topic Re: I need advice from regular WEN users in WEN

I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 19:49:51 GMT

I just posted this on the WEN hair loss thread on the Beauty board. I love WEN and am in no way bashing the brand. I'm just worried about my hair falling out. I'm having a hard time sleeping worrying about this. Of course I can stop using WEN altogether, but I just bought 2 gallons of the seasonals! I want to make it work. Thanks for any insight you may be able to provide.:

I really hate to write this because I do love what WEN does for my hair (shine and can comb through it so easily).

I've been using WEN for over a year and it has done great things for my hair. In the last month or so I have been losing quite a bit more hair than usual each time I wash my hair. So much so that I'm standing in water by the end of my shower due to the drain being clogged with my hair. Luckily I have really thick hair, so no one really will notice by looking at me.

The only thing I can think of is that I've started using seasonals on a regular basis, along with TT on my scalp. Prior to mid May I had been using POM exclusively with a 16 oz seasonal every few months or so. My son has been using TT with no issues.

My hair is significantly thinner (my hair bands go around my ponytail loosly 3 times...prior to a month ago it would only go around twice with no slack). New band, same brand.

I had my thyroid checked in May (have been on meds for hypo since I was 9) and had full blood work done. Everything is normal.

The last couple of washes I've been using regular sulfate free shampoo on my scalp and WEN on the length of my hair. There was less fallout the last time I washed my hair. It has definitely been falling out at the root and not breaking off. My hair is very healthy in that regard.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

ChynnaBlue — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:02:49 GMT

My whole life I've had to clear drains in the middle of a shower because hair clogged the drain.

Are you combing your hair before you get in the shower and are you adding some water to you hair before you massage the WEN in? If I get into the shower with tangled hair and use WEN without enough water, I can pull my hair out combing the WEN through. That's a user error and is easily corrected by combing my hair before I get into the shower and adding enough water that it's not like combing paste through my hair with my fingers when I shower.

Please keep in mind that there are dozens of causes for hair loss and they have nothing to do with WEN. I've used WEN for about 5 years now. Last year I had a period of significant stress and started losing a LOT of hair months later. Extreme stress is one cause of hair loss and people miss it because it can take months after the stress for the hair to fall out. You can be out of the stressful situation before your hair loss even starts, so people don't make a connection. My hair loss lasted several months, then stopped as quickly as it started. Hair loss can also be caused by dietary changes, and, like I said, dozens of other things.

If you really think it's WEN, stop using it entirely and if it continues, see a doctor.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

DoxieMomma — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:20:11 GMT

Hair loss can be attributed to any number of things. Use common sense, if you believe any product is causing or contributing to hair loss, then stop using it. Immediately. It doesn't matter how much money you may have invested in it, it's not worth the consequences.

I'm glad to hear that you've had blood work done relatively recently, it might be worth another office visit to rule out any other potential issues.

My story: I had used Wen on and off for a few years, but never long term. I was having excessive hair loss and attributed that to Wen. (I have Crohn's disease and am under constant medical care, so I knew my blood levels were fine). A few years ago,I decided to leave my former employment (incredibly high stress, long hours, etc.). Soon after that, I tried Wen "one more time" and have had great results ever since. I've determined that my hair loss was caused by high levels of work related stress, not by Wen.

With that being said, no single one product works for everyone. Perhaps you're using a formula(s) that contains an ingredient you're allergic to (I can't use FGP, something in it caused my scalp to break out in itchy, red bumps).

If I were you, I would schedule an appointment for a full medical checkup. If that rules out any possible issues/illnesses, then you need to find an alternative to Wen. At the end of the day, it's only a hair care product.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:27:08 GMT

Thank you Chynna for your reply.

I only mention WEN because the loss started when I started up with the seasonals and TT. Nothing else was new or different. I'm stressed, but there hasn't been anything significant or out of the ordinary in the last year...just normal day to day stress. I did start Weight watchers at the end of May, but my diet has only gotten healthier and my rate of loss has been pretty slow. I know that fast weight loss or reduced protein in your diet can be causes for hair loss. I eat a pretty balanced diet.

I am planning to make an appt for the derm, but wanted to hear others' thoughts on this.

As far as how I'm using it...I actually do brush my hair prior to my shower simply because of the reasons you listed. I always add water to my hair after I apply the WEN and then finger comb it through my hair. I do not use a comb in the shower. I haven't done anything different in that regard since I started using it. I've been using it off an on for years, but only the last 1 to 1 1/2 yrs have I been using it on a regular basis.

I am in peri-menopause (have been for at least a year), but from what I've read that doesn't necessarily cause hair loss.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

ChynnaBlue — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:38:34 GMT

@butterflygirl69 wrote:
Thank you Chynna for your reply.

I only mention WEN because the loss started when I started up with the seasonals and TT. Nothing else was new or different. I'm stressed, but there hasn't been anything significant or out of the ordinary in the last year...just normal day to day stress. I did start Weight watchers at the end of May, but my diet has only gotten healthier and my rate of loss has been pretty slow. I know that fast weight loss or reduced protein in your diet can be causes for hair loss. I eat a pretty balanced diet.

I am planning to make an appt for the derm, but wanted to hear others' thoughts on this.

As far as how I'm using it...I actually do brush my hair prior to my shower simply because of the reasons you listed. I always add water to my hair after I apply the WEN and then finger comb it through my hair. I do not use a comb in the shower. I haven't done anything different in that regard since I started using it. I've been using it off an on for years, but only the last 1 to 1 1/2 yrs have I been using it on a regular basis.

I am in peri-menopause (have been for at least a year), but from what I've read that doesn't necessarily cause hair loss.

Everyone has different symptoms and hair loss is one for many women. For a while, I thought my hair loss was my welcome sign to menopause, but it wasn't. (At least not this time. I haven't started menopause yet, so who knows what I'll get in my eventual menopause gift basket.)

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:54:14 GMT

@DoxieMomma wrote:
Hair loss can be attributed to any number of things. Use common sense, if you believe any product is causing or contributing to hair loss, then stop using it. Immediately. It doesn't matter how much money you may have invested in it, it's not worth the consequences.

I'm glad to hear that you've had blood work done relatively recently, it might be worth another office visit to rule out any other potential issues.

My story: I had used Wen on and off for a few years, but never long term. I was having excessive hair loss and attributed that to Wen. (I have Crohn's disease and am under constant medical care, so I knew my blood levels were fine). A few years ago,I decided to leave my former employment (incredibly high stress, long hours, etc.). Soon after that, I tried Wen "one more time" and have had great results ever since. I've determined that my hair loss was caused by high levels of work related stress, not by Wen.

With that being said, no single one product works for everyone. Perhaps you're using a formula(s) that contains an ingredient you're allergic to (I can't use FGP, something in it caused my scalp to break out in itchy, red bumps).

If I were you, I would schedule an appointment for a full medical checkup. If that rules out any possible issues/illnesses, then you need to find an alternative to Wen. At the end of the day, it's only a hair care product.

I haven't had any irritation...in fact my scalp has improved! It used to be dry and a little itchy and now it's not like that at all.

I will have to call the doctor I guess. I don't want to end up bald.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

QVCdiva — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:54:29 GMT

Menopause could definitely be the reason for your hair loss. It was for me and only stopped when I began all natural bioidentical HRT (both estrogen & testosterone)via pellet insertion. Additionally, if you wear your hair in a ponytail on a regular basis, that can be contributing to your condition.
As for the WEN CC, I use it all the time ( I also have hypothyroidism) and this product has never caused me any hair loss. However, you may want to check with a dermatologist about that possibility.
I sincerely hope that you are able to determine the exact cause of your hair loss and find a solution in the near future.
Laurel

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 20:57:11 GMT

@ChynnaBlue wrote:
@butterflygirl69 wrote:
Thank you Chynna for your reply.

I only mention WEN because the loss started when I started up with the seasonals and TT. Nothing else was new or different. I'm stressed, but there hasn't been anything significant or out of the ordinary in the last year...just normal day to day stress. I did start Weight watchers at the end of May, but my diet has only gotten healthier and my rate of loss has been pretty slow. I know that fast weight loss or reduced protein in your diet can be causes for hair loss. I eat a pretty balanced diet.

I am planning to make an appt for the derm, but wanted to hear others' thoughts on this.

As far as how I'm using it...I actually do brush my hair prior to my shower simply because of the reasons you listed. I always add water to my hair after I apply the WEN and then finger comb it through my hair. I do not use a comb in the shower. I haven't done anything different in that regard since I started using it. I've been using it off an on for years, but only the last 1 to 1 1/2 yrs have I been using it on a regular basis.

I am in peri-menopause (have been for at least a year), but from what I've read that doesn't necessarily cause hair loss.

Everyone has different symptoms and hair loss is one for many women. For a while, I thought my hair loss was my welcome sign to menopause, but it wasn't. (At least not this time. I haven't started menopause yet, so who knows what I'll get in my eventual menopause gift basket.)

The bolded part made me laugh My menopause gift basket was definitely given to me by someone who doesn't like me very much! It's like a cruel joke!

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

ChynnaBlue — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:40:49 GMT

@butterflygirl69 wrote:
@ChynnaBlue wrote:

Everyone has different symptoms and hair loss is one for many women. For a while, I thought my hair loss was my welcome sign to menopause, but it wasn't. (At least not this time. I haven't started menopause yet, so who knows what I'll get in my eventual menopause gift basket.)

The bolded part made me laugh My menopause gift basket was definitely given to me by someone who doesn't like me very much! It's like a cruel joke!

Right? I'm terrified. I'm already always too hot and if I get hot flashes on top of that, I'm pretty sure I'll go mad. I'll have to get a job where I can work from the middle of a pool or a walk-in freezer.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

candys mine — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:49:26 GMT

I have been using WEN for about a year now and I find that I get more fallout with TeaTree than any other CC. Both the TT CC and the oil tend to leave more hair in the comb and shower for me. I don't see my head of hair thinning any and I love the results I get with it so i still use Tea Tree but maybe you can try cutting out the Tea Tree for a while and see if that makes a differance. Hope this helps.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

CamilleP — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:59:50 GMT

I've been using WEN regularly since Chaz introduced the seasonals with FGP, and have never noticed significant hair loss until this spring. That's when my fur-kid's nine month battle against cancer was finally lost. Stress started it, and right now we are having record temperatures and drought, so I think stress has transitioned into summer seasonal shedding. All other mammals lose a lot of hair in the spring and summer, why not humans, too? Unless it continues and I can see myself going bald, I'm not going to let it stress me out. Since the seasonals are soy-based, just like the POM you were having success with, I doubt it's the WEN, but if you are really worried, take a WEN sabbatical and see if the shedding stops. Or talk to your doctor again, you might need a more thorough endocrinology consult. Thyroid disease is not uncommonly associated with Addison's Disease, and hair loss is typical of Addison's. The first thing our mind jumps to when we notice changes in our bodies is our topical treatments, but what's inside our skins has far more effect than what we put on from the outside (barring really toxic, caustic stuff, of course!) so it's always better to investigate our innards if something is wonky with the outside.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

Hilary77 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 22:38:26 GMT

I have been using Wen exclusively for three years. I cleanse my hair daily. I always have shedding in the shower. I shed about 10-20 hairs everytime I cleanse. It was a little more when i first started with Wen. I actually count the hairs I shed. I pull them off my hands and comb and put them on the wall of the shower. I want to make sure I keep up with how much hair I'm shedding. I notice more shedding with Wen in the shower than I did when I used shampoo. It made me concerned in the beginning. I do shed a consistent amount. It is usually the same amount every time. However, I hardly ever shed hair on my clothes throughout the day. When I used shampoo, I always had hair all over my clothes. My hair is still very thick. If you have used Wen for a period of time with no issues, it makes me think that maybe it is not Wen, but something else. Maybe it's the formula change or another medical related issue. Maybe you could go back to using Pom and see if the shedding slows down. Try counting the hairs to get an idea of the amount. If not, you may want to consider Not using Wen for awhile. I think normal shedding is 100-150 hairs a day. If you think you are losing more than that, it is probably not normal. I hope you can figure out what is causing this. I wish you the best.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

bebe777 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:01:09 GMT

@ChynnaBlue wrote:
@butterflygirl69 wrote:
@ChynnaBlue wrote:

Everyone has different symptoms and hair loss is one for many women. For a while, I thought my hair loss was my welcome sign to menopause, but it wasn't. (At least not this time. I haven't started menopause yet, so who knows what I'll get in my eventual menopause gift basket.)

The bolded part made me laugh My menopause gift basket was definitely given to me by someone who doesn't like me very much! It's like a cruel joke!

Right? I'm terrified. I'm already always too hot and if I get hot flashes on top of that, I'm pretty sure I'll go mad. I'll have to get a job where I can work from the middle of a pool or a walk-in freezer.

ChynnaBlue, I'm post-menopausal but my menopause time was a roller coaster.

I had hot flashes galore until I switched over to an organic diet and cut out a lot of meat/chicken in favor of organic dairy products from grass fed cows. I wasn't trying to stop my menopausal symptoms, I was just listening to PBS specials and trying to eat a healthier diet. I was so surprised when my hot flashes completely disappeared in a few weeks (and never came back).

In retrospect, I'm guessing that I probably could have eaten some meat/chicken as long as it was organic (no growth hormones) and the animals were grass fed (good Omega-3 profile versus bad Omega-6 profile).

While I haven't tried it, Andrew Lessman has a product called Positive Passage which has gotten some great reviews. HSN sells his Ultimate Women's Wellness and Evening Primrose products which gets great reviews, but I think the Positive Passage (available through Procaps Labs) may be more effective for menopause. -- You may want to give his coustomer service department a call; they're very knowledgeable.

Right up until the very end of menopause it was smooth sailing for me... until one day I fell right off the cliff. My moods were off the scale, I would cry for no reason and I thought that maybe I was having a breakdown. I knew a fair amount about nutrition and supplements by then and I kept trying new products without any success. I never suspected menopause because my other symptoms has all vanished.

One day I tried a supplement that had a tiny amount of pregnonelone in it and my body did a happy dance. I had to go through all the ingredients in the supplement before I understood that my body was reacting to the pregnonelone which is a precursur to progersterone which is key to making the adrenal glands work (when the ovaries finally close shop, your body uses the adrenal glands to keep hormonal activity fluid).

I started taking Royal Maca by Whole World Botanicals. Maca is a key factor to making pregnonelone, which is the precorsur to progersterone, etc. I worried about not getting the right dosage of bio-identical hormones, so I thought that if I gave my body enough of one of the precursurs I would be less likely to be using an incorrect dosage. I basically trusted my body to take what it needed and it worked.

Within about 10 minutes after my first tieeny tiny Maca dose I started to feel better. I was back to normal in 2-3 days (really!!). -- My rapid hair loss stopped inside of 2 weeks (I lost 1/3 of my hair in about 6 weeks) and about half of it grew back. If I remember correctly, there is an overproduction of a particular enzyme that helps creat male pattern baldness. It can have the same effect on menopausal women. Maca has the ability to counteract it. Clearly, it worked with me. -- Maca (along with nattokynese) helped literally crumble my fibroids. -- To this day, I still take Maca daily.

If you decide to try Maca make sure you use a cooked maca (more bioavailable), start very small and increase very slowly. Start with 1/16 of a teaspoon daily and titrate up to a max of 1/2 teaspoon daily over a period of 6 weeks. When you feel balanced then just maintain that dosage. Maca is an adaptagen and overdosing can have an opposite effect.

I also stopped eating starch carbs (grains) and sugar products (cakes, candy, even high sugar fruits). My feeling was that most carbs -- with the exception of the rainbow of veggies -- break down into simple sugar fairly easily and just aren't good for the body (for more on this, check out Doug Kauffman's Know The Cause). Essentially I switched over to an Atkins diet... and, no, Atkins never advocated eating a pound of bacon a day.

These days it's been rebranded as the Paleolythic diet. Now I eat eggs (from organically raised chicken who eat worms and seeds) in the morning. And have 4 oz of meat in the evening (from organically raised, grass fed cows). -- I have a Vitamix and blend about a quart of green smoothie a day, and snack on nuts and seeds. It sounds extreme but my body actually craves these foods. And, of course, Andrew Lessman's supplements.

Best of luck with your menopause journey!!

-- bebe

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

Kjelle — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:32:17 GMT

I scanned the responses really quickly so sorry if I am repeating but I don't think anyone mentioned that a switch to more seasonals means more protein. That can break your hair if it is too much protein for you. The seasonals are more treatment based. I think that you should stop using seasonals for the time being and stick with TT for growth and your soy-based POM. Maybe for 2-3 months and see if after the next 2 -3 weeks or so this doesn't start to reverse and you start seeing new growth. That is the first thing that popped out at me right away. Some people cannot take all that protein. You may then want to check how you do with the BGT and MIF or kids being rice-based. If that doesn't work, or you are too dry, I think you will have arrived at the issue. You may not need to stop using WEN, you just may need to fine tune what works for you. If you want advice from the horse's mouth, call the salon. The number is on the back of the bottle and they will be glad to help.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:36:29 GMT

Luckily I haven't had hot flashes. I did have the night sweats once. I used to always be so warm, but now I'm always cold. It got so bad that I was checked for anemia (not anemia). The worst has been having my period for 2 months straight! Now I haven't had it in over 3 months. My mood swings seem to be evening out in the last 2 months. Prior to that I warned people to stay away from me because just about everything annoyed me! I'm a pretty easy going and patient person, so way out of my norm. My doctor told me that if I felt like killing my husband that he would prescribe something. Lol

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

butterflygirl69 — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:49:49 GMT

I think to start I will continue to use shampoo on my scalp and wen on my length and see how that goes. I should be able to either point to or rule out WEN if I do that for a couple of months. If I still continue to lose a lot I'll call the doctor. I'll just keep an eye on things. It just freaked me out to see my hair thin out so much. I'm kind of known for my hair in my small little circle of family and friends. I know it's just hair, but I feel like it's part of my identity. Thanks for everyone's helpful suggestions and I will definitely consider what everyone said.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

Gwen9662 — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 02:01:31 GMT

I have had more than usual hair fall using WEN. I posted a thread in around October of last year asking the same question. I have been using WEN for 1 year. Around September I noticed my tub was clogging with hair. Since then I have continued using it but as of right now I am still on the fence about WEN. I love the results but am concerned about losing hair. I can tell my hair is thinner but being 52 and being post menopause I just can't decide if maybe I'm a bit paranoid by the rumors. When I ask the question I got "here we go again" and defensive comments from some of the regulars on here. Keep us posted cause I am curious about others with moderate hair loss as well.

Re: I need advice from regular WEN users

yisbuff — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 21:45:13 GMT

First and foremost, my empathy is with you! Hair is such a part of us. It must be so scary to be losing it and not be sure why. I'm so glad you are following up with a physician!

I have two other things to offer just as personal experience. One, is that I found out the hard way that I am very allergic to tea tree oil, which is in a surprising amount of things. I found out not through Wen, but through a facial cleanser. I used it and my face felt so clean! The next day it was all itchy, red, and angry. At the time, I didn't make the connection, so I used it another day - the next day I had angry skin. I discontinued use (obviously) but it took 2 weeks to fully clear. Mind you, I have excellent skin I inhereted. I maybe got one blemish a month even in my worst teen years. I thought it was the combined cleanser until the day I used a single tea tree based cleansing pad - like setting my face on fire! This is a really long way of saying that tea tree is great if it works for you, but if it doesn't it is really awful. Or, at least it was for me!

The other thing is that I notice my hair coming out when I cleanse a lot more with Wen because I am paying attention to it. I have also noticed over time that it doesn't come out any other time, and now that my scalp has acclimated I feel like I have more hair. That may be of no use, but maybe there is just a curve.

Either way, I hope you get your answer soon. Wishing you health and lush hair!