Time for a round-up. I want to point out that the differences between all apart from Osmo are really small. If you checked out the pictures of my hair in individual reviews, you'll see there is little if any difference in how my hair looks. A bigger difference is in how your hair feels. Here is my ranking of the five hair treatments I tested.
Winner: Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment
2nd place: Orofluido Beauty Elixir
3rd place: Moroccanoil Original
4th place: Kérastase Elixir Ultime
5th place: Osmo Berber Oil
For me the winner is Macadamia with Orofluido not far behind. Macadamia provided the sleekest, shiniest and most moisturised results, also it is the best defrizzer. Orofluido and Moroccanoil are almost dupes in results, but differ in price and scent. Also Orofluido leaves your hair with more volume. The same applies to Elixir Ultime which made my hair feel very light, silky and bouncy, but left my ends dry. Osmo made my hair feel a bit greasy at first, but dry in a few hours. However, I still love my combination Orofluido Elixir + Sahara best and I'll stick to it.
Some general information about these treatments.
1. Please don't fall for the extravagant over-the-top advertising. These treatments are very good, but nowhere near the miraculous as they are described by the advertisers. It still baffles me why such high prices of some these treatments. What am I actually paying for? Silicones are cheap and argan oil can't be that expensive if Alverde's Mandel Argan oil is only 3.5€. The only thing left are the fragrances. The nerve of some brands! On the bright side one bottle does last a long time. Please check the prices in online shops first before spending your money in a salon (Macadamia is around 20€ on eBay, while it's around 35€ in Simple salons).
1. Please don't fall for the extravagant over-the-top advertising. These treatments are very good, but nowhere near the miraculous as they are described by the advertisers. It still baffles me why such high prices of some these treatments. What am I actually paying for? Silicones are cheap and argan oil can't be that expensive if Alverde's Mandel Argan oil is only 3.5€. The only thing left are the fragrances. The nerve of some brands! On the bright side one bottle does last a long time. Please check the prices in online shops first before spending your money in a salon (Macadamia is around 20€ on eBay, while it's around 35€ in Simple salons).
2. These are described as treatments, I prefer to call them styling products, or better, smoothing serums. Even though they contain oils, the amount of them is small and I'm bothered by the first few ingredients: cones. You can use them as a pre-wash treatment and most brands suggest you do so, but I'd never use a product with silicones for several reasons. First, silicones coat the hair and don't nourish it, just conceal the problems. Second, too expensive. Why would I use the pricey oil and then wash it off. I don't think so. Third: pure argan oil, macadamia, coconut and even olive oil work better than these serums as pre-wash treatments. Not to mention how much cheaper they are. I just use regular oils instead.
3. Don't over do it. A few drops is enough. A 100ml bottle should last you a long time. Mine lasted two years because I wash my hair once or twice a week and I only used it after washing my hair. But I do find that by using more product on wet hair before blow-drying, I get better results. My hair is then sleeker and less frizzy, specially when using Orofluido and Macadamia. I don't want to use too much silicone products, so I use Alverde Haaröl Mandel Argan which is silicone free for when my ends are dry.
4. They tend to be heavier than their silicon serum predecessors. If your hair is oily, they might be too much. However, they are marketed for all hair types, so if you want to make them work for you, the key is in the amount used and distribution. Kerastaste is the lightest and most appropriate for oilier hair. I heard L'Oreal's Extraordinary oil is quite light as well and Mythic Oil was also way to light for my hair when I tried it once at my hairdresser (all are from L'Oreal btw). The rest are quite thick and heavy. Osmo is really heavy.
4. They tend to be heavier than their silicon serum predecessors. If your hair is oily, they might be too much. However, they are marketed for all hair types, so if you want to make them work for you, the key is in the amount used and distribution. Kerastaste is the lightest and most appropriate for oilier hair. I heard L'Oreal's Extraordinary oil is quite light as well and Mythic Oil was also way to light for my hair when I tried it once at my hairdresser (all are from L'Oreal btw). The rest are quite thick and heavy. Osmo is really heavy.
5. Most have a strong fragrance. All the ones I tried have quite a heavy perfumey scent, so if you're sensitive to that, try to get a sample first or try it at your hairdresser (if they have it, of course).
There are exceptions in the hair oils world that don't contain silicones. One of them is Alverde Mandel Argan, which actually deserves to call itself oil. Pure oils like argan, macadamia, coconut and olive are heavy and it's difficult to use them as styling products without leaving your hair greasy. I prefer to use them only as pre-wash treatments. Alverde is a great product for those who want a silicon free product for their ends. It's still an oil, but a lighter version. It won't make your hair as silky as those with silicone, but it will actually nourish your hair. I consider it an actual hair care, not just a smoothing serum like the rest. For that reason I didn't include it in this test and because it's drugstore. I use this on dry hair only, I prefer to use silicones on wet hair before blow-drying.
Ingredients: soybean oil, emollient derived from coconut oil, argan oil, walnut oil, almond oil, burdock oil, two Vitamin E variants, Vitamin C, sunflower oil, and six fragrances derived from essential oils.
Ingredients-wise this is a fantastic product. And best of all, it's cheap. It's around 3.5€ in DM's. It's not the best for oily hair, but if your ends are dry give it a go.
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I hope this helped if you're on the fence of which one to get. There are so many on the market for such different prices that it's hard to choose which one is for you. I would still suggest you go and try it at your hairdresser if they have it, or get the sample size bottle first. I'm sorry for such long posts. I try to keep them short, but I always end up writing so much. It's just that I have so much to say, especially when it comes to hair. Thanks for reading!
Ingredients: soybean oil, emollient derived from coconut oil, argan oil, walnut oil, almond oil, burdock oil, two Vitamin E variants, Vitamin C, sunflower oil, and six fragrances derived from essential oils.
Ingredients-wise this is a fantastic product. And best of all, it's cheap. It's around 3.5€ in DM's. It's not the best for oily hair, but if your ends are dry give it a go.
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I hope this helped if you're on the fence of which one to get. There are so many on the market for such different prices that it's hard to choose which one is for you. I would still suggest you go and try it at your hairdresser if they have it, or get the sample size bottle first. I'm sorry for such long posts. I try to keep them short, but I always end up writing so much. It's just that I have so much to say, especially when it comes to hair. Thanks for reading!
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