You may have used Chaz Dean's cult-favorite WEN Cleansing Conditioner — or at the very least seen the infomercials for it on TV. Now there's some surprising news about the products: More than 200 women have joined a class action lawsuit against the hair care company and its parent company Guthy-Renker, claiming that WEN Cleansing Conditioner causes hair loss.
It all started in 2014, according to court papers, when Florida resident and nurse practitioner Amy Friedman purchased the WEN Cleansing Conditioner in "Sweet Almond Mint" on Jan. 29, 2014. "Within two weeks of beginning use of her WEN Cleansing Conditioner, she began losing substantial and abnormal amounts of hair," the lawsuit explained.
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Friedman was able to use vitamins and supplements to regrow her hair back, but she wasn't the only one having issues with the product. "The internet is replete with examples of blogs and other websites where consumers have complained of the exact same issues with WEN Cleansing Conditioner," she said.
The number of women who've allegedly experienced hair loss from using WEN by Chaz Dean has now climbed to over 200 women across the country, with hair-loss complaints that have been documented on Facebook and on Consumer Affairs.
In a comment on the WEN by Chaz Dean product page on Consumer Affairs, Nanette of Wasco, California, reports that after two weeks of using the product as directed, "I began noticing clumps of hair in my shower drain, brush and on the floor." She didn't think it was related to the WEN product, so she continued using it for another two weeks, and that's when the bald spots appeared and she stopped using the product. "The hair loss has began [sic] to slow but I have lost over half the thickness of my hair. This has never happened to me before. ... Wen has to be taken off the market before it causes more people harm."
Dede of Livermore, California, also reported on Consumer Affairs that after two weeks of using WEN, "I noticed tons of hair in drain and in my brush during styling. I thought it was odd, but then it got worse and worse and worse. The more I continued using this product, the worse it got."
While complaints are coming in from 40 different states, Texas is the state with the most complaints of hair loss, according to CBS Local News in DFW.
Kim of Lubbock, Texas, wrote on Consumer Affairs that she has lost half her hair since using WEN. "Doctor have checked hormones and thyroids, both fine. I lose 400 to 500 strands a day, everyday." She added, "There's not a day I don't cry and just keep praying the hair will eventually stop falling out. I am down to washing my hair just once every two weeks because washing it makes the hair loss worse. This picture is what happens every time I wash my hair."
Susan Browning of Dallas, who has to wear extensions to cover up her bald spots, told CBS that her hair would come out in clumps (she's interviewed in the video clip below). She bought the $40 cleansing conditioner in hopes of achieving fuller hair, but eight months into using the product, she began balding.
The cleanser is meant to replace shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and detangler, but the amount of conditioner in the product might be the cause of the hair-loss issues.
"What we understand about the product and how it causes hair loss is it contains virtually no cleanser," attorney Amy Davis, who is representing many of the Dallas victims, told CBS. "It's like using lotion to wash your hair, so instead of removing the product, when you rinse it off, it just becomes impacted in your hair follicle and when it gets trapped in the follicle, your hair gets brittle and breaks." Davis also said that "it looks like they had a weed-whacker taken to the head."
In reply to these allegations, WEN by Chaz Dean said, "There is no scientific evidence to support any claim that our hair care products caused anyone to lose their hair. There are many reasons why individuals may lose their hair, all unrelated to WEN hair care products." They also told CBS DFW that, "With well over 10 million WEN products shipped since 2008, our customers' overwhelmingly positive response to WEN is a testament to the benefits it can deliver for its users."
According to court records, the parties involved in the lawsuit agreed on a framework for mediation on Dec. 1, but the suit is still ongoing.
WEN has not responded to Cosmopolitan.com's repeated requests for comment.
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Source: More Than 200 Women Claim Wen Hair Products Caused Baldness
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