Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner Initial Thoughts/Review
I’ve heard a lot of things about WEN in the past. My mom loves to watch when Chaz Dean is on the shopping networks showing off his products on different hair types. She’s always put a buzz in my ear to pick up some Wen products, but I never did because I thought that it was a bit costly. In retrospect, if you compare it to products that I’ve purchased in the past, it’s not costly at all. I am in more trouble if I buy things from the infamous companies that I shall not name…SMH. LOL.
I digress.
Before I could even order sample sized portions of the Wen products, my co-worker came to me a few weeks ago and raved on how awesome the product works on her hair. Granted, she is white with a different texture of hair than mine. Her hair is also shorter. I did notice that since using the product, her hair has more body and seems fuller. It intrigued me. So when she offered me a sample of the Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner, I jumped at the chance to use it. I had no idea that I would be so satisfied with the product and here is why:
1. Wen is marketed to people who do not have my hair type. I only say this because in my research, especially the before and after photos on the website, http://www.wen.com/before-after.html, I do not see anyone with Afro Textured hair.
2. I have a thinner grade of Afro Textured Hair…especially in my nape area. I’ve been prescribed as around 4A at the top and 3C in the back of my hair. I have no idea how to type my hair…LOL. With that said, my hair is pretty thin on occasion and I’ve been thoroughly involved in a Castor Oil challenge. I had significant product buildup and was not certain if my hair would be cleansed properly by using the trial sized version of the Wen product.
3. As I said before in 1, even when I see Chaz on QVC or HSN…one of the two…I never really see models that have my hair type. Maybe I’ve missed out on the times where they were actually modeling, but that made me a skeptic.
So, last night, I decided to wash my hair using the sample product that was provided to me by my friend. My hair was full of old product—Castor Oil and my leave in—for about a week and a half. I missed wash day on Sunday so I had week and a half old hair. I finger detangled the plaits my hair was in and used the product as instructed on the bottle. The instructions are very detailed and I suggest that if you decide to purchase WEN, to take time to read the instructions prior to trying to use it. I left the product in my hair for over 15 minutes because I had to detangle my ends and I had a phone call to take (lol). I rinsed the product out, and reapplied, completing the use of the whole sample. When I walked out of the shower my hair was the softest that it’s ever been in a long time…and was full of body…let me tell you, after I wash or shampoo and condition my hair, it’s usually limp. My hair was bouncy, full and clean. I had no clue that the product would remove almost 2 weeks of castor oil, but it did…and for that, I am sold.
(I won’t go into detail about the product because I’ve only used a sample portion for one use. I will tell you that I’ll purchase it and start using it next month for a full month and give you a more detailed review.)
What I Liked About the Product?
I loved the scent. It was very enjoyable and I was mesmerized while washing and detangling my hair. I also loved the fact that I was able to cleanse almost two weeks of product from my hair and was able to get the co-wash results from a washing session. I also enjoyed the fullness of my hair after one application and the compliments I received from my wash n go (I have photos below) the day after my washing session with Wen.
I also have highlights in the bangs area of my head. All of my hair is not color treated. Both parts of my hair were equally moisturized after using this product. It’s hard to achieve moisture balance retention along the color treated portions of my hair, so this is also a plus.
What I Didn’t Fancy About the Product:
I’m so excited to try this product in its entirety. Hopefully in the future we can see more Before & After photos of people with Afro textured hair on the Wen website. This was the main reason I did not use this product in the past. I think if we are able to see something that can be used in our hair, we will try it.
A lot of us sleep on products that could work awesomely in our hair because they are not marketed to people like us. I still say, supportasista, but this was given to me and I promised a review…so I’ll of course purchase to give you a better understanding of the product and how it worked in my hair. I will not though, stop supporting my sista based businesses and completely replace my product line.
Research:
I watched a few YouTube videos from Naturals with my hair type and close to my hair type who used the product instead of solely depending on the wen.com site for information since there are no before and after photos of Afro Textured hair. I was able to make a decision to purchase the product and use for a month. I’ll let you know how it goes. I am still a huge fan of the Jane Carter Solution products, but it’s nice to be able to provide you guys with reviews of different products that I think you will enjoy.
A lot of naturals on YouTube used the Fig formulation of the Wen product because they state that it’s formulated more for our hair type. I’ll purchase that formulation first!
I’ll post videos that I watched below:
I hope that this First Impression/Review was helpful. Let me know if you’ve used this product and if you are satisfied.
Here are photos the next day after use:
Photo by Will Trahan photography
Until Next Time…
What I’m Currently Listening To:
