Argan oil alternatives

[kganihanova]

Hello friends,

I love love love my argan oil. However being a college student it's a little steep. What's a cheaper alternative to argan oil?

Thanks for your replies!

[sapphire-o]

Cooking oils are probably the cheapest option. :) I found that olive oil is fairly nice. Rice bran oil is good for hair, too. Coconut oil is very popular for hair and skin, though it doesn't work for everyone. If these don't work for your hair you can just cook with them.

[twobluestripes]

I adore my pure Argan Oil for my face and as an occasional serum on my hair for shine/dry ends. But I use Coconut Oil as an overnight hair mask about once or twice a month before my wash day, and keep it in my purse for hair serum and cuticles on the go. I recommend it (and have started using it to remove my eye makeup and as an overnight skin oil as well, good for everything!).
I have used EVOO and it just didn't absorb the way those two do. Many people use flaxseed oil on skin so I think that would be a nice light hair oil, you might find it cheaper than the Argan.
And the best value I have found for Argan Oil has been at the natural section of my local grocery; my mother even found it for $7 a fl.oz once! I generally pay $23 for a 2oz bottle.

[In2wishin]

How much do you want to pay? If you buy it from a bulk supplier for soapmakers, etc you can get it for almost as cheap as a quality EVOO. I typically get it for between $2 and $2.50 an ounce, it just doesn't come in a fancy bottle. Shipping can get you though, if you won't be buying anything else.

ETA: as an alternative, try camellia seed or cranberry seed oils, but they can be harder to find.

[kganihanova]

I pay about 30 dollars for four ounces. I love the stuff but it's just too much. I have to be really careful with EVOO. I do pre poo with coconut oil but as a leave in it can be hit or miss. I'll have to look into rice bran oil.

[kganihanova]

Ideally I'd get it at 20ish dollars for a good amount

[lunalocks]

Baby oil. I have tried just about every oil there is and I always return to baby oil. One drop when hair is almost dry after washing and one drop at night before bunning. Cheapest oil out there, too.

[meteor]

Almond oil is widely available and much cheaper. It has a very similar fatty acid composition and should feel similar to argan on hair.

Also, try your local Middle-Eastern grocery stores: they tend to sell huge bottles of both argan oil and almond oil for very decent prices, since they are used for cooking a lot.

[Larki]

I think jojoba and argan oil are basically the same: http://belowthawaist.blogspot.com/2013/10/oil-it-up-argan-jojoba-oil.html#.U6BxaCjyR1M

[LadyDedlock]

I second baby oil, that stuff is magic. :)

[kganihanova]

Thank you for your suggestions :) I'm very happy with my potential choices.

[In2wishin]

Ideally I'd get it at 20ish dollars for a good amount

I checked the suppliers I use and the best price if you only order argan oil is from Ingredients to Die For. You can get 4 oz including the cheapest shipping for about $23 or 8 oz for ~$32 http://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item/Argan_Oil_Organic_Virgin/875?category=3

It is a cool website with tons of fun things to look at, including recipes (aka formulas)

[lapushka]

Jojoba, Macadamia, Sweet Almond, Olive, and baby oil. Those would be my faves.

[Beborani]

Sesame has almost exact same composition and feel. It also has a long history of being used on hair--any Asian store should carry it for cheap. I tried Argan once out of curiosity and did side by side comparision with sesame ( my regular) and did not find any difference.

[kganihanova]

Sesame has almost exact same composition and feel. It also has a long history of being used on hair--any Asian store should carry it for cheap. I tried Argan once out of curiosity and did side by side comparision with sesame ( my regular) and did not find any difference.

Thank you!! I'll have to try that.

[ErinLeigh]

I pay about 30 dollars for four ounces. I love the stuff but it's just too much. I have to be really careful with EVOO. I do pre poo with coconut oil but as a leave in it can be hit or miss. I'll have to look into rice bran oil.

Have you looked on amazon? The NOW brand argan oil is a lot more affordable and it works well (assuming you live in USA)
I really don't know an oil similar to argan as it does have a different "something" to it but I would say the closest for me is jojoba or avocado perhaps..or emu.