Josie Maran Argan Oil Review

Happy new year everyone! I didn't expect to take this rather long break since my last post, but I"ve gotten myself into the hospital at the start of the year and now I injured my hands and all that due to a silly accident. Chinese New Year is round the corner and preparation is going to be in full swing soon, as I'm writing today, I pray for a peaceful, healthy and joyful new year of the Horse!

Ever since I bid farewell to my beloved and trusted MoroccanOil hair treatment due to its questionable ingredients list, my hair could still use a bit of hydration/nutrients boost due to daily blow-drying, I decided to switch to something more straight and simple: Argan Oil. Argan Oil was listed as one of the ingredients in MoroccanOil hair treatment, and it's supposedly the 'element' in the MoroccanOil potion that truly delivers the goodness to hair ends. If Argan Oil is the thing that works, why do we need the silicone and dimethicone? Cut the crap in the potion!

And so enters the Argan Oil from Josie Maran, I bought a 15ml bottle to try, it's supposed to work both on face, hair and skin (everywhere), much like the Caudalie Divine Oil I reviewed, but the bottle is purely 100% argan oil without fragrance and all that jazz. I'm aware that cheaper versions of organic argan oil is available on the online herb/beauty retailers (if you know of any good trusty and reliable retailers of those kind, please leave in the comments below!), and they come in a large volume with a much cheaper price than this Josie Maran mini argan oil (!! can you imagine). I decided to get a 15ml bottle to try out first. If it works, I"ll move onto getting organic oils from those online stores instead of contributing $$ for the brand and Sephora's advertising. Afterall, if it's 100% organic oil and nothing else, there's no difference paying for it and paying for a branded one, since the content is supposedly the same (the only and one ingredient).

The way I use it: after washing my hair and dry it with towel, I added a few drops to my palm and run through the hair ends while they are still damp. Similar usage with MoroccanOil. Argan Oil protects and nourishes your hair, and I prefer to apply it before the applying heat from blow-drying. The box said the oil is a superior source of anti-oxidants, vitamin E and fatty acids. It works well on both skin and hair, I know some people use it on their face, I'd not put this on my face just yet due to my skin condition at the moment, and if I do, I have other options like Rose Hip Oil.

Areas of application including: hair (of course), face (of course), cuticles, body, dry patches in elbows, knee and feet, add to your bath or a drop to your foundation. I've only tried it on my hair so far, as it's my intended purpose of buying it.

This bottle of 15ml is retailed for $14 USD. This is quite wallet-friendly but I've found even more friendly prices if you shop at herb stores online (make sure you get the genuine organic stuff though). Three to four drops is what I need for the hair. The texture is runny and there's no obvious smell to it. I've used it sparingly (like 3 times per week) for 2 months and is halfway through the bottle.

The oil comes in various sizes on Sephora. Oil is said to be sourced from Morocco, packaging is done in USA. The oil is slightly tinted, well, like oil. Its tint is much less obvious than the Rose Hip Oil I normally use, and should not affect anywhere you wish to apply it.

Screw-top cap with dropper, bottle is in glass for better preservation of the content since it's completely natural. Glasses do better than plastic jars and bottles in preserving ingredients, that's what I learnt in my first lesson in natural cosmetics. Most other creams and potions on the market come in plastic utensils and that's because the formula is laden with parabens and preservatives already, using glass will just be redundant for this purpose and the only reason is to make it look good and classy to consumers.

Once rubbed on the palms and applied on hair, my palms experienced no greasy feeling that I had to wash off immediately, I consider the oil itself to be very runny, and I don't know if other 100% natural argan oil is supposed to feel like that since I had no comparison usage. When I first used it, I made the mistake of over applying too much. I thought the oil is really runny and disappeared after 2-3 runs on my hair ends, and I applied more. By 4pm the next day I feel like washing my hair already. If you've never used such kind of oils on your hair before, my word of advice is start with 1-2 drops, then gradually adjust the amount your hair needs. I have medium long hair and 3-4 drops shall do. Make sure you apply on your hair ends first, as they appear to be the areas most prone to split ends and dehydration. 

It's not easy to draw a comparison of this with MoroccanOil hair treatment, as their ingredients are considerably different. Having said that though, this argan oil is not bad, hey, at least I know I'm using 100% natural oil instead of a potion with just a meager percentage of the 'good stuff'. The questionable potion in my dumped MoroccanOil bottle (according to some research I read), would lead to thinner hair and the XYZ-cones will clog you hair follicle (which probably contributed to the death of hair and hence thinning of hair). 

In terms of nourishment and hydration, I think this Josie Maran argan oil works best if your hair is already at a conditioned, hydrated and healthy state. This will help to add some shine and protection to your hair ends. If you're looking for this product to  'style / tame your hair', I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere as this oil is intended for nourishment and protection. 

If your hair is like a plant in the desert, I suggest to double up the frequency of a hydrating hair mask and add a few drops of these at the end after your rinse, and before drying your hair. Using this oil alone is not going to be a game-changer for those who have really dry and split ends. 

If you don't fancy the idea of having a bit of oil in your hair after you wash it clean, try to apply the oil BEFORE shampooing and leave it on for a few minutes before you apply shampoo for some extra nourishing boost, it shall be a completely different story there then. I haven't tried this method with argan oil, but I've tried it with Neem oil. Neem oil is another hair story though (by the way, neem oil is not for color-treated hair as neem oil will fade hair dye/colors).

Have you tried using oils on your hair? Do you use it as a leave-in treatment or pre-shampoo nourishing ritual?