Argan Oil

[makinalist]

I have a bottle of this that I ordered on a complete whim when MUAC had one of their sale codes.  I was sure I would find a use for it, and now I have found two!

Let me preface by saying that I have thin, fine, straight hair.  The fact that I can even use an oil on this hair is astounding to me.  I found this tip by accident as it was!

One day I spilled a little of my oil on the bathroom sink.  Not one to waste things (thanks, Mom!), I quickly wiped it up with my fingers and began massaging it into my cuticles.  Okay - now rubbing it into my hands, forearms, elbows.  Um...knees, heels...what else can I moisturize here?  (Okay - I spilled more than a little bit. )

Then I looked in the mirror and spied flyaway hair.  Hmmm...very carefully, I patted the surface of my hair with my oily fingers.  Perfection!  I didn't touch it again the rest of the day, and I had shiny, swingy hair like I've only seen in magazine ads!

Now I can only do this on days I've shampooed and must use a tiny fraction of a drop.  Otherwise, I should just wave the tightly-closed bottle in the vague direction of my head.  Those of you with thick, wavy, curly, textured body-ful hair (and I dislike you intensely) could use more oil, I'm sure.

My little bottle will last me for all eternity.

(My other use for argan oil is on the Skin Care Board.)

[Styyna]

Yes! I got a free sample of Proclaim Argan Oil (from Sally Beauty I think).

Otherwise, I should just wave the tightly-closed bottle in the vague direction of my head.

This is so true. I discovered that 1 drop, spread all over my hands and then run through my hair, removed all frizzies without weighing my hair down. Less is definitely better and I have lots of wavy (but thin) hair.

Proclaim's has a scent that I love but I wouldn't want to wear other fragrances with it so that's a consideration for that particular brand.

[makinalist]

The MUAC is 100% pure oil, with no real scent.  Maybe a slight nutty fragrance, but it disappears right away.

[makinalist]

Here is the link for the MUAC oil.

http://www.makeupartistschoice.com/products/Argan_Oil-493-6.html

I love that it is a brown bottle with an eyedropper. 

And here is the link to my skin care topic.:

http://thetimelessbeauty.com/skincare-over-40/argan-oil/

[milla]

I also use Argan oil on my hair and I can confirm everything that was said before: it last for ages, you only need a minimal amount and it makes your hair silky and shiny. Mine is by V05 Alberto (not sure if you have it in the US) and it costs £4.99 for a 50ml bottle with a dropper. Hang on a minute... It is called Miracle Concentrate Elixir with Argan oil... quick look at the list of ingredients... yep, there's argan oil in it, but there is other stuff too. Listy, are you using pure Argan oil?

[makinalist]

Yes, the one I have is 100% pure argan oil.  I don't have any experience with anything else but this, so I can't compare.

[cara4art]

The argan oil sounds wonderful! The only reservation I would have about it for hair is that with people saying it smooths the hair - does that mean that curls get straightened out or droop with this? If so, a no-go, as I like to use stuff that EMPHASIZES curls like my cheap gel for instance. I've found that even with my thick curly hair, if I use the wrong thing on it it will either leave it dry, or droopy as in being so conditioned it's limp, thereby pulling curl out of my hair. Although my hair is medium-fine in texture, I have a LOT of it - in fact enough for three heads according to any number of cutters who have cut my hair.

[Styyna]

cara4art - I have the same kind of hair, exactly. Lots and lots - when they put in foils they always underestimate. But it's not thick or coarse and it has waves that I try to encourage.

I find that the tiniest single drop of argan oil, spread well all over my palms, fingers, and between my fingers and then applied primarily to the ends at first followed by running my fingers through all my hair does NOT cause the waves to fail or my hair to become droopy and clumpy. It adds shine and it tames the frizzies - period.

I only have the free sample of Proclaim and I don't know if it's 100% pure so that's a consideration. I should check but I've got sewing, upgrading a computer, and a nap all claiming my attention at this very moment. I believe I received the free sample (about 1 oz.) from Sally Beauty if you want to look it up to see what the ingredients are.

[Tupelo]

I use argan oil in my shampoo. Also, as a leave in treatment (3 drops - but I have a real mane of hair which is now almost grown down to my bra strap again after a major cut in February). In winter, it's my first step in makeup removal. After my shower, it's my all over body moisturizer. My cuticles and feet love it, too. I buy it from Watts Beauty in a giant size for $35, 100% pure, AAA grade. It's a bargain.

[Styyna]

What a rave for argan oil, Tupelo! And $35 for 100% in a giant size is a bargain indeed. I've never heard of Watts Beauty. Is that a local chain?

[makinalist]

I have been reading a lot of reviews since getting my first bottle of this from MUAC.  Apparently all argan oil comes from Morocco (only place the trees grow) and is protected, so it is all fair trade and organic.  As long as you get 100% argan oil, it will be a good product.  And the prices vary wildly.

I think that now I will stop rationing my small bottle and use it the way I want to, and then I'm going to find an even cheaper source for a bigger bottle.  This is a keeper product for me.

cara - I see lots of curly-haired women using this.  I think the key is to start with the least amount you can and apply it to the ends only.  Hey - you can always wash it out, right?

[Tupelo]

What a rave for argan oil, Tupelo! And $35 for 100% in a giant size is a bargain indeed. I've never heard of Watts Beauty. Is that a local chain?

Watts Beauty is a manufacturer, and they sell on Amazon as well as their website (wattsbeauty.com). I purchased my bottle of argan oil from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Watts-Beauty-ArganGold-120ml-Nourishes/dp/B005GHP5UC

It's 4 oz. of 100%, pure, cold pressed argan oil for $27. If you Google Watts Beauty you will get thousands of results. Their prices are truly budget friendly.

[Styyna]

OK, Tupelo - I confess to a    blonde moment! I just assumed Watts Beauty was like Sally Beauty and didn't even google it. Thanks for setting me straight and for the helpful information. 

[cara4art]

"cara4art - I have the same kind of hair, exactly. Lots and lots - when they put in foils they always underestimate. But it's not thick or coarse and it has waves that I try to encourage." - Styyna

Actually you DO have thick hair, as in having lots and lots LOL! Personally I define thick hair as having lots of it, regardless of texture. So many people get this confused, I find, with thinking that if one has fine hair, it's also thin. In some case it is, but not always. Many fine-haired people have LOTS of hair, and some coarser-haired people have less than one would expect.
But back to the argan oil, maybe one little drop would work for me LOL! That would be the first time ever for any hair product, as it takes so much product just to get through my hair. This is why I have to go cheap with everything I use. No $15-tubes of gel for me, or $20 conditioners LOL! I usually have to use TABLESPOONS of stuff.

[Tupelo]

OK, Tupelo - I confess to a    blonde moment! I just assumed Watts Beauty was like Sally Beauty and didn't even google it. Thanks for setting me straight and for the helpful information. 

Styyna, there's absolutely no reason you should have heard of Watts.   Seriously. They don't advertise or have a retail presence that I know of. My frugal sister told me about Watts. She should blog, she's so good at finding quality bargains.

[Styyna]

cara4art - Funny how we can define the same thing the same way and yet differently, no?

When I was a child, I had sparse, thin hair. It was impossibly tangled as it had the very slightest hint of wave in it but not enough to do anything with other than the pin curls my mother put in at night.

As I got older, the strands of hair have remained thin with a slight wave but the number of follicles greatly increased. So, while I still have thin strands of hair, you're right, I have a thick mane of it when taken altogether. And getting product through it without weighing down individual strands is tricky.

With the argan oil I found that I can't expect instant results. Applied as others have suggested, particularly to the ends for frizzies if that's a concern, it doesn't at first seem to be quite the miracle of shine I experienced and even the frizzies aren't completely tamed. It seems to take some time and body heat help the oil to"spread" along and amongst the hair (maybe a diffused blow dryer on a low setting would accelerate this - I should try). I've tried combing it through but it still seemed like the oil itself has to slowly penetrate the hair, just like a drop spreads on a piece of tissue if left alone. I like my hair 15-30 minutes after I put on the argan oil better than immediately after.

If you could get a sample, even a teaspoon is plenty to last for a long time. Then you could try it first and see what you think. Are there Josie Maran's counters any longer? IIRC you're in the S.F. area and if such a counter exists I'd ask for a sample of the 100% stuff there. It is/was an important component of that line's products so I think they must have the pure version.

Sorry for all the words. I hope this helps and that you have at least a bit of success.

[cara4art]

@Styyna! I was actually born with a full head of hair, and kept getting more - hence the three-heads-full aspect of it LOL!
     Actually here at Sephora in SF they have Josie Maran's line of argan oil products, so I might be able to score a sample of the oil - it's worth a try!
     My hair actually does like some oils. What I do is spritz my hair with water, and work a bit of jojoba oil that has some lavender and rosemary essential oil in it(I got this idea off an expensive salon I used to go to in Santa Fe where the owner formulated her own line of oils for the hair). I also sometimes use my shea butter-coconut oil combo on my hair in the same way - it revives curls, acts as a pre-wash treatment and gives me a day or two before I have to wash. Straight unrefined coconut oil works too. Years ago, before I got into these combos, I used my Sicilian grandmother's idea of leaving olive oil and rosemary on my hair overnight in a cap and then shampooing out in the morning - it did help.
     My hair isn't really fine - it's just not coarse, more medium to fine and varying strands too. Some are coarser than others, some are curlier than others so I've got that mix going on. A lot of times, people who really do have predominantly very fine hair need more protein than moisture, and those with somewhat more robust hair textures all the way up to true coarse need more moisture than protein. I need more moisture myself. In fact, my hair cutter recommended for me to only use a deep protein reconstructor product maybe once a month, and the deep moisture treatments once a week or so. So it ends up with me doing the reconstructor just before coloring which works out fine.
     Anyhow, as with skin, what counts is what works on one's hair! We curly-heads often have temperamental hair and it takes some trial and error to get the right combo. Fortunately my right combo right now is actually pretty cheap, a plus.