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Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved? Well, it depends on which curly hair product from this famous brand that we’re looking at.
You’ll see good news and hear about some MoroccanOil products that aren’t CGM friendly.
For example, one product that isn’t approved for the curly girl method is the "original" Moroccanoil Treatment serum, although it’s a brilliant multitasking hair treatment that adds shine and a healthy boost of vitamins, it’s still not CGM friendly.
Why? Because the Moroccan Oil Original Treatment oil has Dimethicone in it, which is NOT water soluble.
Dimethicone is sometimes referred to as a silicone oil. Dimethicone coats hair, providing great shine and conditioning to the hair. However, it prevents this Moroccan Oil from being curly girl approved. And because it's so water insoluble, it can be difficult to remove from curly hair.
If you don’t care that this Moroccan Oil isn’t curly girl friendly and want the shine it gives you, go ahead and grab it, just be sure to use a sulfate shampoo afterwards because it's to get product buildup. Which you can find by reading MoroccanOil shampoo buyer reviews.
Before we get to the good news about the amazing curly girl approved MoroccanOil products that you can use, we have to talk about one of the heartbreakers for curly girls from sea-to-shining-sea…
The often lusted for… Moroccanoil Curl Defining Cream
Cue up the tears and crying face emojis sis…
Don’t hate me for breaking the news gorgeous, I’m always gonna tell it like it is with you…
The amazing Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream is not curly girl friendly…
We are left simply desiring its highly-reviewed and praised ability to separate and define curls while nourishing curly hair and replacing the need for stacking multiple curl product layers.
Hey, you win some, you lose some…
Those who aren’t strictly held to curly girl approved Moroccan Oil stylers can take advantage of this all-in-one curl solution that promotes frizz-free, deeply-nourished curly hair.
The Moroccanoil reviews raves about how this curl defining cream defines and enhances natural curl texture while softening curly hair and giving curly locks a gentle hold.
Enough about what we’re “banned” from using ever in-dang-life. As if there aren’t enough things to worry about, lol...
Let’s talk about some good curly girl approved news, shall we?
You’re gonna see some good Moroccan Oil shampoos, conditioners and stylers that ARE curly girl approved and fit perfectly into a CG method friendly regimen...
[SEE RELATED ARTICLE: Moroccanoil Curl Re-energizing spray reviews...]
With the gorgeous results that we always see on ladies who employ Moroccan Oil stylers on their wonderfully curly hair, it’s no wonder so many curly girls constantly send in questions like “Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved?”, and, “What curly girl stylers can I use from the MoroccanOil brand?”...
It’s happy time my curly sister! Because....
Here are 2 great Moroccan Oil styling products that are curly girl approved and will make you look cute and feel the power of the curly girl!
So let’s talk about why these Moroccan Oil stylers are curly girl approved and see a couple of things to consider before adding these products to your routine.
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved? The answer is yes when discussing MoroccanOil Volumizing Mousse:
Still though:
Although this Moroccan Oil product is CG Method approved, it does contain some ingredients that may not work for every curly girl!
We’re all different, right?
MoroccanOil Volumizing Mousse contains humectants in the form of propylene glycol, and although this is definitely curly girl friendly this ingredient isn’t everyone’s favorite. Alot of that depends on the climate temperature your curly hair will be living in (along with you, lol…).
Humectant absorb moisture and keep a moisture balance in the hair and skin. Humectants also search for and grab moisture from your own hair in certain climate conditions.
Therefore, in areas where there may be a very dry heat (think: Arizona), these humectants in MoroccanOil Volumizing Mousse may actually do more bad than good.
In the right conditions, though, honeeeeey! Humectants will be JUST what the doctor ordered, they make great ingredient materials for products aimed at moisturizing dry or damaged curly girl hair.
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved when it contains Polyquaternium-4? Yes, it’s 100% CG method approved with a slight caution about possible build up for curly girls with very thin hair.
These active ingredients called Polyquats are brilliantly-effective conditioning agents that provide lovely curly girl hair benefits, but could also have the potential to build up on finer, thin hair.
If you are using products that contain polyquats and are experiencing frequent product build-up it might be worth taking a second look at using products with these ingredients, even though they are curly girl approved.
Polyquats have film-forming properties and are usually used to provide “hold” in styling products and also thicken a product. This styling product is curly girl approved without a doubt, just keep an eye out while enjoying the style advantages from applying Moroccan Oil Volumizing Mousse.
Congrats my curly girl friend, because Moroccan Oil Styling Gel (Strong Version) is curly girl approved! See reviews here...
This “bad girl” is a hydrating, flexible styling gel infused with argan oil. While being curly girl friendly, it gives your curls firm, long-lasting hold for sleek or structured wavy and curl style looks with a flake-free finish. Moroccan Oil Styling Gel reviews go crazy over the long-lasting hold this curly girl approved product provides without a sticky finish or crunchy texture
Yet, since all curlies have different needs, ingredient favorites and non-favorites, I will admit that this curly girl approved Moroccan Oil styler does contain some ingredients that may not work for every curly girl!
CG Method Approved with Slight Caution
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved with hair conditioning agents like Caprylyl Glycol? Yes, and this Moroccan Oil Styling gel stands up to the curly girl friendly test.
Caprylyl Glycol ingredients are Cationic Surfactants that can also serve an effective mild cleanser in a hair conditioner or as film-forming conditioning agents. These ingredients are water soluble, but some can build up over time.
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved when it contains Aminomethyl Propanol? Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved when it has Chlorphenesin in it?
The answer is yes to both questions.
Moroccan Oil Styling Gel (Strong Version) has these 2 curly girl approved ingredients. These ingredients have been verified as having no negative effect on curly girl hair but could be irritating to skin or have other negative effects.
Please do more research on these curly girl approved ingredients to see if they will work for your individual curly hair needs.
Some of the Moroccanoil products that curly girls most ask about, and wonder if they are curly girl approved are the Moroccanoil Curl Enhancing shampoo and the Moroccanoil Curl Enhancing conditioner.
Who among any true curly girl zealot doesn’t hope that they can find a good Moroccan Oil shampoo that is approved for the famous curly girl method?
So, is Moroccan Oil Curl Enhancing shampoo curly girl method approved?
You’re darn right my crazy, curly, cool sista from anotha mista!
One of the major tenets of the curly girl method is to use specific products that retain a moisture/protein balance. An effective way to do that is to incorporate Moroccan Oil Curl Enhancing shampoos or low poos that contain gentle cleansing ingredients rather than harsh sulfates into your curly girl approved routine. Grab this curly girl approved shampoo here...
Typical shampoos are not curly girl approved because they contain sulfates that strip your hair of its natural oils while also causing dryness and irritation on your scalp. This is especially detrimental for curly hair girls because curls thrive on hydration and moisture.
Gentle Moroccan Oil curly girl approved cleansers create a subtle lather and cleanse the hair without stripping it, with ZERO sulfates.
This is especially effective for fine hair wavies and curlies because a co-wash only routine tends to be too heavy and can weigh type 2 wavy and type 3 curly girl hair down. A co-wash/no poo routine works better for those with type 4 thick, dryer curly/kinky-coily hair.
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved when it contains water soluble silicones? Yes.
The silicones in curly girl approved Moroccan Oil are water soluble because they contain the prefixes ppg or peg (such as “hydrolyzed vegetable protein pg-propyl silanetriol”).
They are perfectly fine for tons of curly girls and experts across the globe, but still, there are some curly hair experts who don't recommend water soluble silicones.
Moroccan Oil Curl Enhancing shampoo is also packed with packed with gentle cleansing agents, cleanser ingredients like: Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine.
Friendly warning: These curly girl approved ingredients are effective cleansing agents, yet, could potentially be drying, but are not as harsh as sulfates.
It’s time to party like it’s 2099! Because this Moroccanoil Curl Enhancing Conditioner is curly girl approved, but contains some ingredients that may not work for every curly girl. (Check best prices at Amazon here...)
This also has water soluble silicones (remember, the insoluble silicones are the big NO-NO)
It also contains these conditioning agent ingredients: Behentrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol and Cetrimonium Chloride.
These Moroccanoil Curl Enhancing Conditioner ingredients are Cationic Surfactants that can be an effective mild cleanser in a conditioner or as film-forming conditioning agents. They are water soluble, but some can build up over time.
Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved with cetearyl alcohol? Yes,
Moroccanoil Curl Enhancing Conditioner also contains a curly girl approved alcohol in the form of cetearyl alcohol. This alcohol ingredient won't dry out your hair, it’s curly girl friendly.
[RELATED ARTICLE: What Do Moroccan Oil products do to your hair?]
So many Moroccan Oil brand products contain film-forming humectants. So, is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved when they have this common ingredient? Yes.
Film-forming humectants are excellent moisturizing ingredients that form a film over the hair and will help resist dehydration. These ingredients are safe to use in low dew points.
These curly girl approved MoroccanOil ingredients are excellent moisturizing properties because they form a film over the hair and resist dehydration.
They differ from simple humectants like glycerin and sorbitol because they do not release the water/moisture as easily. Learn more about the science behind film forming humectants at the science-yhairblog.
There are two categories of film forming ingredients: Plant gels and Hydrolyzed proteins.
Plant Gels:
Hydrolyzed Proteins:
Another highly-rated product with curly girl approved humectants is Ouidad Botanical Boost Curl Energizing & Refreshing Spray...
Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo is famously popular and has amazingly positive reviews…
This CG method approved hydration shampoo could be a low poo or no poo depending on how you use it. Use this shampoo to scrub or massage away excess oil and build up on your scalp. Rinse thoroughly.
Friendly warning: This Moroccan Oil hydrating shampoo contains stronger cleansers than the Curl Enhancing MoroccanOil shampoo.
No worries though…
All of these ingredients are CG method approved based on the method described in Curly Girl: The Handbook.
They are not sulfates, be warned though, this is not a clarifying shampoo, it’s a gentle cleanser that may be too mild to wash away built up styling products, you can use this as both a conditioning agent and as a curly hair cleanser.
Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo ingredients include sodium lauroyl sarcosinate (a.k.a sodium lauryl sarcosinate) which is curly girl approved.
Another friendly note about this Moroccan Oil Product: This curly girl approved Moroccan Oil product appears to have different ingredients in different countries. Please double check your individual bottle for any unapproved ingredients.
MoroccanOil Curl Control Mousse
This curly girl approved MoroccanOil Curl Control Mousse contains water-soluble Silicones and/or waxes… Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved with these ingredients? Yes.
Still though...
Some curly girls don’t like using even water-soluble silicones.
Using water-soluble versions of non-CG approved ingredients is a personal choice, but water-soluble silicones and waxes are considered 100% curly girl approved if they include PEG, PG, PPG, or emulsified/emulsifying in the name.
These ingredients can be washed out without using sulfates, making them curly girl friendly.
MoroccanOil Curl Control Mousse also Contains Protein
This MoroccanOil Curl Control Mousse contains protein based on its listed ingredients, like hydrolyzed vegetable protein pg-propyl silanetriol. The amount of protein will depend on where the ingredient appears in the product’s ingredient list.
The closer it is to the beginning of the list, the higher the protein content of the product. Is Moroccan Oil curly girl approved with low levels of protein? Yes.
Some ingredients, like flax seed or proteins that have not been hydrolyzed (made easier to absorb by the hair), can be present in a product without it being considered high in protein.
These products may be suitable for people that choose to avoid other proteins as their protein content would be minimal if no other protein-containing ingredients are present in the formula. We recommend researching any ingredients you are unsure about.
Apply MoroccanOil Curl Control Mousse when styling your hair. There are several methods for applying styling products on curly hair, including raking, praying hands, smasters, and more. See the best price at Amazon...
MoroccanOil Clarifying Shampoo
MoroccanOil Clarifying Shampoo is a curly girl approved product with harmless ingredients that you still may decide to use or avoid depending on preference...
MoroccanOil Clarifying Shampoo contains added fragrance. It may have a stronger smell than an unscented product or one with a scent derived from natural oils.
This curly girl approved product also contains glycerin or an ingredient derived from glycerin, the most common humectant in curly hair products.
In very dry climates, humectants can suck moisture out of your hair. In extremely humid climates, your hair can become too moisturized, resulting in frizz.
Humectants are usually best for people in climates with moderate humidity. The closer to the start of an ingredient list the glycerin or glycerin-based ingredient appears, the higher the amount of glycerin in the product.
This CG-approved shampoo could be a low poo or no poo depending on the product. Use to scrub or massage away oil and build up on your scalp. Rinse thoroughly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee is a Contributing Editor to NHP and a former owner of the BlackhairOMG website. She formed 4C Trichology Growth Services, LLC., a US based hair care consultation service. She has also contributed as a writer and consultant for various hair and beauty websites. Melissa can be followed on Twitter here.