Ren vs. Wen: They Are Nothing Alike

Wen vs Ren; Wen vs Balding; Co-Washing vs Clarifying Shampoo 

I added this Jan 8, 2017

It is easy to mistake RenPure (Ren) for Wen.  Their packaging and labels are very similar.  They are also both called cleansing conditioners, but this is where the similarities end.  Ren is a cheaper product than Wen, but Wen is a far superior product.  Everyone in my family agrees Ren is not a suitable substitution to Wen.  Wen detangles my hair, making it easy to get a comb through my natural hair.  My hair feels silky and soft to the touch with Wen, and I can also leave the product in my hair as a styling product.  Ren, on the other hand, leaves my hair extremely tangled, hard and waxy to the touch and suds up like a protein treatment.  You are not supposed to leave protein treatments in your hair  because it can make your hair hard and dry.  Hmmm, that is oddly similar to how Ren makes my hair feel.  If you used Ren before ever trying Wen thinking that they should be the same, I am telling you now they are not.  Please do not judge Wen by how your hair reacts to Ren; they are different, and to me Wen is worth the price.  I like touching my hair with Wen, but Ren made me hate the feel of my hair.  It was depressing.  I realized that some people out there might think the two products are the same, and I just want you to know that they are not!

If you can't afford Wen, then co-wash but don't use Ren.  I received some extremely good results co-washing with the list of conditioners below, but Ren was one of the worst results I have ever had.  I know some of you are thinking well her hair is kinky-curly I don't have that problem.  Let me tell you even the straight-haired man in my family hated Ren and loves Wen. My mother has wavy hair; she went off about her results with Ren.  I prefer Wen to co-washing because my hair results in no tangles, but when I can't get Wen--and there are times when I can't--I co-wash with conditioners because using Ren is not a good substitute.  If money is an issue, co-wash with these products they work, and many times I leave them in my hair to make my curls pop:

Kiss My Face        Herbal Essence         Aussie Moist    Organix Coconut Milk   Sauve Naturals

I am planning on doing a vblog to show you the differences between Ren and Wen.  I cannot repeat enough that Ren is not worth the money.  Maybe those who have never used Wen would think Ren is okay, but that is only because they have not experienced their hair on Wen.

Note: I have since found Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner to be a great alternative to Wen.  Read more by clicking the link above.   P.S.  You can find out more about hair products and DIY hair products by clicking on the Hair Page.  This note added June 7, 2015.

Quest For A Good Hair Day

One Family Four Different Types of Hair

When I was a little girl, my hair was constantly compared to the hair of other women in my family, and to hear other people talk I was born with the least desirable grade of hair.  Back story: My grandmother was born with straight hair; not even a wave graced her hair.  This made my grandmother and her sisters' lives easier than the lives of other women with varying grades of hair.

My grandmother and her sisters pin-curled their straight hair and went about their days, three sisters with beautiful and easy to work with hair.  My Grandmother's daughters would not be so lucky.  They were born with mixed grades of hair.  My mother had the easiest hair to deal with because it was mostly wavy.  Noticed I said mostly.  My mother was born with three grades of hair.  She has mainly waves, but she has also large curls mixed with extremely kinky, frizzy hair.  My mother's hair can look wavy and curly, but it takes a little more care and a lot of moisture.  Still, my mother's hair is a breeze compared to mine. Her hair uses very little product.  My mother's hair just needs a little love, but because it doesn't take that much effort she really doesn't do anything.  Let me say this: neglecting your hair can destroy even the best hair.

My Grandmother and Mother May 5, 2013

My sisters and I have curly-kinky hair.  Faith has the perfect spirals when her hair is well cared for, but she also has 3 different grades of hair.  Joy is lucky; her hair is very strong and she has only one curl pattern.  Her curls are small but perfect.  I, like my mother and my younger sister, Faith, happen to have 3 different grades of hair, but that is the only thing that is similar. I have a lot of hair, and every strand is very thin.  Even when I take great care with my hair it can snap easily. 

My sister's Joy and Faith.

The Solutions

Okay, so this blog is about making sure that my family and I become the best we can be.  Hair is one of those image things that matter.  It is easy to point out what is going wrong with your hair but hard to find solutions.  I don't know what solutions will work for you, but I can tell you there are a ton of vlogs (video blogs) that you can use to find what is best for you.  Best advice I can offer is for you to watch videos on how to use all products.  I know you think you know how to use conditioner and gel and hair oil, but really you may not be "doing it" right.  Doing your hair is like having sex.  Yes, you can have sex by having basic intercourse, but I can tell you awesome sex comes only with knowledge and passion.  In other words great hair and great sex may require a video or two.  

The following is a list of products I found work for me and the rest of my tribe.  My choices I tried off and on for years, but my results were mixed because I never really watched a video on the best way to apply theses products.  Now, the way I apply my products are unique to me, but other people's suggestions helped me develop my own technique.  

Note: This list is really just to help me.  We tend to get overwhelmed by which hair products to use for our natural hair (curly hair, kinky hair and wavy hair) and I want to remember what has worked for me and my family.  Below I have listed what hair products work for each of us.  These hair products are good for 2b/2c hair types, 3a/3b/3c hair types and yes all the 4 hair types too.  So we are four different women with four different types of hair and we each have our own list of natural hair products.  You may have your own hair products but this is what works for us.

My Hair Solutions 

Natural Hair 3B, 3C, and 4A mix

My Hair is a mix of 3b, 3c and 4a

Okay, this pic is not my worst hair day and it is not my best hair day.  There is no real curl definition, but the shrinkage is being managed, so... it is not a bad hair day.  I would show you a bad hair day, but my family will kill me.  I would show you a good hair day, but good hair days have not accompanied good body days.  Plus my curls have yet to read well in a photo.  Healthy hair, strong hair, is good hair.  My hair requires a lot of moisture.  Guess what? Oil is not moisture.  Oil is a way to seal moisture, but it does not give your hair moisture and can seal out moisture if it is add first.  I never shampoo my hair.  I co-wash or use Wen or Rinse with apple cider vinegar.   Okay, time for my list of products.

Feb 12 2017 note: There is a lot of controversy about WEN.  At the bottom of this page I include a video addressing it.  I still stand by co-washing and the WEN product and I am not paid by WEN at all.

Wen Six Thirteen 

It is my cleanser, my hair conditioner, my leave in all in one.  I get the 32 oz from QVC.

Kinky-Curly Knot Today

This is my leave in and styling product.  If I need to look good and care free this is my product.

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard

I must look good.  I must be perfect. I wash with the Wen, leave-in Knot Today and lock in my curl with the Curling Custard.

I seal my hair with vitamin E oil or almond/coconut/olive oil or Aloe gel from Trader Joe's.  I dry my hair with a T-shirt.  I hate twist outs on my hair but may change my opinion when my hair gets longer.

My Baby Sister Faith's Solution

Natural/Curly Hair 3A, 3B, and 3C

Her Hair is a mix of 3A 3B and 3C

Faith uses the exact same Wen I use Six Thirteen 

Rituals It's A Wrap

Faith loves the product.  Wishes she could use it everyday. 

ELLiN Lavar PenetratingBalm

This is Faith's perfect finisher but it is always out of stock.  So...we need to test some other balms. But the two above products give her the look she wants.

My Mother's Solution

Natural/Curly/Wavy Hair 2A, 2B, and 3B mix

Mom has 2A 2B 3B

It is hard to get a good hair and body pic cause my mom doesn't do anything to her hair.  When she does her hair for pictures many times she has a roller set or blow out.  This pic is one of the few with her hair down and curly.

Mom can use any Wen original or Six Thirteen.  She uses Sweet Almond Mint because it is slightly cheaper than the Six Thirteen and does exactly what she needs.  For styling mom is a Carol's Daughter girl.  It is the first styling product she really loves.

Carols Daughter Hair Milk Original Leave-in Moisturizer 

She loves this and needs very little to get results.  When she uses it she looks perfect.

Carols Daughter Hair Milk Pudding Style

This allows mom to get through the day with a finished look.  Her products last longer than most women with natural hair because her hair responds quickly to this product so she uses less of it.  It is exactly what her hair needs.

Joy is the Middle Sister

Born with perfect 3C Hair

She has 3C only and her hair is strong

Joy can do anything to her hair and does.  WEN keeps her hair in good condition.

She also uses Aveda.  Joy's hair can take just about anything, so she plays with it a lot and rarely suffers consequences.  The truth is I am not confidant that Joy is a 3C because her hair is super hair and completely bulletproof.

Family Event

At a family event last Saturday I realized more than 60% of the family has gone natural.  We compared notes and there was one product that stuck out, Kiss My Face.  Now I love Kiss My Face body wash but I have never tried their product in my hair.  I must give it a try.

Focus

I feel that we all would have better hair days if we could remember and focus on what works.  I know that my follow through could and should be improved in all areas of my life.  If I can make my hair life easier I might have an easier time at other things.  Image, talent, health and wealth are not easy to come by, but like momma always says,"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Hair is image and my first bite.

Wen vs Ren; Wen vs Balding; Co-Washing vs Clarifying Shampoo