As someone too cheap to buy Wen, I was delighted to find this at my local "superstore." I have very fine but thick hair and I recently chopped it all off in frustration because I literally could not do a thing with my hair except wear it in a ponytail or a French twist. I tried it today and my hair is as shiny as it was in high school, before I started dying it and torturing it with blow dryers and curling irons. I color my hair and the Aveda product I was using was stripping the color. Today, my color looks fresh and vibrant. My hair has more body than usual, although I do have to use some styling products to get the lift I want. I love the fragrance. It has a very mild citrus/herbal smell that doesn't irritate and I am extremely sensitive to smells. The important thing is that it doesn't smell like perfume, like L'Oreal and other drugstore products. It smells natural and clean. I'll review again in a few weeks to see if this hair miracle continues!
I have oily scalp and dry hair. Shampoos no matter how cheap or pricey all did the same thing; strip oils, deposit sulfates and left hair damaged and excess of shedding constantly (more so than average).
I always wanted to try Wen cleansing products, but the product is too steep.
I spotted Salon Grafix at my neighborhood grocery store.
I tried this for the first time and my hair is soft 'n' silky and looks full (I have fine, straight, low elasticity, fragile hair. Brunette with silver/white hairs. I don't color).
So far I like the results; I'll update 3 months from now to give my final results. I would recommend trying a different approach to cleaning hair without the harsh chemicals.
I have extremely thick hair that is also very coarse and dry. It is also color-treated & heat styled (blowdry & flat iron), so I need a lot of moisture, but also color protection. I wash my hair usually twice per week to minimize damage. I have never used Wen, but have used L'Oreal EverCreme cleansing conditioner. I picked this up for $8 at Walgreens to try it, and so far I love it. My hair is fairly short (chin-length layered bob), but very thick, so I probably used 8-10 pumps. You cannot skimp with this: if you don't use enough product & water, your hair will not get clean. I soaked my hair down well with water, added the conditioner, worked it through thoroughly & massaged it in all over my head, scalp & through my hair for a good 2 minutes, then combed it through with a wide-tooth plastic comb & let it sit on my hair while I finished shaving my legs in the shower, probably 10 minutes. Longer than recommended, but as my hair is quite dry I figured it couldn't hurt. I rinsed about the same as I always do - probably 2-3 minutes under the shower, and I had no problems with it rinsing out completely & rinsing clean. It rinsed out as easily as my regular conditioner would. (Now, if you have soft water, I can see rinsing being an issue.) My hair felt completely clean, all styling product buildup removed (which shocked me, as I typically use a LOT of product), and not at all weighed-down or coated. Just clean & soft. I used 1 pump worked through the ends as a leave-in before I styled, and my regular heat-protectant spray. My hair is smooth, soft & shiny, and not at all weighed-down. It looks & feels much better than usual, doesn't look dry or fried or oily/weighed-down. The "citrus creme" scent to me is lovely & clean - reminiscent of Bath & Body Works cool citrus basil. Overall I am quite impressed with this, as someone who has always done shampoo & conditioner 2-step process, I think the cleansing conditioner method may well be a God-send for my hair type. I am going to repurchase this & continue to use it, and see if it really helps my hair overall.
Edited: This didn't moisturize as much as I would have liked, and I did have itchy scalp after a day or so. I've switched to RenPure's "Ren" and it is a heavier product with more oils, and better for my specific hair type. continued >>
I have the sugared melon version of this, advertised for oily hair. It's too heavy for my long, wavy, fine, color treated hair. If you love wen cleansing conditioner, this is very similar in texture and effectiveness, so you might want to give it a try. I've tried a lot of cleansing conditioners over the years, and so far my hands down favorite is L'oreal evercurl hydracharge (in the blue.) Sally Hair One didn't moisturize enough for me, wen builds up, and devacurl is somewhere in the middle, but hard to find. This product (salon grafix) has no lather, whereas the l'oreal does lather. This product does leave my hair clean, but coated rather than moisturized, and I still had tangles. the effect is very similar to the wen product.
More reviews by smolderingviolet
This is my new love hate hair relationship. This stuff leaves my hair as shiny as it has ever been, even when I had a keratin treatment. What I don't like about this is how much you have to use, how hard it is to get out of your hair, and the smell. I have thick hair that goes just past the middle of my back. I had to use 8 pumps to entirely coat my hair. Once it was on I started massaging it in and it felt wonderful. It has a great creamy texture that feels amazing on your hair. The smell however is horrible. Someone posted below that it smells like bug spray, and they couldn't be more right. It smells like that deep woods super extra strength bug spray. You should also be prepared for it to take forever to rinse out. I probably spent five or so minutes just rinsing my hair. Once it was out I dried my hair with no additional product. My hair was incredibly shiny, but dry the first day. The NEXT day, though, my hair was shiny and soft. I will buy this again, but I think I'll be using it mostly for when I want to change my style (from curly to straight etc) and don't want to shampoo my hair. I doubt I will be using this as a regular part of my routine.
I have to agree with Danielle 1558 below. I too have been using Lavender Wen and love how it makes my fine, curly, color-treated hair fluffy, shiny, moisturized and healthy. I do not love the cost. I picked this up at Ulta and thought it worth a try.
I like this better than other Wen varieties (such as Pomegranate) that can weigh my hair down. I have only used it once, but I got similar results to the Wen -- maybe not quite as moisturized. I used the same technique as I use with Wen and thoroughly wet hair, massaged thoroughly, combed through, let sit, rinsed thoroughly (massaging it out) and I put a bit of my Wen in as a leave-in. Then blow dried the same way I would. My hair really looks great -- shiny, bouncy, and full. I guess I am not as particular about scents -- I don't love it, it is definitely NOT citrus and is more flowery, but for these results, it's not a deal breaker.
I will update this if after repeated use I see any other differences from Wen or change my mind. But at less than half the price of Wen per ounce, plus the fact that I can buy it at a drug store, I am in love.
Update: what I thought was "less moisturizing" is product buildup. I used this a couple days in a row, then used Pomegranate Wen and my hair was soft, moisturized, and fluffier than it usually is with that variety of Wen. I may use this occasionally to stretch out my Wen but not sure if I will repurchase. I am also downgrading to 3 stars from 4.
I LOVE this conditioner. It really is a cowash, I don't use shampoo before hand and just slather this in my hair.
It's fantastic when I am in a hurry. Is super moisturizing, cleans my hair, removes all previous product, and leaves a delicious creamy, clean scent all day long. Unlike my other shampoos and conditioners, this one really scents my hair for the entire day. The smell is fresh and wonderful, I love it!
You do have to use a lot. I like the scent of this better than the L'Oreal though. This is my favorite cowash conditioner. I will definately buy it again.
Please see updates:As a cosmetologist I love trying different hair products. I liked this cleansing cream much better than the L'Oreal evercream cleansing cream. I have fine blonde long hair and the evercream just left it dry and tangled. Plus it made me itch. The salon graphix cleansing cream gave me full body hair that I could run my fingers through without tangles. I do have some tangles when it's wet but I use a tiny amount as a leave in and it combs thru nice. I would recommend this product for people with fine,thin or normal hair. I'm not sure how this would do for thick hair as it does seem to add volume.
Update: The Hair One cleanser you can get at sally's leaves my hair softer and less tangled. I use the sweet almond oil and it does not smell as strong as salon graphix. I notice more shine also so I think I'll stick with hair one for now.
Update: After months of use and a horrible experience with WEN, it made my scalp hurt terribly after four days I had to take pain killers, I realize there is nothing better than gentle shampoo for your hair type. I use KMS add volume shampoo and conditioner and now have amazing hair with no problems. I have also noticed my son's hair looks and feels so much better with a gentle shampoo. I would only recommend a cleansing conditioner for curly girls on the days they do not shampoo. For other hair types I don't think they improve the hair. I have done months of research and trials on these conditioners. A good way to find out if a product if working for you is to take before and after pictures. Just make sure they are in the same lighting and you can see the results.
Pros:
Reasonably priced.
Cleans well without stripping color.
Scent is mild but not citrus (this may or may not be a pro depending on how you feel about perfumed hair products.
Rinses clean.
Leaves hair shiney.
No Menthol!
Cons: The scent is described as "citrus" but smells more like bugspray and nursing home. Still it does not last long.
I saw this at Wal-mart and decided to try it, since it was marketed as a "Wen" alternative, and obviously much cheaper than the original. I have shoulder-length hair, and first strike against Salon Grafix Conditioning Cleanser was the amount of product I needed to use. At the rate I was going, I doubt the bottle would have lasted 2 weeks. I rinsed, and rinsed........................and rinsed, and my hair still felt coated. I figured maybe that was how it should be, and let my hair air-dry. Visually, my hair looked super dull after using this, felt waxy/unhealthy, and was limp. I gave it a few more tries, experimenting with styling after using it, rinsing EVEN MORE, etc., but to no avail. Long story short, I wouldn't recommend this product, certainly wouldn't purchase it again, and didn't even bother to save the remainder, because even in a pinch, I would wash my hair with bar soap rather than use this again. :(
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