Have never used Wen, questions

Nadine · ‎03-11-2010

I just got the products and now I would love some advice on how to use them. I have shoulder length hair and I always blow dry and use hot rollers.. Most conditioners weigh down my hair so I'm concerned about leaving the product in my hair. I guess first thing is to wet hair and then apply a few pumps , work through, rinse, same thing again with product, rinse and then one or two pumps of conditioner and leave-in Is that correct? Thanks!.

CamilleP · ‎03-09-2010

@Nadine, you have the basic idea right, but nobody can tell you exactly how to use WEN. My best advice is for you to watch the presentation videos for the products you bought, Chaz will give you the guidelines for how much to use for each cleanse and how much for leave-in purposes. You will do some trial-and-error uses, but don't give up after just one or two uses, tweak things a little and odds are good that you'll soon have a perfect usage routine that gives you great results. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we were all new WEN users at one point, and we all keep learning new things as we go, and make small changes that make it work perfectly for us.

When you get started, make sure your hair is really, really wet, spread out the cleansing conditioner, work it through, then add in some more water and really froth that cleansing conditioner up, it will feel creamy as well as frothy. Rinse it out thoroughly, and put in your second cleanse's product, work it in to the creamy/frothy point, and put the length of your hair up on top of your head with a banana clip, do everything else that's part of your shower, then rinse out your hair and finally, add in your leave-in conditioner and styling creme. Since you use heated tools, blow-drying and hot rollers, you MUST use styling creme to protect your hair from heat damage. I, personally, like to mix my cleansing conditioner and styling cream in the palm of one hand and put it all in at once, I feel that distributes the styling creme more evenly, but I think most people add them seperately.

You didn't mention what kind of towel or turban or cloth you use to dry your hair, but most of us have had very good luck with either Aquis brand products or something made out of interlock knit material, like T shirts are made from. Terry cloth is not as good a material, as all the loops tend to raise the cuticle on the hair shaft and leave the hair frizzy and tangled. Chaz used to recommend using an old, clean T-shirt to wrap your wet hair in, so you don't need to buy anything special, just switch out from terrycloth. Once you get the majority of the wetness out of your hair, blow dry and style as usual.

Hope this helps!

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Nadine - @CamilleP gave you some really good advice. I do what she does with my leave in - mix them together - unless I'm going to wear my hair curly. Then I use the styling creme first and the cleansing conditioner last. One of the WEN posters recommended that and it seems to work for me!

But most of the time, if I'm going to dry naturally or blow dry straight, I use one pump from a 32 oz. bottle of cleansing conditioner mixed with 1 pump from a large styling creme bottle or 2 from a smaller one. I mix them together on my palms and gather the back of my hair in a loose twist and work it in. Then I take my fingertips and rake it through the tops and the sides. I always do this after my final cold rinse when my hair is soaking wet.

I have naturally wavy shoulder length hair (thanks WEN!). It is the longest it's been since I was in college! It sounds like our lengths are similar. Have fun enjoying your products!

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@CamilleP had great points, the best of which is not to get discouraged at first if WEN products don't seem to work for you. It can sometimes be a bit of a learning curve to find out exactly what each of us needs, even though it's mostly like washing and conditioning with regular products.

For me, I think the biggest mistake I made in the beginning was not using enough water after applying the first cleansing conditioner. Chaz usually says add "a splash". That's not near enough extra water for me. My hair is long--mid back--but it's fine. I need more water. I stick my head back under the shower head for a few seconds for the extra water. I've learned over the years just how much I need.

Also, even though the different cleansing conditioners are 'universal', they do perform differently for many people. So sometimes it may take a bit of experimentation to discover the ones that you like best.

The ladies in the WEN forum are great, so don't be a stranger if you have questions of any kind. They really know their WEN, inside and out, and always have many great tips.

Welcome to WEN! 👋

x Hedge · ‎08-18-2016

Welcome, @Nadine.

Unhappy results comes from skimping on the WEN, or the water, or both.

There's a tenancy to want to skimp on WEN because it's expensive. There's a tenancy to skimp on the water because people don't want to dilute their expensive product, and see it go down the drain.

At least start by using the recommended amount so you see the result you're aiming for. If your hair is thinner or straight you might become confidant you can shave off a pump or two in the future.

"add a splash of water" is a figure of speech. Please don't take that literally. This isn't a co-wash.

When you're working it through your hair it should be wet enough to become light and frothy, running down your neck and dripping off the ends, just as runny as shampoo would be.

I pre-dilute to aid this, because my hair has a texture that resists letting the concentrated WEN spread.

For the leave-in, just remember to work it thru your hair from the ends, up. But don't absentmindedly apply the leave-in to your scalp, like I was doing at first. Lol!

Chaz has how-to videos, and great customer service. Call, or email to customerservice@chazdean.com

Edit: hope you saved the link. Mod deleted the link for Chaz's helpful Tips & Tricks.

You can also find them on Chaz's website.

Nadine · ‎03-11-2010

Thanks so much for the replies. I watched some videos that were a big help also.

candys mine · ‎08-20-2012

@Nadine Welcome to WEN! Everyone has given you geat pointers! Especially using enough water to make it frothy. It should not feel as heavy as it does coming out of the bottle once you've used that splash... or two...or three. also I find a wide tooth comb very helpful in distributiion and a thorough rinse. Enjoy your WEN discovery curve!

Nadine · ‎03-11-2010

First use worked out pretty well. I did add the styling cream after the last rinse instead of more conditioner. I was surprised that after leaving the styling cream in my hair that it wasn't a mess. Have to say my hair had more shine to it Nd felt silky. I usually use a spray volumizer and didn't so I'll add that in next time.

77yangya · ‎06-21-2011

If I may....this August I'll be an 11 year Wen girl. You may find after using Wen for a bit that you won't even need hot rollers. I just do a quick blow out, 15 to 20 min. I don't even comb or brush it after it's dry. I don't even need to. My hair is medium texture and getting past my shoulders. Have a decent amount so I do seven pumps for crown and seven for mids and ends for first and second cleanse. I do one pump as leave in. One pump for styling creme and around eight pumps of mousse. I do the styling creme last, that's just my choice. Wen is truly remarkable. Like the OP said, work from ends up!

x Hedge · ‎08-18-2016

@Nadine wrote:
First use . . . Have to say my hair had more shine to it Nd felt silky. I usually use a spray volumizer and didn't so I'll add that in next time.

@Nadine ,

Just coming off of shampoos, your hair is in its worst condition now, and will get better and better as you continue with WEN.