt have an ethics nbor knowledge to perform as a customer service. The moment I asked her if my account has been cancelled to confirm it she started yaking and yaking saying it's automatic bla bla bla. I told her to listen to me first for her to know the purpose of my call until force me to raise my voice saying listen to me! that's the time she stopped yakking bla bla bla. I told her that I alrfeady to spoke with someone from their company and waiting for my tracking number. I gave the tracking number and asked when will I get my refund, she said 3-5 days. I asked for email confirmation of our conversation, but she refused. I asked her name, was hesitated to give. I asked her agent number and said she doesnt have any ( LIES ). Till then I need to wait. MY suggestion, IF YOU WANT TO TRY THIS PRODUCT, DONT BUY ONLINE, THEY WILL RIP U OFF! BUY IT ON LOCAL TV STORE. They have it and wont give u a hassle of unauthorized charging.
LAN