Week of WEN + Giveaway!

The concept for WEN Cleansing Conditioner was developed in May 1993. The demand came from my clients, who would come in to the salon for color and have to return within a couple of weeks because their color would fade so quickly. I personally had to shampoo twice throughout the day because my hair was very fluffy, I had many fly-aways, but then my hair became oily at the scalp at night. This became a vicious cycle; I knew that the lather from shampooing was causing all of these problems. I gave up lather after I realized how it was stripping my hair and my clients hair. When using harsh shampoos, hair breaks down and becomes finer, thinner and weaker. Once I realized how damaging shampoo was and I stopped using lather — I knew in my mind that I was creating a conditioner that was going to clean my clients hair but was not going to weigh it down like traditional conditioners that are filled with polymers, fillers, proteins and alcohols. I was developing a groundbreaking way of cleansing your hair without lather, a Cleansing Conditioner that was both cleansing and conditioning. I created the term Cleansing Conditioner, and it was with the patented formula WEN Sweet Almond Mint that it all began.

How did you come up with the name WEN? 

At the time I created WEN, it was a revolutionary “new” concept in hair care. When I started telling people to no longer use lather and to cleanse with conditioner instead of shampoo, it didn’t make sense to them and they thought it seemed backwards because they were used to traditional conditioners which are heavy, greasy and weight their hair down. But the concept I was creating was for a conditioner that was cleansing, nourishing, treating. WEN is the word new spelled backwards and it has the Zen feel I always wanted for my products.

What is one thing about shampoo that most women aren’t aware of? What are we doing wrong in our haircare routines?
I think most people aren’t aware that regular use of traditional shampoos is the reason their hair is dry, dull, and damaged. The harsh chemicals and fillers in traditional shampoos, conditioners and styling products, strip your hair leaving it dry, brittle, and unmanageable. Can you imagine a shampoo company not saying to wash your hair every day in one of their commercials? With WEN, I say it all the time, and I know of customers who only cleanse once a week, because when your hair is no longer stripped, it repels dirt and doesn’t need to be cleansed as often. That being said, the essential oils and nourishing ingredients in WEN Cleansing Conditioner will nourish your hair and the more often you cleanse, the softer, fuller, and more manageable your hair will be.

The process of using the cleansing conditioner is different from traditional shampoo. How did you discover this? 

Because WEN/Cleansing conditioner doesn’t lather, you need to ensure you’re using enough product to thoroughly cleanse the scalp as well as cleanse and hydrate the full length of your hair. This is why the number of pumps we recommend using varies depending upon the length and texture of your hair. The best results come from cleansing, rinsing and repeating, since the first application of Cleansing Conditioner gets rid of the dirt, grime, excess oils, and styling products and the second application (of the same product) treats, hydrates, and strengthens your hair.

Besides the cleansing conditioner, what is one other essential product that all women should use in their hair? 

WEN Anti-Frizz Styling Creme, it’s a must have. If you dry your hair naturally, it will help prevent frizz before it even starts. Alternatively, if you style with heated tools it acts as an amazing heat protectant. Just as you wouldn’t go out into the sun without protecting your skin, you should never heat style your hair without first applying a heat protectant like Anti-Frizz Styling Creme, which also leaves your hair soft touchable, weightless, full of bounce, body, and shine.
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