Wen Story - the continuation

Somewhat well-behaved, no?

The story continues and I'm still tentatively happy with Wen. I promised pics last time and I do have closer ones of my hair...but to find them now is a problem! Still have not used some of the other products they send because of what I deem to be questionable ingredients or ingredients that do not mesh well with the Wen philosophy of natural products.

I have used Wen to cleanse then had my hair flat ironed right afterward several times now, and have been very happy with the results. My hair is definitely even more well-behaved when flat-ironed. My hair dresser seems to think my hair is looking healthy too...even though I'm not using her special treatment.

I still need to find an after-cleansing product to use that will keep my hair somewhat moisturised though. Will happily accept any suggestions that are more natural-type products with friendly-sounding ingredients. That is still the one problem I have not been able to overcome with Wen. Although I have to say, even though my hair is somewhat dry, when I use the Wen comb (the teeth are very close together) I think it helps distribute my natural oils (or any other oil I apply) so the hair does not feel as coarse to the touch although I know it is somewhat dry. The hair is well-behaved, too (in spite of me not conquering dryness completely) meaning I can still pass that fine-tooth comb through it without spending more than a few minutes to get it through! That has been the biggest plus.

I must say that for the first few times using Wen, I did not comb through the way it was recommended which I do now (mostly because I finally read all the instructions and remembered to use them), which is by parting my hair in sections so that each section gets a good amount of the cleanser on it, and I roll and pin up the sections for a few minutes then comb each out separately as I rinse. I have decided that this technique really works in contributing to well-behaved hair because in the end after the rinse, my hair is lying smoothly all around my head and not in a tangled mass, which is how it was before I started using the comb during the rinse. The instructions do not say to part hair in sections but I just find that this helps me a lot maybe because of the amount of hair on my head and the fact that it needs so much rehab!
I noticed one time when putting oil in my hair that it behaved even better after the oil application, which I did mainly on the roots but did comb through a bit to help the oil get distributed.
Finally I will add that when combing through on a daily basis, I notice there is much less hair coming out, and that is a happy discovery for me. I hope to solve the itchy scalp issue some day.

Wen Story - the first chapter

Overview: My Wen packages finally arrived...I waited so long to pick them up from my free sky box that package #2 was there already. I've used it at least three times so far, the first time I did not use the intensive repair treatment, neither the most recent time. I have to say that they don't explain upfront how much time they recommend you leave in the intensive repair treatment for max effect, it can be as much as overnight. And if you have hair that needs that kind of treatment, then this could get very long-winded! I have yet to leave the treatment in for as long as overnight. Am a bit concerned about keeping my hair wet for that long a period too.

Usage guidelines: I use 15 pumps and it's enough to give my hair a slight feeling of a lather, though it's not like a real lather. I comb through but wish I didn't have to because then I have to look at how much hair I have combed out, hopefully that will decrease with time.

After effects
The good: So far I can see a slight difference in the way my hair behaves after being treated with Wen vs using shampoo, the ends tend to have a bit of curl on their own, which never would happen ordinarily. I have recently relaxed my hair so it generally is behaving well, we'll have a better idea on the impact of Wen, when my roots have grown out a bit. I have to say it works better than another Sulphate-free shampoo I have tried, cannot remember the brand name-which is just as well, I do not want to get sued! What I do remember is that the product did not clean my hair properly - or make it feel as nice as it does with Wen. My hair looks nice, behaves decently even though I have not flat-ironed or tried curling it much. This is a big plus for me and I like the idea of sulphate-free cleansing. It's also a fairly easy protocol to follow, once you get used to it: Just apply the product to scalp, massage scalp - with a bit of water to help with lathering, comb through, leave in for 3-5 minutes. In all the process should take less than 10 minutes, unless you are planning on doing the conditioning treatment as well.

The bad: I have noticed that within two days, my hair gets itchy just as it used to with shampoo, so Wen has yet to correct that problem for me. With something as mild as Wen, perhaps, I can try using it every two days and it will not hurt or do any damage my hair the way shampoo might, though it may hurt my pocket! A note on the contents of the Wen package, the small bottle and the tube of Sweet Almond mint styling creme (such a lovely name but....), but you can see them in the photo above (West and South) - the listing of ingredients in these make me want to send them back because they do not conform to what I believe is the Wen "credo" of natural ingredients. Will post the ingredient list soon so you can judge for yourself. Consequently I have not used those two particular products.

The photo-op: Sorry, no pics of my hair yet, have not had the time, but will try to get some taken soon.