WEN

[Wannabeincali]

motherinlaw,

Americanbulldogmom said:

613 and 319 have the most protein (I love 613!)

Restoratives are the next highest in protein.

Seasonals come next.

Core CCs have the leas.

But among the core CCs, I do not know which have the most protein. Maybe someone who knows will post. I guess the core Ccs are Almond Mint (meh for me),  Fig (I love this, but it makes my hair a bit heavy) , Lavender (I love this one), Pomegranate (I like this ok),, and Cucumber Aloe (tthis is my favorite of all of them! I do not find this overly clarifying at all. Love!). It will be intersting to see how they rank in protein, as my hair loves protein based products.

[SurferWife]

@nikki48...WOW! That was a beautiful tribute to WEN! I usually don't read the longer posts but I loved every word of this one.

[x Hedge]

Hello @Wannabeincali.

Chaz has talked about Wen CCs providing different levels of moisturization and treatment, and formulated with different proteins.

But I wasn't aware the cc's were ever ranked from most to least by protein level.

With a question like this I go right to customerservice@chazdean.com

Here's their reply:

Thank you for contacting us.

We have never discussed the protein levels in the products or released any list like this, so we are not sure where something like this would have surfaced. The protein in all the formulas are relatively equal.

Too much protein is never good for the hair, we do not recommend protein treatments or anything like that. WEN contains less protein then traditional products, too much protein can make the hair brittle and cause breakage.

Sincerely,

Jillian Pardo |​ ​Product Specialist | Chaz Dean Studio 

[Wannabeincali]

Hi Hedge!

Thanks for posting  this!

Hmmmmmm. Interesting. I just read a thread on this WEN forum dated in March 2017, where the OP went to Chaz's studio and he rec'd for her to add 613 to her CC of choice because he wanted her to BOOST her protein level. ???

Also, I disagree about too much protein being bad for the hair. I have been doing my hair, as well as that of friends and family for over 25 yrs. I have done a gazillion protein reconstructor treatments --sometimes weekly if one lf my friends had a bleaching disaster. Never once have I or they experienced too much protein. As long as protein is infused in the hair correctly, and then followed by a moistuirizer, and then an oil to seal, protein will not make hair brittle. It is only when moisture and protein are out of balance, that problems occur. Too much moisture and not enough protein, will lead to very fragile, mushy, stretchy hair that tears easily when wet.

I learned how to give proper protein reconstructor treatments long ago, from a colorist I used. He emohasized the need to clarify the hair very well BEFORE using a protein treatment. I use to give myself one every 8 weeks. Now that I have come back to WEN, I was hoping to avoid having to use a clarifying shampoo. I do not want to strip out all of my CC. :/ I was hoping WEN had a VERY potently protein formula that I could use in lieu of my brand of protein treatment.  I guess I have no choice but to strip it out every 8 weeks now. Bah! sigh

Thanks for your response!. I have used Chaz' chat before, but had not even thought to ask them this question, duh. Lol

[AmericanBulldogMom]

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@Wannabeincali wrote:

Hi Hedge!

Thanks for posting  this!

Hmmmmmm. Interesting. I just read a thread on this WEN forum dated in March 2017, where the OP went to Chaz's studio and he rec'd for her to add 613 to her CC of choice because he wanted her to BOOST her protein level. ???

Also, I disagree about too much protein being bad for the hair. I have been doing my hair, as well as that of friends and family for over 25 yrs. I have done a gazillion protein reconstructor treatments --sometimes weekly if one lf my friends had a bleaching disaster. Never once have I or they experienced too much protein. As long as protein is infused in the hair correctly, and then followed by a moistuirizer, and then an oil to seal, protein will not make hair brittle. It is only when moisture and protein are out of balance, that problems occur. Too much moisture and not enough protein, will lead to very fragile, mushy, stretchy hair that tears easily when wet.

I learned how to give proper protein reconstructor treatments long ago, from a colorist I used. He emohasized the need to clarify the hair very well BEFORE using a protein treatment. I use to give myself one every 8 weeks. Now that I have come back to WEN, I was hoping to avoid having to use a clarifying shampoo. I do not want to strip out all of my CC. :/ I was hoping WEN had a VERY potently protein formula that I could use in lieu of my brand of protein treatment.  I guess I have no choice but to strip it out every 8 weeks now. Bah! sigh

Thanks for your response!. I have used Chaz' chat before, but had not even thought to ask them this question, duh. Lol

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@Wannabeincali You are right. Chaz has mentioned the different protein levels in his CC's before.  He many times says things like "the 613 and 319" are the most treatment based." He will also say the Rice Restoratives are more treatment based than the seasonal and core CC's. The protein amounts are what he is really talking about. And with the name Rice RESTORATIVES you know they will have a higher amount of protein in them than some of the others also.

My hair really doesn't like too much protein so I only use the 319 for a day or 2 after I color my roots. Otherwise I get dry straw like hair. The Rice Restoratives also give me different/mixed results. BGT is very drying, yet the MIF is more moisturizing.  The new Light CC is more moisturizing than drying, yet I know not to use it everyday or for both cleanses and leave-in. The seasonals vary slightly also, but really I can use them all without any issue. Chaz says they fall in the middle for protein amount. My earlier post with the order of CC's from highest to lowest amounts follows what Chaz has said about them all.

I am sure clarifying your hair once every 2 mo's or so will not ruin your wen progress.  In fact some people use it successfully while using some "regular shampoo" on their scalp/hair on occasion.  Just tweak it to what works for you.  Thats the beauty of wen!!😉

[Wannabeincali]

Hi Americanbulldogmom!

TY for your reply.

Yup, I use clarifying shampoos with my non WEN regimines. I just like keeping my WEN routine to only WEN products, but if I have to, I will use my Kenra clarifying shampoo.

I think I am going to try an ACV rinse as a clarifyer, first. I have done this with protein treatments when I have been out of clarifying shampoo. 

I think I will use the ACV, and then clease with Cucumber Aloe. I will try 613 as a protein treatment, and. maybe use Fig as the moisturizer. Then, I will use a tiny bit of the WEN oil as a sealant. I will see how that goes!  If it is not a strong enough protein treatment, I will just use a clarifying shampoo and my reg protein reconstructor, moisturizer and oil, every 8 weeks.

Yes, I do love how customizable WEN is.....much like my fave cosmetics, Bareminerals.

I like to be able to tweak things to my needs at any given time. Lol

Thanks again!

[HSB1204]

It doesn't sound accurate to me when Chaz's CS says that all of the CCs have about the same amount of protein. If that were true, I doubt I could even use Wen since my hair pretty much hates too much protein. I have highlights (no bleach) and I can maybe use 613 once a month, if even that. More than that and my hair turns dry and crispy and my ends start to break off.

[RipleyGirl]

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@HSB1204 wrote:

It doesn't sound accurate to me when Chaz's CS says that all of the CCs have about the same amount of protein. If that were true, I doubt I could even use Wen since my hair pretty much hates too much protein. I have highlights (no bleach) and I can maybe use 613 once a month, if even that. More than that and my hair turns dry and crispy and my ends start to break off.

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Maybe it's the balance between moisture and protein as well though that decides what does/doesn't work on your hair.

I'm pretty sure I've not heard Chaz mention the differences in protein between the core CCs, but then I've only been around here for a couple of years. POM has a different type of protein and there's more protein in 613 and that's caused people issues, but I don't remember anything about, for example, a difference between SAM and TT protein levels.

I think the worry with too much protein is that it can made the hair rigid. I always think of the mighty oak vs. the reed story with the tree breaking in strong winds while the reed just bends. If your hair is damaged, it needs the protein to fill in the gaps so to speak, but if your hair doesn't need it, you risk making the strands too rigid.

[Wannabeincali]

Hi Ripleygirl,

Do not be afraid to use protein heavy products IF you need them. As long as you keep protein and moisture in balance, one will not get brittle hair. Problems only arise when there is either too much protein, or too much moisture. Another problem is when people use a lot of silicone heavy product, and then do not use shampoos strong enough to remove the silicone buildup. They then apply protein treatments and moisturizers over the remaining silicone. The end result is that neither product can work as intended. 

I love 613! My hair needs the protein to repair it after bleaching and blowdrying. But I always make sure to use a very moisture heavy CC after 613, to balance out the protein. I have never had brittle hair as long as I keep both protein and moisture in check.

[RipleyGirl]

@Wannabeincali thanks for your further explanation. I'm actually lucky enough to not really need added protein, although I do use 613 as an add in. I find it adds nice body to my baby fine hair, so I use it as leave in, but I find it a bit rich for my scalp. 

Plus since starting Wen I don't really use a lot of damaging products or color my hair any more. The grey seems to blend in nicely now and not stick straight up (it's mostly just in the forehead are right now).