200 person lawsuit claims popular hair care line causes baldness, scalp injury
If you regularly find yourself watching television past 1 AM, you've more than likely consumed a fair share of infomercials, one of the most notorious being for WEN. Advertised as a revolutionary, "no lather" shampoo and conditioner system, WEN promises to transform your dull, lifeless locks into the Hollywood mane you want.
But instead of leaving many women with the "strength, moisture, and manageability" its website promises, it has left them balding, confused, and looking for answers.
SEE ALSO: Bill Cosby countersues 7 of his accusers for defamation %shareLinks-quote="In the shower when I squeezed the water out of my hair, I'd have handfuls of hair coming out." type="quote" author="Susan Browning" authordesc="Former WEN user" isquoteoftheday="false"% Over 200 women have joined a class action lawsuit against WEN by Chaz Dean, and marketing company Guthy-Renker, claiming it causes hair loss, breakage, scalp irritation and rash.
According to the lawsuit, nurse practitioner Amy Friedman bought the WEN Sweet Almond Mint basic kit in January of 2014 for $29.95, and "within two weeks of beginning use of her WEN Cleansing Conditioner, Plaintiff began losing substantial and abnormal amounts of hair."
Friedman says she continued using the products for "approximately three more weeks" before stopping completely, resulting in her losing "one quarter to one third" of the hair on her head.
She also claims that her experience is not an isolated incident and that "the internet is replete with examples of blogs and other websites where consumers have complained of the exact same issues with WEN Cleansing Conditioner."
Posts like these, rampant on WEN's Consumer Affairs and Facebook pages, seem to back up her claims:
I can't leave my house I'm depressed Wen hair products is responsible for my hair loss I have been shampooing and...
Posted by Tracie Hashton on Monday, December 7, 2015
I used Wen for over a year and my hair got so thin and was falling out. I switched back to regular shampoo &...
Posted by Amber M. Bennett-Pryor on Tuesday, December 15, 2015
I have been using Wen now for a few months, I have noticed a substantial hair loss, never had that problem with Pantene...
Posted by Breezy McKeithan on Tuesday, December 15, 2015
"It looked like they had a weed-whacker taken to their head," said Amy Davis, lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the case, who believes that it is the consistency of the product is the actual problem. "What we understand about the product and how it causes hair loss is it contains virtually no cleanser." she continued. %shareLinks-quote="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." type="quote" author="Amy Davis" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday="false"% In the midst of all the backlash, WEN is defending it's claims and its product. According to a statement:
Importantly, 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 products. We intend to vigorously contest the allegations made against our products. And, we encourage any customer with any questions to contact us.
Until the whole situation pans out, it might be best to stick with good ol' drug store brand shampoo.
Check out these useful tips for combatting hair loss:
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