Is Moroccan Hair Oil Safe To Use?

March 20, 2010 11:49 AM

Is Moroccan Hair Oil safe to use? Is pure Argan oil better, or will it make my hair smell like goat droppings?

I started using Moroccan Oil a month ago and it moisturizes my hair better than anything else. However, when idly googling for more information about it, I found this blog post where its safety was hotly debated. The Moroccan Oil brand product actually contains a variety of chemicals, including coumarin, an anticoagulant used in rat poison. Here's a picture of the other ingredients, which sound thoroughly chemical and silicone-y. The blog comments talk about the superiority of pure Argan oil, which is an ingredient in Moroccan Oil, but one commenter says that pure Argan oil can stink like the goat-droppings where the oil-producing seed can sometimes be found. Obviously, not interested in smelling like poo. I'd rather keep using this expensive stuff that smells great, but not at the risk of getting cancer.

I ask you Mefites: is it dangerous to keep using Moroccan Oil? Would I be better off with pure Argan oil? Any suggestions about alternate products (and where they can be bought) would be greatly appreciated.

posted by Locative to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

No idea on the hair oil, but coumarin isn't immediately an OMG BAD thing, either. Because it is an anticoagulant, coumarin is a very common therapeutic medicine for humans as well. You should definitely check out what happens when you use it externally.

Wisconsin represent!
posted by Madamina at 11:56 AM on March 20, 2010

Argan oil is also used for food (and is very good), though perhaps of a higher grade. In any case, I have never found it to smell of droppings of any sort.
posted by Nothing at 2:10 PM on March 20, 2010

I have used both. I switched to argan oil for the same reasons you mentioned but I like the Moroccan Oil better. The smell was not that bad, it has nothing to do with why I like Moroccan Oil better. The Moroccan Oil just seems to do a better job of softening my hair; however, the brand I used(Slice of Nature) isn't one of those crazy expensive, high-end brands so that may have had something to do with its effects. I've used Moroccan Oil for about six months total, and have yet to succumb to rat poison sickness and/or death.
posted by Epsilon-minus semi moron at 2:47 PM on March 20, 2010

My hair stylist always asks whether I want a dab of Moroccan Oil in my hair when she is done styling my hair (and of course would like me to buy the product) but I prefer Kerastase which, at $58 for a little tub, is not exactly cheap either. I use a small dab of Kerastase after shampooing my hair, and it's the best conditioner I have ever, ever used for my dry colour-treated hair. The Moroccan Oil just does not compare.

Take a look at the web site I linked to, the product is sold at higher-end salons. The parent company is l'Oreal.
posted by seawallrunner at 5:17 PM on March 20, 2010

I would not base my worries about Moroccan Oil on a rather spammy sounding comment thread. Most of the comments against is read like very obvious ads for people selling argan oil.

As mentioned above, warfarin isn't just rat poison, it's also a commonly prescribed anticoagulant for humans--the dose makes poison, after all (also, apparently we metabolize it to something less toxic to us than rats do).
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 6:39 PM on March 20, 2010

I've been using Agadir Argan Oil for about a year. It has a pleasantly spicy aroma and I haven't started growing an extra head or anything. I've been told that a dollop of olive oil does the same thing, but I like the smell of the Agadir oil.
posted by workerant at 7:12 PM on March 20, 2010

I've been using Moroccan Mud Oil for about two years and it's helped turn my dried out, fine hair, into nice supple hair with shine. I just use it at night after taking a shower after the gym and rinse it out the next morning before work.
posted by floweredfish at 9:05 AM on March 21, 2010