PRODUCT REVIEW: Josie Maran Argan Oil/Moroccan Oil Hair Treatment

A while back when Moroccan Oil hit the hair salon scene it took off like a bat out of hell.  It's a serum, much like Frizz Ease, with the addition of Argan Oil, which is an oil from a nut indiginous to Morocco, that is excellent for moisturizing hair and skin and apparently pretty tasty on a salad.

Normally I avoid all serums in my hair like the plague because they are just silicone and that builds up something awful and suffocates my hair. If they are in some conditioners and shampoos that is usually fine, but too much of that stuff is a disaster with my hair. This one seemed a little different with the addition of the Argan Oil.  I don't really think there's enough of that oil in this jar though to make a big difference, but I persisted and tried it out after my stylist worked it through my hair. It was certainly shiner than usual and smelled like dessert.  That's something I can get behind.  So I bought a tiny little bottle of it, and tried it out for a few weeks.  My hair felt nice for the most part, at least at first, though the last couple weeks is where I could tell it was just silicone heavy syrup.  I needed to Prell this stuff off of my hair to get the inch thick coating back off of it.  And I guess as long as I do that once in a while I can use it off and on, but because of that, it's not something I would regularly use.  

There is another version of this out called Marrakech oil, which is the same concept though adds in hemp oil. I have gotten a bottle of that as well. You get a TON of product in that jar, which is pretty nicely priced, at around $15.  That contains a little too much silicone for me as well, but the hemp oil is a nice addition.  I used to use the hemp line from Alterna and hemp oil builds a lot of strength into the hair strand.

Photo: JosieMaranBeauty.com

After a while, I decided I needed to find the real thing, JUST argan oil, not mixed with anything else.  After some searching around, I found the Josie Maran Argan Oil. You can buy direct from her site or through Sephora or QVC.   You can start with a travel size bottle for about $14 which is pretty nicely priced and lasts a LONG time, since the little bottle of the Moroccan Oil with about half as much product as this little dropper bottle was $11. 

This stuff felt so different from the beginning.  It was actually oil, a very light oil, and it absorbed pretty fast.  I started using this out of the shower when my hair was still wet, but after I had pulled it out of the turban with most of the water squozen out (yes, squozen!).  Sometimes I'd do a little more after I took the curlers out or if I blowdried which I rarely do, just to smooth it out. I was surprised that if I used it after I unrolled the hot rollers that it didn't undo the curl. That was a big plus for me. I could tell that my hair felt nicer than with the Moroccan oil. I also tried using it on my face, but I think this stuff was just a bit too emollient for my face. At least right now. When I am molting from the Differin and Tazorac, it is a nice addition though because it helps soften the peeling parts enough to wear spackle.

I am still using the Josie Maran Argan Oil by itself and my hair feels very soft. I don't think it's having a tremendous effect on my color retention, really I don't think it impacts it at all.  

I am considering squeezing about 4 droppers full into the moroccan oil bottle and seeing if that helps the Moroccan Oil by changing the ratio.  So maybe Ill attempt that tonight and give it a week or two to see how that goes.  All smell absolutely delicious and all leave your hair shiny and soft.