Yikes! Seems like this has been going on for a little while...

http://stylenews.people.com/style/2015/12/15/chaz-dean-wen-hair-care-sued-for-severe-hair-loss/

I never comment on this forum, but I have to chime in.... I've been using WEN products for almost 8 years, and my hairs feels fabulous. I can not ever imagine going back to regular shampoo. When I was using regular shampoos, my hair felt like straw and I had to use gobs of conditioner just to put a comb through it (I dye my hair). With WEN, however, my hair feels like it did when I was a teenager - soft and manageable. I think my hair is stronger and thicker, too, but have no way to measure this. I hope this doesn't affect the company or my ability to get this product. (And, no, I'm not a paid spokesperson - I've been on GW for some time, just usually a lurker.)

I've been using WEN cleansing conditioner instead of shampoo for about 5 yrs. My hair was beginning to lose its luster around the time I turned 50. Conditioners, silicone glosses & serums all left my hair limp and I had to compensate with styling products to add body. My hair was weighed down with products and my bathtub was lined with bottles. WEN is a stand-alone product that works for me. I turn 61 next week & it's the only hair product I use at home (I have my gray roots covered regurlarly at the salon). With WEN my hair has body and is supple and shiny.

My sister is a hair stylist & she is not a fan of WEN. I defer to her on most everything regarding my hair but I'm not giving up using WEN.

Reactions to wheat cause the same symptoms!

When I decided to try Wen, I bought from Amazon. In the process of reading the reviews, I discovered the hair loss complaint. I tried it anyway and while I didn't get great results, I did not experience hair loss. However, I got the impression that hair loss came with longer use.

I never felt like my hair, and especially my scalp, were clean enough with the Wen products. I think the hair loss might be due to plugged follicles. The Wen products use mostly conditioning ingredients and oils to clean without the harsh chemicals in shampoos that cause so much damage.

Wen did improve the dry/damaged issues with my fine, thin hair. But it also weighed it down. I think that using cider vinegar rinses and maybe occasional sulfite-free shampoo would improve the problems I experienced but I didn't have the patience to experiment.

I'm interested in cleansing conditioners. I read the Amazon reviews and L'Oreal and Herbal Essence both have ones for about $6 that people raved about and said were as good as WEN.

I could never get past the suggested amount of washings and bazillion pumps of product related to the cost and size of the bottles - so casually mentioned like it's no big deal - to get through watching the sales pitch let alone order.

I heard the complaints were coming from long term users though never looked into it. I do know people who really love the product.

I think, like so many things in life, what will work well for one person is a disaster for someone else

I have very fine, thin, frizzy hair. Back when I tried Wen, I was also exercising hard every day - and I sweat like a pig. :-)

Wen was a fiasco in my hair.

First of all, I second the comment above about it never feeling clean. My scalp sweats, and the Wen just never seemed to get the sweat off the way regular products do. My scalp itched like crazy.

What made me finally give it up though was that my hair got progressively more limp and yet more frizzy with each passing day. I hung in there for a while and tried everything I could think of - more product, less product, leaving it on longer, rinsing it off quickly. Didn't matter, Wen and my hair were not meant to be.

I was turning into Roseann Roseannadanna on the stuff. Wasn't the look I was after. Glad people out there like it, but it never worked for me. I understand how it may clog pores or whatnot, the stuff felt heavy to me in my hair - which is maybe why my fine, limp hair just kept getting more and more limp, all the while fanning out like a peacock strutting its stuff.

I can't imagine a product like that would really clean your hair or scalp, although some people do have great success cleaning their face with cold cream or like products. I would be concerned with residue buildup on the scalp and with follicles getting clogged.

I do think the hair they show in the ads looks limp and heavy, laden with conditioner, although it does look shiny. I always try to condition lightly when needed to avoid that look and feel. I love a squeaky clean head of hair that is not weighted down with product.

More than 21,000 complaints to the company seems like a lot and worthy of consideration. Maybe the problem some are having is just due to its not cleaning the scalp well rather than an ingredient that is harmful. That could be more of a problem for some than others. I still think it should be investigated not dismissed.

It definitely needs to be investigated to determine if it has a high level of allergenicity, and it may need to be labeled as such and/or the formulation changed.

Another article on this topic in the New York Times

“It changed our life in just a couple shampoos. It’s ridiculous,” said Ms. Lawrence, whose daughter has grown back most of her hair and eyebrows. “It was marketed to be extra gentle, no harsh chemicals.”

I know this is hardly the point of the article, but did the daughter use the product on her eyebrows? Regardless, I think it would be tragic to lose your hair at all let alone suddenly. Just was reading how some are saying their hair hasn't grown back!

I'm wondering, do any other hair companies have complaints and reports like this about hair loss?

A few years ago, my daughter used an "all botanical" miraculous Mario Badescu cream for irritated skin around her eyes. Come to find out, the manufacturer added undisclosed prescription grade steroids to the cream! Thankfully she only used it for a short time but many people had serious issues because they had used the steroid cream around their eyes for years. There does need to be some kind of accountability for products that harm people.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/1tbhem/mario_badescu_products_found_to_have_unlabeled/?st=irxeoxc7&sh=e7358adc