Argan Oil: Liquid Luxe

You know you're a nerd when...it's 2am and you're up writing a blog post you're not sure anyone will even read.

But in my little nerd heart, I hope someone out there is getting something out of this, and if not, well, I love writing too much to quit ;) You'd think after writing songs all day I'd be sick of it, but I guess that's why they call it an obsession.

Today I'm going to share with you a magical little potion that I discovered a couple years ago, but didn't actually try until recently: argan oil.

It all started when I was in Florida for Nationals (Comp. Cheer) and a friend of mine, who normally wears her her hair in its gorgeous, naturally curly state, walked out with these shiny, smooth, freshly-straightened locks. Mesmerized, I immediately asked her how she got her hair so luscious and soft-looking. She glanced down at the silky strands of brown cascading over her shoulders and stated simply, "Moroccan Oil."

It took me a year or so to remember to look up it up, and when I did, I immediately expelled it from my mind--it was $40 for 100mL (3.4oz) of the stuff! They're cray-cray if they think I'm spending that much money on such a small amount of product!

I googled it to see if I could find a cheaper price, but the initial results weren't comforting, and I wasn't in the mood to continue surfing the web.

About a year after that, I happened upon a YouTube video with a girl who was reviewing Argan Oil. Same product, different name. For the purpose of the review, she tried both MoroccanOil and Argan Oil to see if there was a difference. Her conclusion? There wasn't.

That's all I needed to hear. The next time I stopped into Sally Beauty Supply, I picked up a 250mL (8oz.) bottle of One n' Only [brand] argan oil...for a whoppin' $18.56 [after tax]. I bought it back in March, and have barely made a dent in it--not because I don't use it, but because when you use it, you only need to apply a tiny, tiny amount ;) SWEEEEEEET.

What I do:

• It says apply it to wet or dry hair. I personally prefer dry, because then I can see exactly how it's going to look when my hair is dry. I tried putting it on a couple times when it was wet, but had a hard time distributing it evenly, and when it dried, it had that over-saturated look (translation: oily)
• You're thinking: Well, DUH it's going to look oily! You're putting oil on your hair! Not so, my friends. It will not turn out that way if applied properly. When I say use a small amount, I mean, like, start out with a pea-size. RULE OF THUMB: you can always add more. Not so much the other way around ;)
• AVOID applying it near the scalp...unless you want to look like a greasy-head. Pour pea-size amount into your palm, rub together so it's evenly distributed over the surface of your hands, and apply from the mid to end sections of your hair. My ends usually need it the most, because they're the most damaged part of my hair. 
• Did I mention DISTRIBUTE EVENLY? Oh yeah, I did. Why? Because it's important. You don't want your hair to section off into clumps of oil-treated and non-oil treated hair. You must do this when rubbing it in your hands AND applying it to your hair.

For me, this is NOT an everyday-use product. You can oversaturate. You will know you're using too much if your hair has a wet look to it. Too much "moisture" is not good, just as too dry is not good either. Think of it like watering a plant. You don't want to drown it, but you can't treat it like a cactus either...unless, it is in fact a cactus. But you get the idea.

It is considered a "treatment," so  treat it as such. I use it every now and then when my hair feels especially damaged. Between coloring and using curling heat devices, my hair can start to feel coarse...like the texture of horse hair. But one swift application of argan oil and it bounces back to what it should be: touch-ably soft...run-your-fingers-through-your-hair worthy :)

I expect this stuff to last me a couple years. Like I mentioned before, I've barely made a dent in it. 

I have never tried the MoroccanOil brand (despite all the celebrity hype), but don't feel the need to since I've found a less expensive alternative that yields amazing results. A penny saved is a penny earned, people!

Thoughts, questions, and comments are always welcome! :)

Stay lovely <3

xo,

T