Nina asks about WEN, a line of cleansing conditioners created by a Hollywood hair stylist Chaz Dean. Dean believes that sulfates in most shampoos can be very damaging and stripping to hair so he created these cleansing conditioners to clean hair without stripping it. Nina wants to know if hair can really be better off in the long run by cleansing with a conditioner. And if it does work, will a regular drugstore conditioner produce the same effect.
The Left Brain replies:
Great question, Nina. First of all, the idea of cleaning your hair with conditioner is not new and was not invented by Chaz. And no, he’s not using any kind of revolutionary technology. Let`s take a look at the ingredients:
Water, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, rosemary leaf extract, wild cherry fruit extract, fig extract, chamomile extract, marigold flower extract, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, amodimethicone, hydrolized wheat protein, polysorbate 60, panthenol, menthol, sweet almond oil, PEG-60 almond glycerides, methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, citric acid, essential oils.
Looking at just the functional ingredients (leaving out extracts, preservatives, pH adjusters, ) leaves the following:
glycerin, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate, cetearyl alcohol, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine (SADMA), and amodimethicone
These are very common conditioner ingredients. Here’s what they do: Glycerin can provide moisturization in a leave on product, but it doesn’t do anything for hair when it’s rinsed out. Cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are thickening and emulsifying agents are are used to make a conditioner rich and creamy. Because they`re oil soluble they could, in theory, help lift some of the sebum of your hair and scalp. Behentrimonium methosulfate, SADMA, and amodimethicone are very effective conditioning ingredients because they deposit on the hair.
Could you clean your hair with this product? Sure, if your hair isn’t very dirty this could work pretty well. But so could any basic conditioner. In fact, I’d look for a conditioner that doesn’t have any silicone in it, just to make sure it leaves as little on your hair as possible.
But what if you have greasy hair, or if you use hairspray, mousse gel, or putty? Then cleansing conditioners are not a very good idea. They don`t have enough cleansing power to remove gunk from the hair. Chances are that cleansing with conditioner will leave your hair feeling dirty and weighed down.
The Brains Bottom Line: If you’re really worried about drying your hair out from over-shampooing, there’s nothing wrong with skipping your shampoo and just rinsing with conditioner once in a while. But you don’t need to spend $28 on a special product. A nice inexpensive drug store brand will do the same thing.
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been cleaning my hair with conditioner for 4 months now, and am very happy with it. Since my scalp is irritated, and my hair damaged by years of bleaching and blowdrying, it was always very difficult to “clean” my scalp but not dry out my thin, fine, wavy hair.
Since using conditioner, my scalp is less itchy and flaky, my hair is much smoother and wavier and softer, and my hair is also growing in thicker and wavier where it has no longer been chemically treated.
Since my hair does not get “dirty” (i am a teacher, and jog and bike for exercise, but do not get *dirt* in my hair) I don’t see any need to put detergent on my hair. It only dries it out.
Much of what we learn about hair care either is wrong, or doesn’t apply to every hair type. If you want beautiful healthy hair it is worth it to do a bit of research and experimenting – you may be surprised!
Thanks for the comments Anne. It looks like you are happy with how your hair feels using conditioners to clean it.
You should know that technically you are still putting detergent on your hair (that’s why it can clean). Ingredients like behentrimonium methosulfate and stearamidopropyl dimethylamine are technically detergents. They are slightly milder than shampoo detergents and are at much lower levels than you’d find in a shampoo (say 1% versus 12% in shampoo).
If you are only going to keep your hair short, then a shampoo would do it since hair can take a lot of abuse, however, for those aiming for waist length and below, it would be beneficial to reduce washing interval and adopt the conditioner only washing method.
Remember to thoroughly massage conditioner into hair for at least 5 minutes. And Brains are right, WEN is very over-priced, I am getting along fine with affordable Suave, White Rain, VO5 conditioners.
Good luck!
what about a shampoo like deva curl’s no-poo or low-poo. these shampoos leave out the sulfates. what’s your opinion of them, brains?
i have curly hair and use no-poo almost daily. when i want to get the styling goo stripped out, i’ll use low-poo (about 1-2x a week). they seems to work well and keep my curls nice.
I’ve tried that “no-poo” way to wash hair. Ok, it does work-in the end. I had to take a bowl of baking soda in the showr with me, find someplace to put it where it wouldn’t collect water(ha!), then proceed to “wash” my scalp with the baking soda paste.
Did you ever rub a balloon on your head to make your hair stand up? Cute trick, huh? Well, imagine the outside of the balloon had sandpaper all over it and when you pulled it away from your head you had a bunch of your hairs sticking to it. That’s my experience.
The best thing about this was the Apple Cider Vinegar rinse. Which I should’ve done all by itself and it would’ve worked better.
My hair started thinning about 7 years ago. Before I figured out it was because of perimenopause I went berserk and blamed it on everything. My current shampoo, because I dyed my hair *two years before*, elves, etc.
I went all natural because grrrr damn those sulfates and silicones, they were ruining me! Might as well use Dawn to shampoo.
I’m doing much better now, thank you.
In the past few years I’ve done a lot of reading about hair and hair products from mostly the Internet.
What I have found is that in general people(women *and* men) are more willing to join the campaigns against sulfates and silicones because they feel both ingredients are bad for them(some people even say toxic), than use products containing them in moderation.
I’ve also read a lot of reasons why people will do an only conditioner wash. What it comes down to is they are unwilling to give up the products that cause their hair damage, so the next best solution for them is this. Nor will they give up “blow frying”, heated curlers/irons, or ceramic straighteners.
These are not my personal opinions; they are “collected data”.
Even though my hair is basically wash and wear and air dry, knowing what type of hair I have(thick/fine) and what it does and doesn’t respond to is a big help in taking care of it. I think everyone should know this, and if you need to, go and have a consultation with a hairstylist.
I’ve calmed down and am back to those nasty sulfates and silicones, and my hair hasn’t been in this good a shape since I went berserk. The natural(made with oils like cocoa butter, olive, coconut) shampoo worked fine, but over $5 an 8 oz. bottle for me is too much.
It’s all about moderation. I wash my hair maybe twice a week unless it’s really icky. I don’t use any styling products, so build up is not an issue for me.
And I suggest instead of joining the campaign against sulfates and silicones and making yourself nuts and buying a ton of expensive alternative products like I did, to try rinsing with two cups of water and two tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar once a week first.
Trust me, I do this when needed and this will get rid of build up and bring hair back to its natural state. I also suggest doing it *before* shampoo/conditioner to make sure there’s no smell left.
Can’t hurt to try it first…
I have fairly long, extremely dry hair, which wants to become frizzy and fluffy. It’s wavey, not curly, but given its druthers, would stand out from my head in piles. Mere water strips off most of the oils, so I only shampoo it once or twice a week, but condition every shower.
my hair smells musty or like mildew, after 2 days shampooing. i use expensive products, shampoo twice a week, bathe daily. i use lots of body products and perfume. i am 76 years old. is this a hormone thing, or is this the old person smell i have heard about. the hair thing is driving me crazy. after 3 days, of a shampoo, it is very strong. is there anything i can do to stop this? i have tried lots of remedies. please help!!!
help!!! i have smelly hair. smells like musty mildew. what can i do?
i will accepted that the Lynn opinion
if the hair is short the shampoo is so dangerous against your hair but a few longer that is good so i will advice all
women and men have been keep they hair very carefully.
Sulphates are bad for color treated hair and will fade the color fast. Sulphate Free Shampoo is best to use if your hair is colored.
@Ashley – Do you have any scientific evidence to prove this is true? I’ve personally tested shampoos with and without sulphates on colored tresses in the lab and could not show a difference in color removal. What controlled experiments have you conducted or are aware of?
i have very dry, thin, & wavy hair..can i use conditioner instead of shampoo for hair wash.
I mistakenly washed my bangs with conditioner (Dove) last night and my hair turned out far better (I have curley/frizzy hair, that I blow dry straight just once a week.)! I was amazed as I thought I’d have to rewash with shampoo, but no greasy hair just more body and shine (shine! haven’t seen that in a long time) I’m goind to wash my entire head of hair next and see how it goes. I’ve been using Traite non sulphate/s shampoo by Mastey and still my hair has been dry..so maybe this washing with conditioner is the answer!
Hey everyone, Thanks for the insight on this washing hair with conditioner alone. I saw thw Wen hair Care products on TV and was amazed at how expensive it was. And was wondering if I could continue to use my conditioner alone to achieve the same results. And from reading through all of the posts, they have convinced me to try it an see how my hair feels. Over the years my hair has become dry and frizzy. I am hoping that washing with conditioner alone may help the situation. I dont use any hair products so, it should be a good experiment for me.
Thanks again everyone.
hi every one, i have been reading this since yeaterday afternoon and as i wash my hair every moring (because it’s so greacy) i thought i would give it a go.
anyway i used herbal essences for dry hair conditioner, i massaged it in for about 5 minutes then left it for another couple of minutes as i washed my face and body.
i wasn’t convinced as it didn’t feel very nice as i washed it out
i towel dryed my hair and dryed the rest off using my hair dryer, im loving it!! my hairs super shiny and feels in grreat condition, also smells lovely.
im going to do this more often as my hairs thick and brittle.
defenetly try it!
xx
ok so here’s an update. it has been total of maybe a month and I have been doing the conditioner only thing. I have to say that my hair is much healthier and stronger. I love the way it feels when its done drying and then even better is that i don’t even need the flat iron to straighten my hair. This saves my hair from breaking.
Everyone should try this method.
Thanks.
@Irene,
Did you experience any negatives? I tried this for a week and while my hair looked great, it didn’t exactly feel clean.
I have used the Wen products for over a year and think they are great. they are not cheap but do last a long time
I have extremely oily, color treated hair and sensitive skin. I have been using Wen for about a half year now and am delighted. Even after several days when my hair is extremely dirty and oily (you can see it after hiking, camping etc)the conditioner cleans well and leaves my hair CLEAN, soft, full of body and very manageable. It appears thicker and holds a style better. Even my hairdresser asked what I was doing. My color (red tones) fades less than before from color to color. In addition my scalp no longer itches and I am not experiencing skin irritation and acne on my face since getting rid of my traditional shampoos/conditioners.
Hi Ladies, I’ve kept my hair long all my life.I’m 46, have brunette hair(no gray yet) & color to lighten the shade every few months.My hair started to dry out in recent years.Well,saw the WEN commerical & thought the same as others on this page.Wonder if regular conditioner would work? It does have alcohol and other oil stripping properties.I tried it and IT DOES WORK GREAT! My hair was actually a little greasy because I was sick for a couple day.I didn’t think it would clean it but it did! I used my regular Suave conditioner and made sure to really massage it into scalp and all hair.I think I may stick to using just conditioner from now on,..maybe throw in a shampoo occasionally.
BARBARA,..you could try this too.Also,I have a theory on the musty smell.Could it be your towels? Occasionally my towels get a musty smell even when clean.I end up needing to wash them a couple times to get it out every so often.Also, could be sinusitis if not that.Probably not from your hair itself.Hope this helps!
)
Nina,
The best way to clean your hair is to use a sulfate free shampoo created with natural fruit acids. These shampoo’s will clean the hair, including styling pruducts, without stripping the hair of color deposits and vital amino acids, proteins, lipids, fatty acids and minerals. The best gentle none stripping cleaning agent currenly on the market is Tetrasodium EDTA. This is a chelating agent that attaches to the dirt and product buildup and loosens it from the hair shaft. You should gently message the hair shaft in the direction from roots to ends in order to remove the product build up. This will allow you to safely remove the product build up and not damage the cuticle of the hair. Colure True Color Care makes Richly Moisturize Shampoo and Body Volume Shampoo depends on what your hair is need of. These shampoos use Molecular Nano Technology and are mulitfunctional high performance products. They use natural fruit acids in there sulfate free formulas, Tetrasodium EDTA as the Chelating agent, detangle and shine and have a host of amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, protiens and minerals to rebuild dry, damaged and over proceed hair. For more information the website is http://www.colurehaircare.com.
@Tony – There is no proof that sulfate free shampoos are less stripping of color than ones that contain sulfates.
Do you have any objective proof (not anecdotal evidence) that sulfate free shampoos are less stripping?
Also, what is “Molecular Nano Technology” and why should anyone care about it?
Ive tried washing with conditioner, apple cider vinegar and baking soda on my wavy and dry hair, about 3 months after i got smelly hair (moldy odor, was itchy and the temperature of my scalp turned higher sometimes) which i couldnt control for 8 months, even now is not as used to be, the derm couldnt help me either.
So be careful and make your own serious research, for now i prefer just protecting the tips with conditioner, no poo is not for me!!!.
I bought the Wen cleansing conditioner last month & have been using it & I am NOT a happy camper. The product is supposed to work for “all hair types” & this is definitely not true. I have thick hair that I usually wash 3 times or so a week, according to my activities. I always use a good conditoner in the shower. I thought I would give Wen a wirl because I color my hair every 4-6 weeks & I was hoping to help out my dry hair. After a month of using the Wen product my hair feels so dirty & gunky that I can’t get it clean with regular shampoo. I’m going to try the baking powder & vinegar tip. Hope I can save someone w/ my hair type the money & trouble of buying the Wen product.
Using conditioner to cleanse your hair won’t leave it weighed down. If you do it properly. You cant just dump the conditioner in your hair and expect it to work. You have to really massage it in and scrub harder than you normally would. Then take a shower comb, comb it through and leave on your hair till the end of your shower and rinse out. pantene ice shine works well and herbal essences. suave builds up a lot. Ive been cleansing my hair with conditioner for a year and it takes a couple of times to realy get down the routine that works for you but its worth it y hair is fluffy wavy and shiny, and if after a while you still cant live without shampoo, spend a little more on something like fekkai (you can get samples of on walmart.com) or nexus which is awesome, and if you dont have that extra to spend use baby shampoo, all the cleanse but much more gentle.
I tried Wen for a while but it left my hair feeling oily after about 2 weeks. I went back to using shampoo once a week and this seemed to solve the problem, but the cost is prohibitive so I did some research and found a product called hair one. It is wonderful works the same way Wen does for about 1/3 the cost.
I have been using Hair One for a little over a month and I love, love, love it! I have been wondering about just using a “conditioner,” but have not yet gotten my nerve up to give it a try. Maybe soon.
Hi there, I discovered your site via Google at the same time as looking for a comparable subject, your site came up, it seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
I used a knock off of WEN’s hair cleanser (Lisa Rachel hair cleanser), and my hair smelled like yuck! So the next day I washed it out and returned the product.
I wish I could make a product similar but without the bad smell and chemicals.
Does anyone know of a homemade recipe that will not dry out my bone dry hair?
Thanks
I have used Wen, Lisa Rachel and Hair One. I do love Wen the most but can not bring my self to spend that much. I got a recipe from one of my customers (I work for a natural and organics company) that calls for keratin sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. It is one part shampoo to three parts conditioner. She says that it is the closest she has come to making her own cleansing conditioner at home that she can use without buildup or drying her hair out. The company EO has a keratin sulfate line that I am trying.
Hi All ; ) ‘,<
I thought the WEN ingredients breakdown was really informative, so thanks Left Brain. I came across this site researching the ultimate WEN home-made home recipe and the postings here have been helpful. I am 38, with long and dark hair of medium thickness. It is dead straight generally. However, since I'm now coloring to hide those greys, my former slick locks resemble a bouffant unintentialy. That is to say, I'm fizzing up and it's not a great look. Have used Aveda, Paul Mitchell, Organics, Redkin with no luck, so when I saw the WEN add, I order immediately. It worked an absolute charm for me! But, since I'm a PHD (not in this field) student I have to get the price right. So I have decided to make my own.
I would welcome feedback on the recipe ; ) …
…as I'm kinda newish to toying with such ingredients.
Will be using this site as a guide for making my cleansing shampoo and most of the ingredients are avaliable onsite too: http://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/recipe-formulary/hair-care-shampoo-conditioner-recipes/conditioning-emulsifier-primer.html
Distilled water
Polyquat-7 (sheen, reduce colour fade, add manageability, reduce static)
Hydrolised Oats (used in most conditioners, moisture, manageability)
Hydrolised Wheat Protien (used in most conditioners, for protein?)
Conditioning Emulsifier (a blend avail at Aussie soap supplies – cleanser)
EDTA (Tetrasodium – for non-stripping cleansing action)
Guar Conditioner (Reads as awesome for hair during & post wash)
Pheneserve Preservative (stabilizer for high-temperature mixtures)
Pathenol (Used in most hair products – aka Pantein Pro-V)
+ Essential Oils, tinctures or extracts for dark hair (Rosemary, bergamont, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, grapefruit, fennel, spearmint, peppermint or menthol, almond or coconut oil).
+ Essential Oils, tinctures or extracts for fair hair (Chammomile, lavender, lemon, grapefruit, lime, vanilla, the various mints and almond or coconut oil.
I don't have any certifiable conclusionoften the value of these ingredients, now the combo, other than my own meandering experience and research. It appears logical (to me) that since these ingredients are included in professional formulas, surely they must be useful.
Even so, I will have to master the ingredient ratio and learn to cook and bottle conditioner. It could all go belly up, or I could remaster a winner!
Yes, Im a little concerned that this combo may be too heavy or needs some more cleaning active component. But then again, I was impressed by the recommendation for EDTA, thus am hoping this will do the trick (along with rosemary and the conditioning emulisifier).
Love to read your thoughts ; ),'<
Turns out that hair color will fade whether you shampoo or conditioner or anything.
I colored my hair and washed it maybe 4 times. Just water and it faded all out in a month. It was a demi but it said it would last through 28 shampoos but I didn’t shampoo my hair once. So shampoo no shampoo doesn’t matter.
I USE THE COLORING DARK AND LOVELY ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS ,BUT WASK MY HAIR ONCE OR TWICE EVERY TWO WEEKS. BETWEEN COLORING, I USE TWO EGGS WHITE TO CONDITION FOR TWENTY MINUTES AND ADDITIONALLY THE DARK AND LOVELY MOISTURE RICH CONDITIONIG FOR AN ADDITIONLLY THREE TO FIVE MINUTES. THE EGG WHIT AND DARK AND LOVELY IS RINSED OUT. THIS GIVES THE HAIR LOTS OF VOLUMN,AND IS VERY INEXPENSIVE.
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