TRADER JOE’S (pricey) HAIR OIL vs. my recommendation JOJOBA OIL
I’m a guy with curly hair. Long ago I discovered my hair looks better if I just put a little oil on it. So for years I’ve been putting a little bit of some kind of oil on my hair when I get out of the shower. My Go To oil is usually a jar of coconut oil or similar.
I tried Trader Joe’s HAIR OIL. They call it “salon quality”.
“Trader Joe’s Hair Oil is filled with a salon-quality Hair Oil that’s made with some of the most sought-after hair care ingredients, including: argan oil, moringa seed oil, chia seed oil, and vitamin E. It helps fight frizz, tame fly-aways, and smooth split ends, all while adding incredible shine. Plus, its moisturizing ingredients help protect against potential damage your hair can sustain from blow dryers and other heat styling tools.
I guess the words, “salon quality” justify the Salon Price of this tiny little bottle. They are selling this little one ounce bottle for six dollars! Here’s my honest review of Trader Joe’s Hair Oil.
I kind of liked Trader Joe’s Hair Oil. It smells nice, Its a little heavy and thick. Over a few days the hole where the oil comes out got gunked up, to the point of almost not working at all. However to me the main thing is this price. This stuff is just WAY too expensive. $5.99 for just one ounce to me seems like a rip-off and very un Trader Joe’s.
Perhaps some of you with way more experience with beauty products might disagree and say well this stuff has many special ingredients in it. That’s why it cost so much. Fine. If you think, its worth it, go for it. I’m a guy. I don’t want to spend that and honestly for years, I’ve bought and used other products like Trader Joe’s very good LEMON GRASS COCONUTOIL. That works fine on my hair. 4 ounces are about $4 dollars.
Which brings me to another Trader Joe’s oil: 100% PURE JOJOBA OIL. It’s perfect for my hair, as well as just as “body oil” and apparently is excellent as a facial oil and cleanser too. The 4 ounce bottle costs $7.99. So two dollars an ounce, not six. This is 100% pure jojoba oil. It’s a very light oil, not heavy or greasy at all. In fact, Trader Joe’s expensive Hair Oil contains some jojoba oil (Simmondsia Chinesis). It’s well known to be good for hair as well as for face and body.
So I say try this lovely 100% Pure Jojoba Oil for your hair instead of overpaying for the tiny bottle of HAIR OIL but that of course is just my suggestion. If you try both, please let us know if you think the little bottle of Hair Oil is worth the difference in price.
(for hair, skin, and scalp….remove makeup….cleanse pores….softens hands and feet…. prevents dry skin… leave-in hair treatment…. after shave moisturizer)
“New & improved” – Trader Joe’s had this Body Wash previously but they’ve had it *reformulated and are re-introducing this Refreshing Citrus Body Wash.
It’s made for them “by a trusted beauty supplier”. Yesterday I was on the checkout line there, I saw this in the NEW ITEMS shelf right next to the line. My eyes were drawn to the bottle with it’s bright yellow orange color and friendly round shape. It went into my basket! They really know how to tempt us on that checkout line, don’t they?
I tried it the next morning for my wake up shower. First thing I noticed is that this body was smells very nice! For this guy frankly that’s what I care about most. It has a nice and yes very refreshing citrus-y aroma from ingredients that include oils of “orange, grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon and also includes vitamin C, chamomile, ginseng, ginger, and vitamin B5″. The scent is a light and natural citrus, and is not overly perfume-y. Lather was fine, neither too much nor too little.
Here’s what they say about the * NEW FORMULA: “In this new formula, you’ll find a trio of highly sought after skincare ingredients—niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate, and squalane—that help support the skin’s moisture barrier, leaving it feeling soft, smooth, and hydrated long after you’ve showered.”
I would say its a good product, especially for the price of just 4 bucks. I’m sure at say, a store like Sephora, a similar product would go for probably 3-4x the price Trade Joe’s sells this for? Plus its a nice big 16 oz bottle.
I am expecting this CITRUS BODY WASH to be very nice in the shower for the dog days of summer. Or frankly any time of the year.
I also like of course the TEA TREE TINGLE body wash, during hot summer days but the TEA TREE TINGLE is more “aggressive”. That’s good really tingly, which some people may not like, my wife find that a bit strong. This however is not tingly, just refreshing. Me I enjoy both.
PS (just for laughs, I googled one of those ingredients/words which I’ve never heard of in the list above — “Squalane is a lightweight, non-comedogenic oil that mimics your skin’s natural sebum. Derived from stable plant sources like sugarcane or olives, it deeply hydrates, restores the moisture barrier, and suits all skin types, including acne-prone skin”
NEW ITEM: Trader Joe’s “Cleansing and Conditioning Hair Wash” – “Gentle + Moisturizing. Generally Suitable For all hair types. Detergent & Paraben Free. Non-Foaming. Grapefruit Mint Scent. Reduces tangles, buildup, frizz and dryness. Enhances texture and volume. Reveals soft and shiny hair. Get more days between washes. No conditioner needed”
DIRECTIONS: “Wet hair. Coat all hair with hair wash. Massage in vigorously. Will not foam, and feels more like a conditioner. Rinse very thoroughly. No need to use a conditioner”
So this kind of seems that is is neither a shampoo nor is it exactly a conditioner… its something in between the two, they call “hair wash” and is something that you use between shampoos. My wife says she uses it after washing her hair as a conditioner (?) and she gave this a thumbs up (note, she’s tough to please with hair products). Now most conditioners say something like “leave in for three minutes before rinsing” This stuff doesn’t mention anything like how long to leave it in, therefore I assume that means you can rinse it out right away. No waiting!. This is something men like as we are well known to hate having to wait three torturous minutes for our conditioner to work. All kidding aside, this stuff seems to work, it has a pleasant scent, it has some ingredients that sound good, such as evening primrose, castor seed oil, sunflower oil, aloe leaf, soy, wheat and corn proteins, and flower extracts. I would buy it again but this is kind of unusual so its every man (or woman) for themselves on this “hair wash”. The nice thing is Trader Joe’s will give you a refund if you don’t decide you didn’t like it. How many stores do that?!! It’s $4.99 for the 8 oz tube.
First off, the aroma. So lovely! This has the most WONDERFUL herbal aroma from the lemongrass oil in it. Once someone asked yours truly (a straight guy) “Excuse me, what is that fragrance you’re wearing?” Ha ha. I guess they smelled this.
This oil itself is SUPER LIGHT, not greasy, and easily absorbs into the skin or hair. This can be used on your hair, and that’s what I do. I find it is great for keeping my curly hair, curly.
This is a really terrific product at a super price. 4.8 oz bottle, $3.99
Trader Joe’s OATMEAL EXFOLIANT BAR, ALMOND GINGER SCENT, SAVON DE FRANCE, FRENCH MILLED SOAP
MADE IN FRANCE
This is a nice fancy French soap with a subtle natural fragrance, nothing overpowering or fake-y. The bar is huge, and I do mean huge, it’s over a half pound! I was even thinking about cutting it in half but I figure it will just wear down to size on it’s own. It’s not melting fast on me though, like a lot of fancy soaps do. It makes a very rich sudsy lather. Nothing too scratchy either, as far as “exfoliant bar”, just a few nubbins you can see of oatmeal, but they don’t scratch your skin. $2.99 for 8.8 oz (249 gr)
Trader Joe’s Ginger Ultra Moisturizing Hand Cream ($4.99)
The package caught my eye. Catchy design. “Ginger? Hand cream?” That’s an interesting combination. I bought some for for my wife, a big hand cream user, to try. I asked her opinion of it….
“Fantastic product”
I put some on and sure enough, it smells great with a really nice clean ginger smell from “ginger root extract” (ZINGIBER OFFICINALE). It’s got a few recognizable ingredients (to me) the first two being shea butter and coconut oil. Personally what got my attention originally is the clean simply graphic design which is brave as they went with a text wraparound on the box with only half of “Ginger” hanging off the top of the box in a long narrow San Serif type. Notice how your brain just completes the word?
I’m going with my wife’s 2 word review, a “fantastic product” (and she’s tough so that’s a double RAVE) a reasonable price, smells great, and works great to moisturize your skin. What’s not to like? At a big name beauty shop this would cost double the price. Another good health and beauty product from Trader Joe’s. Worth trying.
While the rest of the year I keep a bar of TJ’s HONEY OATMEAL SOAP in the shower, come summertime, I swap that for TEA TREE OIL SOAP.
Trader Joe’s TEA TREE OIL SOAP is my #1 Summertime soap. On a hot day there is nothing that cools me off and refreshes me like washing in cold water with this stuff. It has a slightly astringent quality of course due to the tea tree oil. That’s what must make it feel so refreshing.
Now, the only soap that feels even more refreshing than this stuff would be DR. BRONNER’S PEPPERMINT OIL SOAP, which Trader Joe’s does sell as well. But lets face it, that cost’s $10/bottle (Will make another post about this famous stuff, with all the crazy writing all over it)
From a listing on Amazon of ingredients for a bar of the Tree Tree Oil Soap ;
Very Basic, Natural Ingredients Contains No Laurel / Laureth Sulfates Cruelty Free – Never Tested on Animals; No Animal Products in Ingredients Made In Connection With An Upscale Boutique Comes in Double-Pack (Two 4 oz Bars Per Pack) Ingredients Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Glycerin, Tea Tree Oil, Sodium Chloride, Pentasodium Pentetate.
also saw this about tea tree oil soap in general:
Tea Tree Oil Soap Soothes the skin with its natural healing properties…
reduces bacteria and inflammation
acts as an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antifungal.
This would mean you won’t smell as much too!
Two Large Bars of this soap to a pack mean its $1 a bar; WOW! Thats a really good deal for this level of quality health and beauty product. Did you catch that “made in connection with an upscale boutique? in the text above” I bet whoever the original manufacturer really is (any ideas peeps?) they probably sell a bar for $3-4 each when it has their own fancy name on it. But when Trader Joe’s re-brands it under their own label, they can sell for much less (probably the fancy packaging makes it seem worth another $4?! )
Many women use TEA TREE OIL soap in the bathroom basically for the face but trust me, try it in summer in the shower if you haven’t already on the rest of you, too. Its refreshing and feels great and so clean. BUT NOTE: avoid getting it in your eyes (It can sting a bit)
Let me here what you think about this soap for Summer!
I saw this jar of Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in the NEW PRODUCTS shelf at my Trader Joe’s. I thought, I should see what all this fuss is about and made a mental note to pick up a bottle and try it. Now Coconut Oil is a really interesting product in that it has uses both ‘Culinary’ and ‘Health & Beauty’ ! So you can put this into many categories. So I jokingly say, you can eat it and you can put it all over your skin. Or use it as Cooking Oil but also use it as a Hair Dressing. It really is good for all these things, in fact, it has so many uses!
Coconut oil in solid state. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I opened the bottle and sniffed it, it was just an intense smell of well, coconut. I mean you smell it and your mind instantly thinks ‘Tropical Beach’. At least mine did. Its just got a lovely aroma.
I heard it was great in cooking especially good for sautéing vegetables, as Melissa Clark wrote about. So I peeled and sliced up some Carrots (TJ Organic Carrots) and tossed them in a pan with about a tablespoon of the Coconut Oil. Again, an amazing smell wafted through the kitchen. Tossed in the sliced carrots and let them sauté for about 10 minutes or so. After the carrots were slightly browned I tasted one. It had a wonderful under-note of (yes) Coconut. The sauteed carrots tasted delicious, and I could imagine many vegetables benefitting from being cooked in coconut oil. Melissa Clark mentions roasted sweet potatoes – that sounds great – and she has a number of interesting recipes listed in her piece, which you can try.
Coconut Oil when it’s kept at a cool temperature appears white and in a solid state. If it warms up it, will become clear and liquid.
Additionally of course this is good for other things, like putting on your hair too. And it is wonderful to rub on dry skin as a moisurizer. I even read its a natural antiperspirant (you put a drop or two under your arms).
What a useful product. The question may be Where to keep the jar?! In the Bathroom or the Kitchen?!!
A jar costs $5.99 for 16 ounces. Check it out. I’m just beginning to experiment with using it. I put it on my hair, it helps keep my curly hair, curly and moisturized – it does make your hair soft and smell wonderful too.
UPDATE: (Spring 2019) They lowered the price. It’s now $4.99 !
Traditional bullock-powered coconut oil mill. Dried coconuts are crushed and oil is squeezed out. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Oil “Pure Vegable Soap” looks like and according to the ingredients is almost exactly the same formula as their wonderful Oatmeal and Honey soap. Ingredients on the label are identical except instead listing oatmeal flakes and honey as ingredients, this lists Tea Tree Oil in the ingredients. The fragrance of this soap is a bit less pronounced than the Oatmeal Honey one, which smells so good I think I could almost eat it. This is more subtle. While I do frankly prefer the Oatmeal version, this too is very good, and I like it very much as well. If you Google it, you see it has very good reviews on some sites for many types of skin problems. Tea Tree Oil is supposed to possess certain medicinal properties, such as being an anti-fungal & antiseptic agent.
All I know is my face does feel incredibly clean and grease free after washing with this. In the shower, its also feels kind of “cooling” to the skin, and feels a tiny bit like Dr. Bronners* (my favorite soap in hot weather is Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap) But this may be my close second. Like Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint soap, this soap is definitely good for cooling off in hot summer-time weather. It sells for a little bit more than TJ’s Oatmeal soap (1.99 for 2 big bars of this vs. $1.70 for the Oatmeal / Honey soap). However compared to fancy, pricey skin soaps, this stuff is an ABSOLUTE STEAL at $1/bar. Try and see what you think.
reduces bacteria and inflammation
Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Oil “Pure Vegable Soap” looks like and according to the ingredients is almost exactly the same formula as their wonderful 
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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