Olive Tree Products Argan Oil Conditioner

I’m a big fan of Argan Oil in hair care products so this extremely large bottle of conditioner recently caught my attention.

What Goes into A Conditoner

Humectants ie glycerin and dipropylene glycol to help the hair retain water
Silicone and Natural oils to penetrate the hair to help it remain soft and pliable and have a healthy shine
Detanglers ie Cetrimonium chloride to give a postive charge to the hair to make it less static and easier to comb and less likely to tangle
Conditioners are normally acidic as this gives a positive charge which improves the hair structure
 
Ingredients of Interest
The first 8 ingredients are typical of most conditioner formulations and have the function of smoothing the hair shaft to make it easy to comb and have a healthily gloss as well as conditioning with the addition of panthenol.  It’s the natural ingredients that are of interest to me, namely:-
Shea Butter – this is an excellent skin moisturiser, not sure what benefit it will impart to the condition of the hair, but would help boost the thickness of the product
Argan Oil – also known as liquid gold and is well documented to be effective in improving the elasticity of the hair, hydrating it, is very good for taming frizzy, curly, rough hair by smoothing it and making it more manageable.  I’ve been using L’oreal Elvive Smooth Intense Shampoo with Argan Oil for over a year now and I have really noticed the difference reviving in the softness and better mangeability of my wavy hair.
Olive Oil – is the closest oil to  sebum, and therefore has the best compatibility with human skin, in hair care it would moisturise the scalp as well as benefiting the condition of the hair.

6 Weeks Later

I’ve used this pretty much every day for the past few weeks, and I’m not overly impressed.  I’ve used about 4-5 pumps at a time for my shoulder length hair and left it on for 2-3 minutes.  Some conditions massage well into hair and slightly change their structure, almost shearing with water.  I find those one give the best conditioning.  This conditioner does not massage into the hair and stays thick and heavy on the hair.  It rinses out fine, but still leaves my hair with some tangles that need a bit of effort combing out, I don’t think its’ made any significant improvement to the condition of my hair.  I think the problem could be the Shea butter, this is a vegetable fat with a waxy consistency and when I look closely at the conditioner I can see bits of wax in it, I don’t think it’s a good ingredient for hair care, and is reducing the benefits of the other ingredients.

TOP TIP

Instead of tipping the remainder of a can of beer down the sink, keep it until next time you wash your hair.  Apply it after you’ve rinsed off shampoo, and leave it on for a few minutes and rinse off slightly.   Works brilliantly as a detangler, and vegetable proteins in the form of wheat, hops and barley contain proteins similar to hair proteins and are therefore nutrients that the hair can absorb in to improve condition and strength.

Rating

Value for money – paid £5.99 for a whopping 1000 ml bottle – which should keep me going for a while!

Distribution – I purchased in TK Max, the company – Olive Tree Products are based in California, so not sure how easy it will be get in the UK in the future

Effectiveness – not as effective as other conditioners I’ve tried

Pampering factor – leaves hair a bit heavy, and doesn’t remove tangles that well