Moroccanoil, from a Tel Aviv Hairdresser's Experiment to the Whole Bathroom

The Moroccanoil story starts in Tel Aviv in 2003, with an Israeli hairdresser named Mike Sabag experimenting with argan oil that his mother had shared after a trip to Morocco. He ran the early business with his brother Erik. A few years later, Montreal salon owner Carmen Tal and her husband Ofer secured the North American distribution rights, bought the company in 2008, and moved production to northern Israel. I find that origin more convincing than most brand mythology, because it is really just a stylist who liked what an oil did to hair and would not let it go.

The first product was Moroccanoil Treatment, and it is still the center of the line. It is a silky oil with the brand's signature amber and floral scent that you work through damp ends before styling, or over dry hair for a bit of polish. The Light version is the one I would send to anyone with fine hair, since it gives the shine without weighing strands down. Pure Argan Oil is the plainer option, a single-ingredient oil for hair, nails and skin.

Two more sit at the start of the shelf. Curl Defining Cream with Argan Oil is for bends and coils that need some shape. The Revitalizing Scalp Tonic is made for thinning hair, and the Dry Scalp Treatment is the one to look at when your scalp feels dry. Use those at the roots, not the oils.

A practical test for the oils: after styling, touch your ends. They should feel soft and slightly slick, never greasy. If your fingers come away shiny, cut the amount in half next time.

A brand this famous for one oil could easily have stopped there, but the wash-day range is where I think Moroccanoil does its best quiet work. It runs from a shampoo to a mask, and you can build a routine entirely from that one family if you like matching your bottles.

Moisture Repair Shampoo and Conditioner are made for damaged hair, the kind that has been colored, heated and brushed a lot. Hydrating Conditioner with Argan Oil is the lighter partner, better for daily use when hair only needs softness. The Intense Hydrating Mask is for the once-a-week sit, a few minutes with a towel wrapped around your head while you do something else. If you are blonde, Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo with Argan Oil is a toning wash, and the trick is to use it only when brassiness shows, leave it on for a few minutes, and follow with a conditioner.

The Detangling All in One Leave-In Conditioner is what I would grab on a rushed morning, sprayed through damp lengths before combing. Comb from the ends up, be patient, and stop pulling. Tangles come apart faster when you work small sections and use a wide tooth comb.

If you only add one thing to your current routine, make it the mask on a Sunday. It is the least fussy way to notice the difference.

What I like about the body line is that it leans on the brand's signature amber and floral scent, so a hand cream or lotion smells like your hair oil in a friendly way. If you like a scent to follow you around, that is convenient. If you do not, it may be a lot.

Night Body Serum is the bedtime step, an overnight serum to put on after a shower. Body Lotion is the everyday one, and Body Butter Moisturizer is richer, better for elbows, shins and the cold weeks. Hand Cream is the small one for a bag or desk drawer, and Smoothing Lotion is the odd one out: it is a hair styling cream for frizz, made with the same signature scent, so keep it in the bathroom with the oils.

L'Originale Eau de Parfum is built on sweet florals, velvet woods and spicy amber, and I would treat it as a soft, warm scent that sits closer to skin than to a room. Try it on your wrist and wait an hour before deciding.

What I would skip: layering the lotion, butter and perfume all on the same day. The scent stacks up quickly, and you lose track of which one you actually like. Pick two, and swap them out when the seasons change. Apply lotion to slightly damp skin, and keep the hand cream where you wash your hands, because that is when you will use it.

If I were building a Moroccanoil shelf from nothing, I would start with the Treatment in the version that suits your hair, then add a shampoo and conditioner in the same family. That is already enough for most weeks.

Add the mask when ends feel dry, the scalp care only if your scalp asks for it, and the body products last, since they are an extra. Use a small amount of oil, warm it between palms, and start at the ends rather than the roots. If you are not sure, use half of what you think you need. You can always add, and you can never take it back out.

And give it a few weeks. Hair changes slowly, so judge the shelf by how your ends look after three or four washes, not after the first. Then keep what worked and retire what did not.