Beauty

[Mona Dahl]

I've been researching the CCs and their ingredients in hopes of making WEN work for me, because I so much love the long-term results on my hair. Here's what I found:

It seems that two ingredients will make the most difference in terms of cleansing power vs. greasiness/heaviness/build-up. These are Amodimethicone and Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine. The first ingredient (Amodimethicone) is something that will add to build-up, whereas the second one (Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine) should reduce build-up, in addition to shortening application and rinsing time.

These observations are purely theoretical, based on research of Wen's ingredients, but they are also supported by my experience with the various CC's so far.

I've checked the ingredients lists of a bunch of Wen formulas to see which ones are the highest in Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine and lowest in Amodimethicone. It looks like the best bets are Wen Kids and Sephora's version of Sweet Almond Mint. In second place would be Q's version of Sweet Almond Mint. (I didn't check out the GR version because I'm not at all interested in purchasing from Guthy-Renker.)

The other Wen flavors seem to be worse--I went through Lavender, Tea Tree, Cucumber Aloe, Pomegranate, and the Seasonals--basically, all the other types that are supposedly "universal" or good for fine hair. All of these have more Amodimethicone and, in most cases (except for the Seasonal formula), less Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine than these two picks.

So, if you've had problems with Wen buildup, rinsing, or flat/limp/lanky/greasy hair, you might want to try either SAM or Wen Kids. I haven't tried either one yet but I plan to in the near future.

Let me know if your experiences are in line with this info!