Product Review: Moroccan Oil Intense hydrating mask

For anyone that has been waiting for a new post from me, I apologize for the hiatus. Recent computer troubles curtailed my posting entirely and I've been sad in keeping so many products in the backlog.

Things are back on track again though, so I'm happy to share another review with the world. There is a difference between the intense hydrating mask and the restorative hydrating mask, but I have yet to try the second so here's a review of the first. If you're comparing them side by side in the store and forget which is which, remember that the brown lid one is the more commonly available, popular and the one I'm reviewing. The other one will have an orange lid. 

This has officially become my favorite low-cone mask, for days when I want to alternate. Though I'm always the first to sing the praises of silicones, they can build up and not allow more moisture into the hair unless they're alternated or clarified. Because my thick, coarse, curly hair could not handle a clarifying shampoo without turning into an afro, I prefer to alternate products. There are very few low silicone conditioning products on the market that can detangle hair as bushy as mine without a lot of grunt work, but this one can. Suffice it to say, I'm not fond of the price, but I do find I need less of it to comb through the hair than of most products, so a jar does last me longer. This would work well on anyone that suffers from dry/damaged/curly/colored/chemically treated/heat abused hair, but if you have a fear of weighing the hair down, apply this only to the midshaft and ends. An additional tip for all my fellow curlies: I am a 3b/3c mix but anyone up from a 3a can use this as a leave in also. The high concentration of glycerin mixed with the high concentration of argan oil makes it great to use on humid days, while the addition of cetearyl alcohol enhances comb slip. Try it that way and see what you think.

Ingredients:

1. Aqua: Nothing simpler than water
2. Cetearyl alcohol: thickener, emulsifier and emollient
3. Argania spinosa kernel oil: Check it out third on the ingredient list! This by the way is the highest concentration of actual Argan oil in the entire line, therefore the best option if you really want the Argan vs. silicone benefit. For those who weren't in the know, yes, Argan oil really does penetrate past the hair cuticle to make hair healthier and protect against breakage.
4. Glycerin: Although this adds slip and enhances the detangling ability of the conditioner, it doesn't have the ability to stick to the hair shaft once rinsed so none of it stays on the hair to continue helping it. However that's a bonus for those who don't like to have a film on their hair.
5. Dimethicone: Now this does stick, does add shine and detangles like nobody's business. There's a reason dimethicone is so widely used in haircare, because it works absolutely fantastically.
6. Cetrimonium chloride: quaternary ammonium compound that rinses really nice and clean while still helping fill in some cracks in the cuticle layer of the hair, it also helps prevent staticky hair.
7. Cetyl alcohol: Very similar to cetearyl alcohol in that it functions as an emollient, emulsifier and thickener.
8. Behentrimonium chloride (and) isopropanolomine (and) fragrance: Behentrimonium Chloride is the most effective quat-type conditioning agent, isopropanolamine is an emulsifier and we all know what fragrance is. The reason these three aren't separated by commas on the ingredient list (and numbered point in my breakdown) is that someone over at Moroccan Oil messed up and listed the ingredients as they tend to be listed on pre-mixed raw material blends that cosmetic chemists buy.
9. DMDM hydantoin: Formaldehyde releasing preservative
10. Butylphenyl methylpropional: Fragrance ingredient, this one has a floral note to it.
11. Linalool: Fragrance ingredient with citrusy tones
12. Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde: another fragrance ingredient, this one is an aldehyde (meaning it penetrates the top layer of the skin and retains good staying power if applied onto skin) with a Lily of the Valley type scent
13. Citric acid: Used here as a pH adjuster and preservative. In higher concentrations the acidity would aid in closing the hair cuticle.
14. Acid yellow 23: Coloring agent
15. Linum usitatissimum (linseed) extract: In higher concentrations this would be a great emollient
16. Sunset yellow: Coloring agent