Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum (US$30) was another purchase from my honeymoon in Hawaii back in April. My hair is straight, thick and dry, thanks to two dye jobs within four months for the pre-wedding photo shoot and then the actual wedding. Since the wedding, I've not dyed my hair again in order to let it recover. Usually, my hair is quite manageable as long as I use a good conditioner like Shiseido's Tsubaki or Kao Essential Damage Care. Most days I don't even use a hair brush as my hair does not get tangled. I also don't blow-dry or use any heating tools on my hair.

I haven't been using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum daily so I can't say that it has performed miracles for my hair. When I do use it, it makes my hair feel extra silky and soft but without feeling greasy or weighed down. Just two to three pumps is sufficent for my hair, which is currently about two inches below the shoulder. I like the fact that after I've smoothed the serum through my hair, my palms do not feel greasy at all.

The serum is scented lightly with geranium and bergamot, which I found soothing without being too cloying or generic. Josie Maran uses argan oil in almost all of their products, from the eyeshadows to the skincare.



As you can see from the ingredients list, aside from argan oil, the serum also contains several other essential oils. For ladies who prefer to avoid silicone in their haircare products, you would probably want to avoid this hair serum as the top two ingredients are silicone-based.

While I was in New Delhi in June, I came across this L'Oreal Smooth Intense Instant Smoothing Serum which also contains argan oil. I'm not sure if this is available in other countries as it is manufactured in India. It costs about S$10 for 100ml, which is much cheaper compared to the Josie Maran version.

Looking at the ingredients list, the two serums do share some common ingredients but the L'Oreal version has fewer types of essential oils in it. The L'Oreal serum also has a thinner consistency and the generic scent that is typical of L'Oreal haircare products but it does a decent job of de-frizzing my hair and making it more silky. The Josie Maran serum is definitely the more elegant formulation of the two but that is only to be expected given the price difference. I do like the Josie Maran serum a lot but I will probably re-purchase it only when there is a discount.

P.S. Right now, you can get 25% off your order at josiemaran.com with the code 'dailycandy'.