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Argan oil is the miracle your hair has been waiting for. At least that’s what hair care manufacturers would like for you to believe. This rare oil from Morocco has been on the beauty scene for a minute, cropping up as the mane (pun intended) attraction in quite a few products. So what’s the deal?
Argan oil is produced from the kernels of the argan tree, which is native to the drought-lands of Morocco. Because of it’s high content of vitamin E and antioxidants, argan oil has been touted as a miracle oil for both skin and hair. Even though the extraction of argan oil has become more mechanized compared to the traditional methods of grinding and pressing by hand, the process is still labor-intensive. Translation—you’re going to pay relatively more for argan oil than you would for say, your average bottle of jojoba oil.
But before you head to the beauty supply store, first have a look-see at some of the more popular argan oil products.
One ‘n Only Argan Oil Treatment
Cost: $9.49 for 3.4 oz at Sally’s Beauty
Ingredients: Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Fragrance (Parfum), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Yellow 11 (CI 47000), Red 17 (CI 26100)
The scoop: The argan oil is waaay down on the ingredients list. Looks to me like a bottle of cones with a dash of agan oil thrown in for good measure.
Cost: $7.99 for 4oz at most drug stores
Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane , Dimethicone , Cyclomethicone , C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate , Butylphenyl Methylpropional , Argania Spinoza Oil (Argan) , Linum Usitatissimum Extract (Linseed) , Parfum , Yellow 11 , Red 17
The scoop: Again, lots of cones, a little argan oil.
Cost: $19 – 30 for 4 oz at select beauty supply stores
Ingredients: 100% pure Argan Oil with Vitamin E, enriched with linoleic acid, oleic acid
The scoop: You’re getting the real deal here, hence the big price tag.
Watts Beauty ArganGoldTM 100% Certified Organic Cold Pressed Argan Nut Oil
Cost: $20 – 25 for 2 oz at select beauty supply stores and online suppliers
Ingredients: 100% pure concentrate of argan oil
The scoop: Straight argan oil, no chaser.
MOROCCANOIL The Original Oil Treatment
Cost: $39.95 for 3.4oz at select salons
Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, cyclomethicone, argania spinosa, kernel oil (argan oil), linseed (linum uitatissimum) extract, fragrance, D&C yellow-11, D&C Red-17
The scoop: Cones are def the primary ingredients, but the argan oil looks to have more volume than some of the products above.
Cost: $48 for 1.7 oz at Sephora
Ingredients: 100% pure argan oil
The scoop: Although it’s pure argan oil, seems a bit pricey for so little product.
Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil
Cost: $20 for 4.2 oz at your local Kiehl’s store or Kiehls.com
Ingredients: Argan oil, sesame seed oil, coconut seed butter, thistle seed oil
The scoop: Mostly argan oil plus some other great oils.
Cost: $28 for 3.38 oz at select Whole Foods and online.
Ingredients: 100% unrefined natural raw argan oil, organic
The scoop: This is the brand that I use. Occasionally I’ll add a cap-ful to my deep condish, or treat my ends when I’m rocking a blow-out. A little goes a long way—a bottle lasts me about 9 months.
The verdict: If styling is a priority (say for a stretched or straight style) and you’re looking for a nice serum with a little nourishment, the products that are cone-heavy should serve you well. However, if you want to treat your strands to this Moroccan gold on a consistent basis, you may want to consider buying a bottle of pure argan oil and add a little to your current sealing oil, deep conditioner, daily moisturizer, etc.
Do you use argan oil? How do you use it? Do you think it’s worth the hype and the price?
Yes I use the One n Only Argan Oil and few of their other products. I’m glad i read your article. Thank you. I now feel that I haven’t really used Argan Oil with all the cones in this product. My hair loves it especially their deep treatment mask but I guess so with all the cones.I an a newbie 2 months post BC but I enjoy all the knowledge I can get about my hair since it wasn’t available in the 70′s when I was natural as a teen. I will definitely try Keihl’s.
Hi Angel, glad you found the post helpful. But if the One N Only is working for you, no need to stop using it. They are plenty of naturals whose hair thrives with cones. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
I’ve never tried the Kiehl’s product. Please let me know how it works for you. Thx for popping in!
Talk about perfect timing! I almost bought one and I thought… I better go online and check it out! Thanks for sharing
Glad to help! Be sure to let me know which one you get and how it works!!
Hi Lola!
Yes, I know what you mean about don’t fix it if it ain’t broke lol. My hair loves the One and Only Brand so I do use that a lot. I’m also thinking about buying Henna Sooq’s 100% Argan just to see how my hair loves pure Argan oil too. Btw, I love that company – everything I’ve bought from there is like manna from the gods lol.
Leah
http://www.etniqminerals.com
I’ve never tried One and Only but I heard heard good things about HS’s argan oil. And yes, they are a great company. Good products and service!
RT @LolasGreenHair: In the lab: Argan oil, from Morocco with love… http://ow.ly/5WHu5 #naturalhair #beauty
Alright Ms Lola,
I think I’m in trouble over here: in my usual extremist ways, I done broke the bank and bought me every oil I’ve ever heard mentioned on you tube or I’ve read about in blogs, and now I’m so overwhelmed with all this stuff that I don’t know where to start…I have me some evoo, evco, almond oil, avocado oil, argan oil, grapeseed oil,castor oil, jojoba, vitamin E and I think there’s one more…do I use them all mixed together? will they be as effective?do I use one today, another tomorrow and a third the day after??or do I use up one oil then start on the next???Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I got small sizes, but no, I had to go get the biggest sizes of everything that the companies carry(except the argan oil, that was a bit too expensive for my itsy bitsy pockets)! HELP, PLEEAAASE!!!!!
Hey Princess! Take a deep breath, it’s gonna be alright
I’m actually excited for you—think of how fun it will be getting to know each of these oils! I would start by trying one oil at a time, maybe to seal in your moisturizer. Use it for 2-3 days and make note of how your hair reacted, the good, bad and the ugly. Then move on to the next oil until you’ve tried them all. By then you should have a pretty good sense of what your hair likes best. After that maybe try mixing one that you like with one that you don’t like so much. It may be a winning combination, maybe not. But don’t toss them out! Oils that your hair may not like for sealing may be perfect for pre-pooing or for a hot oil treatment. The oils your hair didn’t like may be fine when whipped into your fave butter. But whatever you do, write down the results. Also experiment in small batches so that you’re not left with a large batch of something your hair doesn’t care for,
I hope that helps, but let me know if I help more
Thanks for taking the time to reply during this holiday season! I think you’ve given me the best advice I could’ve hoped for… I will work on it and give you an update in about a month. merry Christmas
You can get 100% argan oil here for a super reasonable price
http://www.camdengrey.com/essential-oils/Raw-Material-Carrier-Oils/argan-oil.html
Yes, Camden Grey. They have great product, prices and customer service. Thx for mentioning them!
I used to use Argan hair oil but I switched to the Shielo shine restoration oil – its is a type of amazon oil which I heard about on TV. The Shielo hair oil is nothing short of amazing. I’m a product junkie with thick/frizzy hair, and have NEVER experienced a hair product like this before. I have tried this formula both ways: on wet and on dry hair. Using it on dry hair gives it a bit of a shine…and even a little body.
Hey Lala–thx for the recommendation. Off to do some digging on Shielo