*REVIEW** Skinology Argan Oil for Hair, Face, Skin & Nails

There are lots of argan oils out there (and I've tried a bunch of them), but this was the first one labelled for such specific use:

 This is Skinology's "Pure & Natural Certified Organic" Argan Oil for hair, face, skin and nails.

Now, to be honest, I believe that any argan oil can be used for the hair, the face, the skin, and for the nails. That's what most beauty consumers do use the oil for in the first place. Though I'm sure there are other uses I don't know about, so far, those are the only uses that I do know about.  (I have heard of people taking the oil internally, but I won't be trying that for myself.) I think the main thing that separates one argan oil from another are the same things that separate any type of products: quality and purity. At the end of this post, I will look at some of the terms used on the label but, for now, let's just talk about how this oil worked for me. (And, by the way, heed the product warning of not using if you are allergic to nuts! Not a ha-ha, but seriously...)

I really liked that this oil absorbed so well - not just coating my skin with an oily residue. A bigger test of how well it absorbs was that I was able to use it on my (kinky/curly) hair and it didn't weigh it down. (I applied it lightly to my damp hair, especially the ends. I'm going to keep using it this way once I trim my ends to see if it helps the condition of my hair.)

Like I said before, all of the argan oils I've used have been for the same purposes, but I can tell that this one does work better than some others.When I replaced my Solar Oil by using the Skinology on my nails and cuticles, I was able to get a lot of moisture out of the tiniest dab of the argan oil.

The other ways I tried this out was to moisturize the edge of my hairline. I tend to get a lot of dryness there since it's a spot I don't concentrate on when I use face creams in general. That gave me the idea of using the argan oil on my face after doing a mask treatment. I just applied small dabs of the oil (especially around my eyes, on the chin and on the forehead), patted it on and let it rest before I rubbed in my regular moisturizer. You know how dry your face can get after doing an exfoliation or mask, right? This method of moisturizing worked so well, I'm going to make it part of my routine.

So, while I'm generally skeptical of elaborate claims on product labels, I have to admit that the Skinology lived up to my highest expectations for an argan oil. Not only does it work really well, but the Prime pricing is great. On top of that, there is a full, no-questions asked, keep-the-bottle, money-back guarantee. By the way, I have used other Skinology products and they have all been of the same good quality.

Now, here is that other info I promised. Try not to nod off while reading it. If you use oils in your beauty routine, this is good stuff to learn about.

The part of the product description for this oil that interested me the most was the "Triple Extra Virgin Cold Pressed" statement. Let's break that down a bit. I couldn't quickly locate information specific to argan oil, but I'm looking at how the USDA (pdf file link) defines terms for olive oils.

• Virgin olive oils are the oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, including thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil, and which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation, and filtration...

I didn't find any mention of "triple extra virgin" at that source. When I looked for definition of "cold pressed", I checked out the Wikipedia article on olive oil for an idea of what it means for that oil to be cold pressed:

• Cold pressed or Cold extraction means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 27 °C (80 °F)) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation".[43] The difference between Cold Extraction and Cold Pressed is regulated in Europe, where the use of a centrifuge, the modern method of extraction for large quantities, must be labelled as Cold Extracted, while only a physically pressed olive oil may be labelled as Cold Pressed. In many parts of the world, such as Australia, producers using centrifugal extraction still label their products as Cold Pressed.

Okay. So there you go. If any of you know anything about oils (especially that whole "triple virgin" thing) please share!

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Majestic Pure Rosehip Oil

A 100% organic, cold pressed Rosehip Oil from Majestic Pure

Let me start this post with a little bit of a rant about my phone... Somehow my photos of this product was lost in that thing that I use to do almost everything but make phone calls. That's why I had to snag a product photo.

There. Done. Now on to the review:

It may not sound very objective of me to say how much I like the products from this company, but it's the truth. The reasons: the quantity and quality as compared to a lot of similar products from other brands. Majestic Pure is pretty consistent with what they put out there. That's important. This, straight from their site

Majestic Pure Cosmeceuticals  essential oils are 100% pure with no diluents or additives. We provide high quality organic and/or 100% natural botanicals to the public at very competitive prices, with an emphasis on the pure aesthetics and freshness. We have always put an emphasis on conducting business in an ethical, responsible, clear, and ecological way. 

Some of you know that I have a love/hate thing with Rosehip Oils. It's the smell that puts me off. A while back, when I was still getting used to R.O. in general, I almost couldn't stand it. But the benefits to the skin and hair are so good that I have tried different brands. I really, really like this one by Majestic Pure.

This R.O. feels thicker, or heavier, to me, which is good. That odor is still there but it fades fast (or maybe I am just getting used to the smell after using several brands). Because of the thick texture of this one, I came up with a really good use for it on my hair (especially natural, kinky/curly types) and on my hands.

For the hair:

1. Shampoo the hair and rinse really well. (I find that the better I rinse out the shampoo, the better the rest of this treatment works.) 
2. Get ready a small size plastic bag (trash or grocery) and some really warm water (not boiling!) so you can use it in a moment.
3. While hair is still very damp (just "squeezed dry"), rub the R.O. on your palms. Pat palms on your hair. Add more to the ends of your hair (and to the more damaged areas).
4. (Optional) Instead of wiping your hands free of the R.O., moisturize the edge of your hairline - and the backs of your ears.
5. Soak a towel (or, as I prefer, a t-shirt) as wet as you can stand to have wrapped around your head.
6. Fit the plastic bag over your towel-covered head and...
7. ... Relax. for a while. I like waiting for about 15 minutes before I rinse with lukewarm water.
8. Couple tips: for different textured hair (fine or not as kinky/dry), you might want to rinse with warmer water, or just use less oil - concentrating on ends and damage. Also, I have done this after just rinsing my hair instead of washing. Whatever works for you.

For the hands:

1. Use this - instead of or along with- regular lotion before wearing gloves out in cold, dry weather. 
2. Use after shaving, exfoliating, masking or konjac sponging the skin. You can coat the skin, then blot or wipe clear, or just leave on for soothing effects.
3. This can be used (very lightly) as a facial moisturizer if you allow time for it to absorb, then blot. At least it works when my skin is super dry. I don't know how it will work for those with different skin types.

The ingredients? Just one:

Like I said, this is a really nice oil. Rosehip seems to be one of those oils that actually provides most of the benefits we hear associated with it.

Finally, Majestic Pure offers a guarantee: they will refund your entire purchase price if you aren't happy.

Peace
--Free


DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

***REVIEW*** Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil

I got this sample in the mail recently.

I got Deep Nourish formula
(for dry/damaged hair)

Search Google & Facebook
for a sample

I was pretty excited to try it because my hair has been growing out recently (good thing), but sometimes looks like a dried bush. I've had the chance lately to try out a new shampoo and, thank goodness, it worked well because this oil (as a pre-shampoo treatment) did nothing for me.

This might be some good stuff if I use it as an overnight treatment with a cap. I didn't have enough in the sample to try it more than one of the other 4 ways the packet suggests using it as: an ends finisher, blow-dry protector, conditioner booster or overnight leave-in.

Depending on the price of it, I might use the coupon and pick some up for my sister (so I can borrow & try again!) next shopping trip.

Now, I just spoke for how this did with my hair. For someone with a different texture, I'm sure this would be a nice finisher. Any good combo of oils is great for hair ends. (A lot of people seem to like it.) This oil did have a pleasant feel to it (not sticky at all), and it comes in 3 formulations - for dry/damaged, frizzy/unruly, and color treated. I got the first one and should have tried the second type. Hah.

If this is like most Garnier products, it will be reasonably priced and work fairly well. I like most Garnier hair products. If you get a chance to try it out, I hope it works for you.

Peace
--Free