Chica1 inquires…I recently started using a generic version of Wen – Hair One – with great success. I’ve heard a number of wonderful success stories about Wen from various blogs and I’m interested in trying it but I’ve also heard a number of hair loss claims from blogs and youtube which makes me a bit hesitant to try it. Can a product like Wen cause hairloss?
The Left Brain responds:
Both WEN and Hair One are just dimethicone-free rinse out conditioners. There’s no reason that these, or any other conditioner, would cause significant hair loss. It makes no scientific sense what-so-ever. If this kind of product caused hair loss then the 60-70% of all women who condition every time they shampoo would be bald.
WEN Ingredients
Water, Aloe Vera Gel, Glycerin, Chamomile Extract, Cherry Bark Extract, Calendula Extract, Rosemary Extract, Behentrimonium Chloride, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Emulsifying Wax, Panthenol, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone, Hydrolyzed Whole Wheat Protein, PEG-60, Almond Glycerides, Menthol, Essential Oils, Citric Acid, Methylchoroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance
Hair One Ingredients
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Amodimethicone, Glycerine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol (and) Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Rosa Roxburghii Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol (and) Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Menthol, Panthenol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, BHT, Polysorbate 60, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA,1,2 Hexanediol (and) Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Fragrance.
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I’d hazard a guess that it’s just causing more already-loose hairs to slither out at once. My mother had a similar effect the first time she used leave-in conditioner, which would have to have been pretty scary to have caused hair loss that quickly. So probably it’s just hairs that’d've been lost to a hairbrush anyway within the next day or so.
Yea, my question made the front page! Unfortunately, I forgot to proofread. : ) Please excuse my poor excuse my lack of punctuation. Thanks for responding!
You could be having an individual, personal allergic reaction to one or some of the ingredients. I know from personal experience that the following have not been good for my own sensitive skin: Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract (this is like the rosemary in your herb cabinet) Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, (do you have any allergies to glutin or other grains?) Menthol (this can be especially irritating to skin.) Of course you could be sensitive to any of the other plant extracts or ingredients; you’ll have to try other products to see which ones DON’T cause a problem.
The Wen has Methylchoroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, which are preservatives that can actually be harsher on skin than the parabens that they replace — they are approved in limited quantity for products that are to be thoroughly rinsed off.
Also, the fragances can cause reactions to many people, depending.
Irritation can lead to inflamation of the scalp, which is a cause of losing hair. It could be so slight that you don’t notice any obvious redness or puffyness or itchiness. But it would hamper hair retention and regrowth.
Then again, it could be seasonal, the weather is changing and it’s the end of a long hot summer. Have you gotten any sunburn to your scalp or been wearing hats lately? Hormonal changes and emotional stress can also cause hair to fall out — are you just returning to school, change of routine?
I’d return to what you were using before, or a very mild gentle shampoo and conditioner, and then if things settle down go back and try the Hair One. If the fallout recommences, you’ll have an idea as to cause.
When I began using Wen hair products I started having major hair loss and I started seeing more and more of my scalp and it freaked me out! I will never use this stuff again!
run don’t walk away from wen shampoo. It is toxic! It caused my hair to fall out. Finally a year later my hair is recoving. My dr encouraged me to use head and shoulders with zinc. It worked immediately, the hair stopped faling out. The dr said he gets many patients complaing about hair loss from wen . The FDA is looking into it. Need to report your complaints to the FDA. Wen tries hard to take concerns and complaints about it,s products off the internet. Please save your self alot of heart ache. Do not try Wen.