Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

After using up my Anna Sui Hair Treatment Oil, I've been using the Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum daily over the past month. I purchased this in the US several months ago, where it retailed for US$30. Right now, I'm about 90% of the way through the bottle.

The star ingredient in Josie Maran's products is argan oil, which is supposed to be a superior source of antioxidants, vitamin E, and moisture. According to the ingredients list (at the bottom of this post), it also contains several other beneficial oils, like jojoba, grape seed, olive, bergamot and geranium. The hair serum is touted as providing extraordinary shine and long-lasting rejuvenation, as well as "UV shield". It is free of alcohol, parabens and synthetic fragrance.

My hair is currently about 15cm below the shoulder and quite dry, after my last self-dye job in April with Liese Bubble Hair Color. I try not to dye my hair more than once every 6-10 months, so as not to overly-damage my hair. I also never blow dry it. Instead, I simply let it air dry and in the mornings, I just apply the hair serum along the length of the hair with my palms and some styling gel or wax around the fringe and crown to tame the flyaways.

After my hair has air dried, it looks very frizzy. It's not tangled though and I have no problems running my fingers through the length of my hair without having to use a comb.

As my hair is quite thick, I usually have to use about 7 or 8 pumps of the Josie Maran hair serum to make my hair look presentable. It does a decent job of calming the frizziness, making my hair feel smoother and much more manageable without feeling greasy. It adds a bit of shine, but I would not describe it as being "extraordinarily shiny". The geranium and bergamot scent is quite subtle and I can't really smell it unless I sniff my locks closely. After working the serum through my hair, I simply rub my palms over my arms to absorb any serum remaining on my hands.

The serum has a thicker consistency than the Anna Sui hair treatment oil. Overall, I still prefer the Anna Sui hair treatment oil to the Josie Maran serum as the Anna Sui oil makes my hair slightly glossier with a lesser amount of product. Also, I prefer Anna Sui's rose scent but fragrance is very subjective. The Josie Maran serum does keep my hair from frizzing up for a whole day but that's about it. If I bun it up in the morning after applying the serum, my hair gets nice gentle curls when I let it down after a few hours.

The ingredients list from Sephora.com: Cyclomethicone (and) Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Geranium Maculatum (Geranium) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol (and) Phenoxyethanol (and) Hexylene Glycol