Team 20/20 Product Review: WEN Cleansing Conditioner

The trend for naturally curly hair is to use a system that simultaneously cleanses and conditions without stripping the hair of its natural oils and luster. Wen, a hair product line by celebrity hair stylist Chaz Dean, is all the rage now.

You cannot make it through a night of un-DVR'd television without seeing a WEN-fomercial. Customers are swearing by this All-In-One system, leaving their hair in its non-lathering hands. Sounds interesting!
So is it the answer to the unhealthy hair blues or what? Let's take a look…

Here's the claim for Wen:

WEN® Cleansing Conditioner is a revolutionary new concept in hair care. A 5-in-1 formula, this one product takes the place of your shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, detangler and leave-in conditioner.

It cleanses hair thoroughly but without lathering and all the harsh ingredients that may be found in ordinary shampoos—it is designed so it won't strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils.

Your hair is left with sheen, moisture, manageability and better color retention.

My results:

Nothing was more exciting than the thought of trying WEN and falling madly in love! So when I say upset, it means the Grinch face is in full effect.

Something about having to use so much product is quite bothersome, especially for the price. Directions say to use 5-7 pumps PER SECTION. With my head of hair, I used around 40 pumps—1/6 of a bottle. All of us have different cleansing schedules with our hair, but for me, using that much products that turns into a tidy sum by the end of the month.

From the WEN FAQ section:

It seems like I'm using a lot of product. Can I use too much?

WEN® isn't like an ordinary shampoo so you want to use more of it, not less. You can never use too much! The more you use, the better the results.

Instead of a healthy sheen, my hair looked more  scare crow straw-like and my roots felt dense and product-y. One more ray of sunlight and each strand would have combusted. I felt like I had  been rinsing this Wen Cleansing Conditioner out for a long time but it was still there. 

Pomegranate was the ingredient of choice, however, the scent was nothing reminiscent of  the fruit.

If you are choosing to go natural, WEN may not be your best bet. Those used to a more hardcore natural regimen, comparatively, this is more like co-washing EVERY time.

Before: My hair (completely dry) was somewhat tamed, minimal frizz and a natural sheen.

After: My hair (damp) is frizzy after detangling feels brittle.

Possible, as just a conditioner, WEN might work. A 5-in1 product, WEN Cleansing Conditioner does not work. Not for my naturally curly hair.  The only way WEN Cleansing Conditioner would work is if I pre-washed my hair, then pack on the extra conditioner later, which in turn, defeat the purpose of this cleansing conditioner.

Bling Factor:

Pros: None. Umm… Sorry.

Cons: Leaves hair dirty, drying, uninviting scent

Price: $30 trial

Buy Again: NO

Packaging: 3 Blings

Overall: 1 Bling

Editor's note:

To ensure a fair review, we tried this product on 3 others of our team with similar negative results.