WEN Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner

Before WEN, I had never found a single product that cleansed and conditioned my hair effectively in one fell swoop. Products advertised as "one-step does it all" - even from pricey lines - never got it right. Either they were great shampoos and poor conditioners or vice versa. My hair was left either a tangled, unconditioned mess or coated and weighted down. I had given up on the concept.

Something about WEN's Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner ($28) struck a chord. Maybe it was Chaz Dean's reputation. When I was offered a chance to try it, I jumped. It was perfect timing since showers had to be as short as possible during the initial weeks after my knee surgery.

WEN Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner is a universal cleanser designed to give all hair types the moisture and hydration they need to stay healthy, shiny, and manageable. It is an incredibly rich formula that thoroughly cleanses and conditions, without leaving behind residue to weigh down my fine hair. WEN Cleansing Conditioners replace more than shampoo. One product can do the job of shampoo, detangler, conditioner, leave-in treatment, and styling products.

There's a technique to using Cleansing Conditioner. Wet your hair thoroughly. Then, depending on the length of your hair, pump a predetermined amount of cleanser into your palm. The directions are on the bottle. If you don't already do so with your shampoo, apply it in sections of your head: the crown, nape/back, left side, and right side. Add a splash of water and massage in, as you normally would with shampoo, for two to three minutes. This cleanser does not product a lot of foamy bubbles. It's at this point I deviate from the company's directions just a bit. I do leave the product on my hair while I am taking care of my face, eyelids, and body. Once I finish with that, I don't need to comb through my hair with a wide-toothed comb. My fingers separate any tangles effortlessly and amazingly quickly. One or two passes through just the center back of my hair, and I am good to go. Additionally, I don't apply any product to leave in, although those with thicker hair might want to do so.

Once I hope out of the shower, I use my normal, ceramic wide-toothed brush "thingy" to comb through my hair before styling as usual. My hair is clean, soft, and shiny, and it's got volume. Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner does it all! I like the way it smells while I'm using it, but I don't notice that any fragrance hangs around later, which is perfect in my book. However, if you aren't excited by the pomegranate fragrance, you can purchase lavender, sweet almond mint, cucumber/aloe, fig, and more. There's a Cleansing Conditioner for every taste.

Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner is filled with lovely ingredients, starting with pomegranate extract, which has antioxidant properties and is incredibly hydrating. The long list showcases other key ingredients, including those listed here.

• Hydrolyzed soy protein increases strength and manageability.
• Organic aloe vera leaf juice is healing and moisturizing and offers anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.
• Rosemary extract, also an antioxidant, stimulates hair growth and fights scalp problems.
• Chamomile extract is calming and soothing and good for dry skin.
• Marigold extract, known to fight inflammation, should be good for our skin.
• Menthol will help alleviate itching, tenderness, and irritation.
• Wild cherry fruit extract is also soothing and anti-inflammatory.
• Panthenol Pro-vitamin B5 is a penetrating moisturizer that reduces split ends and strengthens the hair as it seals in moisture.

Chaz Dean's all-natural line has replaced the harmful detergents and sulfates in soap and shampoo with nourishing botanical ingredients that work wonders on all types of hair - from dry and damaged to thick and frizzy. “Shampoos contain so many harmful ingredients from detergents, sulfates, and surfactants that not only build up with continual use, but are simply bad for the scalp and hair,” Dean explains. “This is why so many women struggle with premature stripping of color, frizziness, dullness, dryness, hair loss, and many other forms of hair damage.”

Beautiful women with beautiful hair count themselves among WEN's ardent followers. Gwyneth Paltrow, Marcia Cross, Charlize Theron, and Diana Agron are just a few. I'm a convert. I love my Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner and will be exploring more from Chaz Dean's product line soon. You can find WEN products and the Pomegranate Cleansing Conditioner at Chaz Dean's WEN Web site, QVC, and Amazon. Let me know if you like it as much as I do.

Photo courtesy of Chaz Dean