My Go-To Cleansing Conditioner

by Katelyn Masters

best cocleanser cleansing conditioner wen dupe renpure vanilla mint

This affordable RenPure Cleansing Conditioner is a great alternative to Wen for co-cleansing and with a few drops of essential oils, even more potent.

best cocleanser cleansing conditioner wen dupe renpure vanilla mint

The first time I had heard of Wen, the first major cleansing conditioner on the market, was over 7 years ago, when I complimented an acquaintance on her long lustrous hair. She immediately started raving about her co-cleansing routine and her favorite cleansing conditioner, Wen. She insisted on bringing me a bottle of Wen Cleansing Conditioner to try for myself, which, unbeknown to me, was a very generous offer seeing as how a 16 ounce bottle can run you upwards of $30.

For reasons I can’t recall, I never used the Wen Cleansing Conditioner and it was left, alone and forgotten, gathering dust in my beauty closet for years. Then, one fateful night, I rediscovered the bottle and gave it a whirl.

Whoa. Seriously.

I followed the directions and took several minutes to massage the cream into my hair from scalp to ends, rinsed, and (for once) actually repeated. I went to bed with my scalp tingling and my spirits lifted by the scent of peppermint.

The next day my dense, wavy hair was light, bouncy, and surprisingly tangle free. I was smitten. For hours I rode that high until I finally hopped on the internet to buy myself an arsenal of that Winter Vanilla Mint shampoo. Thirty two dollars a bottle?!

Oh sure, I’ve dropped some serious money on cosmetics and beauty products before, but my extra thick, long, unruly hair requires gobs of shampoo and conditioner every time I wash it. I’d be going through a 16 ounce bottle a month, give or take, leaving me “Hair Poor.” You know, when you’ve spent all of your money on your hair and can’t go out to dinner anymore?

Total downer, since I was already craving another fix of that scalp-tingling concoction.

best cocleanser cleansing conditioner wen dupe renpure vanilla mint

Then, through some internet wizardry, I was led to a small, but resolute subset of people who had discovered a worthy opponent to that audaciously expensive cult product, Wen. The product: Renpure Vanilla Mint Cleansing Conditioner. The location: Amazon.

Renpure’s unassuming packaging leaves much to be desired, although I am a packaging snob, so who am I to say…Regardless, the 16 ounce bottle rang in at a fair $9.97, although sometimes it’s even cheaper.

Despite its meager presence, Renpure’s formula worked just as well to give me that light, bouncy, non-stripping cleanse that means I can go longer and longer between washings. The only differences were that it wasn’t as thick, meaning I had to use a little bit more each time, and, most notably the mint wasn’t as tingly.

Wait, tingles? Tingles I can do! I simple add a few drops of my peppermint essential oil to the Renpure Cleansing Conditioner in my hand before I work it into my hair. Tingles, yes. Lovely minty aroma, yes!! Silky, clean hair, resounding yes.

 

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