Gisou, created by hair influencer Negin Mirsalehi, has gained popularity for its Honey Infused Hair Oil. This oil promises to rebuild and repair hair using honey from Mirsalehi's family bee garden as a key ingredient. Let's delve into the ingredients of this product to understand its potential benefits and drawbacks.
The Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil boasts a blend of natural and synthetic ingredients. Here's a breakdown of some of the most notable components:
Honey, arguably the oldest skincare ingredient, has been used since around 4500 BC. It's a bee-derived, supersaturated sugar solution composed of approximately 95% sugar and 5% other minor components like proteins, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and minerals. Honey is moisturizing, soothing, and possesses antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Emerging scientific evidence suggests it can also promote wound and burn healing.
Different floral sources result in different honey compositions and properties. Darker honey tends to be richer in antioxidant phenolic compounds. Acacia honey is favored in cosmetics due to its high fructose content, making it more water-soluble and stable in formulas. Honey acts as a natural humectant, binding water from the atmosphere to hair, which in turn helps to boost hydration levels.
This is a volatile silicone, meaning it evaporates quickly and doesn't remain on the skin or hair. It is a commonly used, cyclic structured silicone that is water-thin.
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Dimethiconol is a high molecular weight silicone typically diluted in a lighter silicone fluid like dimethicone or cyclopentasiloxane. Silicone blends containing dimethiconol leave a silky smooth, non-greasy film on the skin. Like other silicones, dimethiconol is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping. This ingredient helps to create a silky texture and improve spreadability. Due to its high molecular weight and thickness, it is often combined with cyclopentasiloxane.
This emollient plant oil is derived from almonds and is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids, including oleic acid (55-86%) and linoleic acid (7-35%). It also contains antioxidant vitamin E and vitamin B versions. Sweet almond oil has antioxidant properties. Those with an almond allergy should be careful of this ingredient and speak with a professional about using it in your skincare.
Argan oil, often called "liquid gold of Morocco," is extracted from the kernel of the argan fruit, which grows exclusively in Morocco. The oil is rich in nourishing and moisturizing unsaturated fatty acids (80%), mainly oleic (38-50%), linoleic (28-38%), and palmitic (10-18%) acids. Argan oil can greatly nourish and moisturize the skin and hair. It's also claimed to neutralize collagen-damaging free radicals, reduce scars, and revitalize and improve skin elasticity, help fight against radical damage from the sun. This makes it effective at preventing hyperpigmentation.
Coconut oil boasts a unique fatty acid profile, being mostly saturated with lauric acid as its primary component (about 50%). It melts around 25°C, solidifying in the tub but melting upon skin contact. Coconut Oil is rich in fatty acids with lauric acid making up the majority of these. It also contains linoleic acid. Due to this high fatty acid content, coconut oil helps trap moisture and soften skin.
Research indicates that coconut oil can penetrate the hair effectively, preventing protein loss and combing damage. It may also aid in wound healing and possess antifungal activity.
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Tocopherol, also known as Vitamin E, is a common antioxidant that helps protect the skin from free radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's fat-soluble, facilitating absorption. Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished. Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure. You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients. Tocopheryl Acetate is another form of Vitamin E.
Parfum is a general term for fragrance ingredients used to impart a pleasant scent to cosmetic products. However, the term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. You may know this ingredient as argan oil. Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol. Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent. The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
These are individual fragrance ingredients used to create the overall scent profile of the product. Coumarins are a group of substances found naturally in plants. There are over 1300 types of coumarins identified. It has a natural vanilla scent.Coumarin is an identified EU known allergy, meaning it may cause an allergic reaction when applied to the skin. In many countries, coumarin is banned as a food additive. However, it can be found in soaps, tobacco products, and some alcohol drinks. Plants use coumarins as a chemical defense. Some plants that have coumarins include lavender, tonka beans, and yellow clovers. Hexyl Cinnamal is a fragrance ingredient with a similar scent to jasmine. It can be naturally found in chamomile essential oil. This ingredient is a known EU allergen and may sensitize the skin. Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals. When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. Linalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender. Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity. Butylphenyl Methylpropional is a common fragrance ingredient that has a nice floral scent and also goes by the name Lilial. It is a known fragrance allergen and as of 1st of March 2022, it has been banned in the EU due to animal studies showing a possible link to infertility (in rats - so no need to panic even if you used a product before with Butylphenyl Methylpropional).
It's the acronym for Butylated Hydroxy Toluene. It's a common synthetic antioxidant that's used as a preservative. There is some controversy around BHT. It's not a new ingredient, it has been used both as a food and cosmetics additive since the 1970s. Plenty of studies tried to examine if it's a carcinogen or not. This Truth in Aging article details the situation and also writes that all these studies examine BHT when taken orally.
Ci 26100 is a colorant used to give products a reddish-brown color.
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Customer reviews offer mixed perspectives on the Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil:
Gisou explains, “Oiling the scalp is good for your hair. So for the price though would I rebuy Gisou’s Hair Oil? This multi-purpose hair oil also works as a nourishing treatment, helping to moisturise and condition.
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