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Is Wen Hair Care Really Better than the Rest?

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Wen Hair Care promises to deliver your hair lots of shine, body, and bounce with, and I quote, “the perfect blend of herbs and natural ingredients.” As a scientist, this claim immediately makes me wonder if the products utilize the best principles in cosmetic chemistry. After all, as I have mentioned time and time again on the blog, the best and safest products aren’t necessarily always natural. Very beneficial synthetic versions of ingredients that are proven in numerous peer-reviewed studies to create a marked difference in the appearance of your skin and hair over time, like retinol, niacinamide, glycolic acid, vitamin C, and many more, are the industry standard. 
Yet, despite this suggestion that “herbs” and “natural ingredients” are the secret to better hair, I decided to keep an open mind and delve in:

Lack of Lather = Lack of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Wen Hair Care doesn’t have any lather at all. You wash your hair with the shampoo, and it feels like a cream on your hair. The reason? Most shampoos contain either sodium lauryl sulfate or aluminum laureth sulfate. While the aluminum sulfate is not as drying for your skin and hair, sodium lauryl sulfate is one of the most drying and irritating ingredients out there. According to Dr. Leslie Baumann’s Cosmetic Dermatology text, “[Sodium lauryl sulfate] is such a consistent irritator for skin with an impaired barrier that it is actually used in ‘challenge patch tests’ to evaluate the barrier function of skin…it strips the natural lipids from the skin, disrupting the barrier and rendering it more susceptible to external irritants.” Ew. So the fact that Wen Hair Care doesn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate? I’m down with that.

Panthenol = A Good Add

Wen Hair Care also contains panthenol. It is of note that the panthenol in this product doesn’t say “naturally-derived,” so it’s likely that the panthenol you get here is synthetic. Not that it matters; panthenol is incredible, despite the source of it.  Long famed as the key ingredient in Pantene brand products, panthenol is a form of vitamin B5 that has been found to reduce breakage with regular use over time (Drug & Cosmetics Industry).  Panthenol is strengthening  and hydrating as a humectant, an ingredient that draws in moisture from the environment (International Journal of Cosmetic Science). Panthenol also has the effect where it can draw moisture and oils up from deeper layers of your hair, such as the inner cortex, so it leaves the hair more hydrated and smooth. I like panthenol a lot; my only suggestion for Wen Hair Care would be to include more panthenol, as the concentration in most of its products is relatively low.

No Established Levels of Heat or UV Protection

When I was in high school, I used to take my time with my nighttime routine. I’d wash, tone, and use moisturizer, and put my hair into curlers. No matter how tired I was, waking up to that full volume made it worth it, all day long. Nowadays? I still am religious about skin care, but like many busy adults, I’m often dead tired at night. Which brings me to the terrors of heat styling by day. Even though I’m a scientist and know how bad heat can be for your hair, the temptation of waking up with ooo-la-la curls with just 5 minutes of twisting my hair around the curling iron often wins out. (Oh, and for the scientifically curious, I mean heat styling is BAD – studies show heat styling can lead to dry, brittle hair cuticles that later crack and cause profuse damage (The Beauty Brains, 2012)). Ugh. That said, one of the major things I look for in a hair product system is heat protection. Many of my favorite modern products contain heat-activated silicones, like NIOXIN Smoothing Reflectives Glossing Shield ($14.99, Amazon.com) and KENRA Thermal Styling Spray ($12.95, Amazon.com). These products are designed to increase the moisture in your hair, so if your heat-styling tools take down moisture by 25%, it’s better to take the moisture from hair that is supplemented with extra moisture. So if you’re convinced you want to use Wen Hair Care but don’t want to give up your heat-styling tools, make sure that you are using a large paddle brush with small-spaced bristles, and ionic drying tools. Why? Small-spaced bristles ensure that your natural hair oils are maximally distributed throughout the hair, and a large paddle ensures this is spread over a greater surface area, increasing moisture overall. And ionic drying tools will increase the drying rate of water on your hair, leading to faster drying times.

Best for Fine to Medium-Texture Hair

Wen Hair Care is best for those with fine to medium hair. Those with thick or curly hair will likely not find the level of moisturization and manageability from the glycerin and herbs in Wen Hair Care as the heavyweight silicones like dimethicone in many synthetic hair care systems. I also hate to say it, but those with thick hair that tends to be on the oily side often get a higher degree of manageability from using products with drying ingredients like thinning alcohols or sodium lauryl sulfate. Wen Hair Care certainly won’t strip your hair of moisture, which is great for us gals with fine to medium hair, but if you have oily or thick hair, you might not benefit as much.

Bottom Line

Wen Hair Care is a reasonable hair care system for those with fine to medium hair. In general, I prefer products with heat-activated ingredients that will protect from heat styling or UV damage, but at the same time, Wen Hair Care will provide hair strengthening and lightweight hydration. And if you require heat styling or UV protection, I recommend NIOXIN Smoothing Reflectives Glossing Shield ($14.99, Amazon.com) and KENRA Thermal Styling Spray ($12.95, Amazon.com). Have you used Wen Hair Care? What are your thoughts on it?

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Nicki Zevola is the founder and editor-in-chief of FutureDerm.com. Named one of the top 30 beauty bloggers in the world by Konector.com since 2009, Nicki

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