Argan Oil the little nut that could.....

Ok, let me start by saying that it sort of bugs me that everyone, or many people call this oil Moroccan oil.

It is actually Argan oil from Morocco.  Just putting that out there.  Ok I feel better now. 

I love Argan oil, well it is fair to say I love all oils.  I just love oil, always have always will.  Ok, back to Argan oil and some things you  need to know about it.

So, what is this Argan oil that is referred to as liquid gold?  And why are so many people want to get their hands on it?   Well, Argan oil is produced using fruits from the Argan trees that grow in south western Morocco.  It is a rare and precious commodity that has been used in the natural skin care ritual by Moroccan women for several hundred years.  The oil is extracted from the kernel inside the pit of the fruit each kernel is crushed by hand, ground into a thick paste  and then squeezed to produce the oil. It is an extremely manual and time consuming process but the end result is well worth the wait.

Sadly, with Argan oil's growing popularity, more and more companies are jumping on the band wagon, using the oil's name to launch substandard cosmetics. Most of these oils are completely fake, diluted or over processed in a lab over in China.  They contain just a tiny portion of Argan oil.  The rest of the bottle is substituted with sythentic filler ingredients and nasty chemicals.  So. how do you identify these inferior products and distinguies them from the real ones? Here are 5 simple pointers to help you decide if it is worth ivesting in a particular brand of Argan oil or not.

1. The bottle should have one ingredient.  100$ Argan Oil  or Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil. Nothing else.  If anything else is listed it is not pure and has probably been over processed in some way.

2.  The best way and only way to preserve the oils is to store it in a dark glass bottle. Be wary of any product stored in plastic or clear glass since light breaks down Argan oil's healing and restorative properties.  There is one company in Canada that puts their Argan oil in clear glass but the label is covering most of the bottle so that passes as far as I am concerned.  Given the significant number of hours it takes to make just a small batch of 100% pure Argan oil you should expect to pay a minimum of $25.00 for a 100ml bottle.  Remember this is an extremely labour intensive low tech process.  There is no such thing as cheap Argan oil. 

3.  Moroccan produced cold pressed organic Argan oil has a mild nutty smell  and you should avoid odorless oils.  If it has no smell it has been processed in some way.   If the smell is really strong then it is probably on its way out, meaning rancid.  Some bottles say 100% pure Argan oil which may be true but there is only a portion of the ingredience is 100% pure Argan oil.  Just like those burgers that say 100% beef!  Sure there is a teaspoon of 100% beef with your filler.  Where's the beef!!! or, where is the nut!!! 

4.  100% pure Argan oil should be smooth and silky absorbing into your hair and skin in minutes.  It will heal, soften and condition everything from cuticles, to split ends.  The proof, as they say. is in the pudding.  Or in this case, the proof is in the nut/kernel.  

5.  The single biggest misconception is about Argan oil is that it can cause breakouts particularly if  you have oily skin.  This could not be further from the truth.  However,  what does make a difference to your results is in the application.  Less is more.  The golden rule is  a few drops into the palm of your hand rubbing both hands together gently before applying to the chosen areas.

Just another note I would like to make about the odor of this oil.  Some people don't like the smell, well real food has real smell.  If you want to alter the odor you can add a few drops of good quality essential oil if you like and this applies to any carrier oil of course. 

Benefits:

Moisturize, smooth and strengthen hair.

Gentle natural treatment for dandruff, eczema and psoriasis.

It has vitamin E, carotene, essential fatty acids, squalene and  vitamin A.

It has antioxidant properties, improves skin tone, and boots skin regeneration.

A little trick I use a bit of pure Argan oil with some loose bronzing mineral powder to make a tinted oil to get that J Lo glow.

After I flat iron my hair I use it to smooth those little fly away hairs and put it at the ends.  Just a bit though.  Less is more, less it more.

 
  

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