I put Moroccanoil in my hair every time after washing it (ie. every day except for the weekend where I try to go for 1-2 days without hair wash). A bottle of 100 ml lasted me a little over a year, so it's not like it's a complete waste of money. If I think about the reasons why I use Moroccanoil religiously:
- It helps detangle my hair (most important)
- It makes my hair dry faster
- It's (probably) good for the ends of my hair (IDK but it's oil)
- It makes my hair smell extremely nice (more of a "plus" but still)
- It helps to diminish my hair fall*
*Regarding the last point, I don't think it does, but that's what I've been told by my hairdresser back in 2012 when I started using it. She recommended it to my mom to help reduce my hair shedding (or make my hair stronger thus shed less?) I was told to apply a dollop in the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and massage my scalp. I then apply what's left to my ends. I've been applying Moroccanoil as such since I started using it, even though I've heard that oil shouldn't go on your scalp and yada yada. I admit that it's a bit strange to apply it on the roots rather than the ends when the latter are supposedly the most damaged and the former already have their "natural oils" but anyway. BTW I don't recommend this application method to anyone—just wanted to provide more details about my routine.
Sadly didn't take a full shot to show the pump that prevents
using too much product (but you can always Google it)
I tried to stop using Moroccanoil a couple of times, one being when I found out it contained silicones and everyone was demonizing them, but I realized there are worse things I probably do to my body (like consuming processed, high-sodium foods and being on my phone/computer way too much). Besides, my hair has still grown tremendously while using Moroccanoil, so it can't have had a disastrous impact on my hair, whether because of silicones or because of the way I've been applying it. But the product is still darn expensive.
Which brings me to this question, could I do without Moroccanoil and find a product that would give me similar or identical results?
I have to say that the Honey Treasures Hair Mask by Garnier was a pretty good hair mask. I ceased using it for no particular reason other than the fact I felt I didn't necessarily need it when I already had Moroccanoil.
Last Sunday at Shoppers Drug Mart, I saw Garnier had a sale on their 1 minute hair masks. I had never heard about them but the reviews were positive on Amazon.
I bought two masks: the banana one (strengthening) and the coconut one (nourishing). I would have liked to get the papaya one too (repairing), but there wasn't any left.
Garnier claims that each mask is vegan, 94 % biodegradable, free of silicones/parabens/artificial colourants, but these sound too much like marketing words to me. I still bought the masks mainly because:
- They can be used in different ways (mask, conditioner or leave-in conditioner)
- Their qualities appeal to me (eg. strengthening and nourishing)
- Their price (2,99$ CAD) was worth trying the product
Applying the mask & notes
Oct. 20th: In the shower
I decided to try the strengthening mask first as a mask/conditioner.
After my shampoo (always), I applied almost half of the jar on my hair, focusing on the hair at the level of my neck to the ends. I applied the leftover product on the top of my head.
I left the mask on for 1-2 minutes. When rinsing off, my hair didn't have that buttery silk texture like it usually does with a common conditioner, Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Moist or Garnier's Honey Treasures. It even seemed on the verge of being a tad tangled, but since I had already dug a considerable amount of the container, I didn't add more and just hoped for the best.
Following the shower
I wrapped my hair in a cotton shirt as ordinarily and waited 15-20 minutes before unwrapping it.
I detangled my hair with my fingers. I was more careful because Moroccanoil habitually gives me extra help with this task. I was expecting some knots from what I had been witnessing in the shower, and indeed, it wasn't very easy to detangle. There were 2-3 small knots but thankfully nothing critical.
Then I brushed my hair with my wet brush. Hair shed was typical, though I had detangled my hair more carefully prior to brushing them. I brushed my hair more so that I wouldn't have to brush it as much the following morning, something I normally don't do with Moroccanoil.
My wet hair was as dry as when using Moroccanoil, which hints that the product may not be what causes my hair to dry fast (it's probably the cotton shirt that does 99 % of the job.)
In sum, nothing was very different except for the banana smell, similar to Play-Doh or Haribo banana gummies. It isn't strong to the point of making me nauseous, but it's still there and I really am zero attracted to banana-scented products. Good thing that the smell becomes very subtle the next morning and dissipates completely later in the day (my hair does chase scents away pretty quickly though.)
Oct. 21st: The morning after
Detangling my hair was more difficult than the night before. Two stubborn knots had formed during sleep:
Despite gently trying to detangle the first knot with my brush and my fingers...
... it snapped. (•`ヘ´•)9
The second knot was easier to get rid of fortunately
Other than that, my hair had its normal shine and texture. It was straighter than usual (no weird wavy ends). I believe that's because I had brushed them more thoroughly with the wet brush the night before.
I'm making a slight digression here. It's been more than a month I've been using my TEK brush. It has worked fine so far, but I've recently been recovering from a significant hair fall that persisted for a couple of weeks. I'm usually bad at noticing when my hair falls more than average, but there were definitely more hairballs in the apartment those past weeks. My TEK brush didn't really improved or worsen the situation.
I'm still thinking about what might have made my hair so fragile and inclined to fall during that period. It may have been the change in seasons or the fact that my hairstyle during the whole summer was a low bun secured with a big clip (that undoubtedly tugged my hair a lot).
Other than that, I had just been finishing the Oat Delicacy shampoo & conditioner (Garnier Whole Blends) and the conditioner made my hair brittle and hard to detangle even with Moroccanoil, especially when wet... Weird because I had used that same conditioner during my summer holidays at home and I had noticed less hair shed. Reflecting back, I should have added more conditioner to eliminate the most tangles possible, even if it meant using "too much".
I'm currently on the Avocado Oil and Shea Butter shampoo & conditioner (still Garnier Whole Blends) and the conditioner detangles and smooths my hair much better.
Hair always looks fabulous and thick when freshly brushed.
And I remind that I didn't even straighten my hair.
Weird pic but shows the flyaways (that the mask didn't tame btw)
and somewhat the shine (if there's any)
At the end of the day
Oct. 21st-22nd: Second use of the banana mask
I applied the 3/4 of the mask that was left in the jar.
Unfortunately, the effects weren't as impressive as when I used it for the first time. Although my hair was easier to detangle (no tough knots) and there wasn't any major hair fall, the ends were a little bit wavy and recourse to the straightening iron was needed. I know that wavy ends are just an aesthetic detail, but I was still somewhat disappointed.
Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures.
Oct. 24th-25th: Trying out the coconut mask (nourishing)
I applied the coconut mask the same way I did for the banana mask (following the shampoo and leaving it on for 1-2 minutes). I can't give a reliable opinion on this one because I added conditioner from the middle of my hair to the ends. In fact, the mask didn't make my hair silky and easy to detangle. My fingers ran through some knots while rinsing and I didn't dare take any risks so I put conditioner which made my hair silky afterward.
I don't know if I'm the only one thinking that, but the coconut mask doesn't smell like coconut at all. It has a rather strong tropical, plastic fruit scent, like mango. I'm neutral about this but I would have preferred a genuine coconut scent.
Finger detangling went well as well as brushing with the wet brush; some little knots but nothing serious. The scalp was a bit itchy though.
The following morning, my hair was easy to brush. My bangs looked particularly nice. However, my scalp still felt itchy from time to time which went on until noon.
I don't know if I'm the only one thinking that, but the coconut mask doesn't smell like coconut at all. It has a rather strong tropical, plastic fruit scent, like mango. I'm neutral about this but I would have preferred a genuine coconut scent.
Finger detangling went well as well as brushing with the wet brush; some little knots but nothing serious. The scalp was a bit itchy though.
The following morning, my hair was easy to brush. My bangs looked particularly nice. However, my scalp still felt itchy from time to time which went on until noon.
At the end of the day, my ends were quite oily and the strands were in chunks. But to be fair, I did touch my hair more during the day (I think):
I really have no idea if this mask was nourishing for my hair... but I expected it to work as a much better conditioner considering its nourishing property and its so-called "coconut" scent.
Because it didn't help detangle my hair (which compelled me to apply conditioner) and because of the off-putting smell it gives it, I won't be buying this mask again (nourishing mask only).
Final verdict (banana mask only)
I probably won't buy this product on a regular basis, essentially because I can only get two good uses out of it.
In fact, I believe it did do something. Although my hair didn't feel notably stronger, it didn't get worse. I did, however, put additional care as I felt that my hair would be more prone to snaps and breakage. Aside from that, my hair actually seemed slightly less oily than with Moroccanoil by the end of the day. And strangely, the banana scent grew on me.
On the other hand, I can't imagine using a product daily or almost when I can only use it two times until I run out of it. Moreover, it didn't work as good as a conditioner to make my hair silky and easy to detangle (and I was using a good amount of it).
Other tests made during the week
Oct. 22nd-23rd: Last use of the banana mask mixed with conditioner
I applied the rest of the mask in the jar, followed by my conditioner at the moment (Avocado Oil and Shea Butter from Garnier).
My hair was easier to finger detangle when wet and I didn't notice a difference when brushing them the morning after. There weren't knots. I gave in and straightened the ends (that's why I don't like straightening my hair—cuz once I start, I take a liking to it and always find it hard to stop.)
During and at the end of the day, my hair strands turned chunkier and uglier than when I had used the mask for the first time. It was, however, similar to when I use Moroccanoil, so it was kind of a sad "back to reality". I'm considering more and more the fact that Oct. 21st miraculously just happened to be a good hair day.
Oct. 23rd-24th: Only conditioner
I applied my conditioner only, no mask. My fingers were gliding through my hair in the shower. Finger detangling was easy. But that info isn't very relevant because I go through this routine even when I use Moroccanoil. Note that I use Moroccanoil after finger detangling and before using the wet brush.
When I brushed my hair with my wet brush, everything was going well until I came across one obstinate knot that ultimately snapped. It was just bad luck IMO.
The morning after, hair was easy to brush. The ends were wavy and already a bit fairytale. Successfully fought against the desire to straighten my hair.
However, my bangs looked so bad I had to water them (most likely caused because of a bad sleeping position).
At the end of the day, my hair had become chunky like normally:
When I brushed my hair with my wet brush, everything was going well until I came across one obstinate knot that ultimately snapped. It was just bad luck IMO.
The morning after, hair was easy to brush. The ends were wavy and already a bit fairytale. Successfully fought against the desire to straighten my hair.
However, my bangs looked so bad I had to water them (most likely caused because of a bad sleeping position).
At the end of the day, my hair had become chunky like normally:
The truth is, I don't really mind when I have these wavy ends, on the condition that the strands look chunky and a bit oily rather than when they've just been brushed. I just wished that the ends were thicker and not fairytale.
Let's also mention that the same scenario (chunky strands and wavy ends) also always occurs with Moroccanoil. In other words, what I've seen in the short-term, is that my hair is pretty much the same when not using Moroccanoil in terms of looks and manageability. Maybe a daily routine consisting of shampoo & conditioner only is the way to go—as long as you have a good conditioner. I'm so used to Moroccanoil and I realize I was insecure whenever I thought of not using it.
Finally, one last thing: I haven't noted any major hair shed during this "experimenting" week of no Moroccanoil. This was at least something positive.
