I Heart Argan Oil

Hi everyone,

Recently, I was introduced to argan oil via Pure Argan Oil, a website in UK that sells 100% pure oil imported from Morocco. She sent me a 15ml roller ball vial to try and after a couple of uses, I was hooked! Yes, I have tried olive, jojoba, and even coconut oils on my skin but this argan oil tops them all!

The 15ml sample I received

It has a roller ball on top, which is nifty to apply on my skin without wasting too much product

 First of all, unlike the other oils I tried, argan oil does not feel oily. I have tried jojoba oil before and although it is technically a wax, I still feel like it sits on my skin when I use too much of it. Both olive and coconut oils are thicker but they both feel oily as well. However, argan oil is quite unique: while it is a heavy oil with lots of fatty acids, it permeates into the skin well without making me feel too oily.

A little bit of argan oil on my skin

And then I rubbed it. The skin looks significantly smoother already!

Prior to using it, I was trying a $350 USD face cream which left my skin both oily and dry at the same time. Then, I switched over to Kurahito, which hydrated my skin to a certain extend. But once it started using this pure argan oil, things went for the better. For the first time ever, the skin areas underneath my eyes were moist! And I have been using expensive eye creams that vowed to do the same job but they did not!

Insane, right?

Turns out argan oil contains vitamin E, phenols, squalenr, carotene, and 80% unsaturated fatty acids. It is also deemed to be more stable than olive oil when it comes to being oxidized. On top of that, you can use argan oil on your skin, hair, nails, and even lips! This is an edible oil like olive and coconut oils!

I used it religiously for a month and I've noticed 2 things: I only need to use a tiny bit of argan oil right after washing my face and it does pull the plugs out of my skin similarly to jojoba oil. Also, it smooths hair flyaways without making my hair look greasy at all.

If I have to choose between the expensive Moroccan Oil (a hair care oil) vs. pure argan oil from Morocco, I would take the later one in a heart beat. Moroccan Oil is full of dimethicone, which makes hair look smooth, sleek and lustrous but it does not have the healing power that argan oil has. Also, the amount of argan oil in Moroccan Oil is little. It's better to use the original and natural oil anyway.

That's all for now, folks! I hope you are having a fantastic week ahead!

Love,
Dao xoxo

Argan Oil - The hottest beauty product around

Is Argan oil part of your natural beauty regime? If so, congratulations – you’re very, very cool. Or hot. Or possibly both.

Apparently Argan oil is one of the most buzzy beauty products around at the moment. Yahoo’s Shine website reports: “Argan oil is hot, hot, hot right now, and with good reason.

“Women in Morocco have been harvesting this nut for centuries for use in traditional beauty recipes, and now modern science has proven why it's such a stellar ingredient.”

According to Shine, Argan oil is naturally high in antioxidants, fatty acids and vitamin E and it’s one of those wonder ingredients that’s good for all skin types.

Ni’Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist, told Shine: “The blend of omega-6 fatty acids and gamma tocopherol that make up Argan oil can help reduce inflammation and assist in skin regeneration.”

It can even help sort out acne by helping to regulate sebum production.

We’re always pleased when we discover we’re bang on trend – even when it’s by accident.

By sarah2

Melvita - Huile d' argan - Argan Oil - Review

Argan Oil seems to be in everything at the moment, but often it appears in diluted quantities as brands are mixing it with other great ingredients to create their product. It is relatively hard to find in its pure form, but the benefits of the pure Argan Oil formula make it worth hunting down.

It’s no secret that Argan Oil has been known for years as the ancient Moroccan ‘liquid gold’ for healthy skin, hair and nails.
But now organic skincare experts, Melvita - in partnership with Molecular and Cellular Biologist Dr Elisabeth Devilard - have revealed the scientific truth behind this miracle ingredient.

The result is that their best-selling 100 per cent Melvita Argan Oil, is scientifically proven to hold repairing benefits - in every single drop and works as an anti-ageing treatment for dry hair, nails and fragile skin with its softening and protective properties.

Here's some suggestions on how to incorporate Argan Oil in your beauty routine:

• Anti-Aging face serum/moisturiser (restores the skin’s hydro -lipid layer)

• Treats adolescent acne and treating eczema

• Helps to prevent stretch marks (suitable for pregnancy)

• Put a drop or two on to relieve chapped lips

• Massaging into the joints to treat rheumatism in adults

• Massage for babies and small children

• Helps to diminish scars and marks – including chicken pox scars

• Dry Hand Treatment

• Cuticles and Nail Moisturiser

• Hair Oil/Serum – for before or after blow drying

Melvita offer a 100 per cent pure, unscented Argan Oil which is both certified organic and Fair Trade. Priced at approximately 22 Euros for 50ml it can be applied liberally for healthy hair and skin. You can buy the product at feelunique.com or melvita.co.uk. Other pure Argan Oil stockists available worldwide include Sephora.com where Josie Maran’s 100 per cent Argan Oil is available for 120ml priced at 96 USD plus tax. 

How Argan Oil is Made in Morocco - Video Directly From Argan Oil Cooperative Morocco

How Argan Oil is Made in Morocco - Video directly from Argan oil cooperative in Morocco

Argan Oil: A chic French touch

Far from subsiding, the argan craze just keeps getting stronger. The latest line comes from France, and it offers not just a complete line of natural skin, hair and body care with organic ingredients, but also an exciting new product with powers of seduction. I’ll explain later.
Naturelle d’Argan, which you can find at Beauty Bar, uses Morocco’s golden oil to maximum effect. It’s the first Ecocert-ified and Cosmebio-accredited argan oil-based brand in the French market, which means “a minimum of 95 percent of all ingredients are natural in origin, and 10 percent of that is organic,” explains Celine Heuls, export manager for Asia-Pacific for Groupe Batteur, who was in town recently to launch the brand.

Groupe Batteur is a key player in the pharmaceutical industry in France, with over 100 years of expertise in manufacturing and product design (another of their brands is Algotherm). Thus they have complete control of Naturelle d’Argan’s production chain, and distribute it through 5,000 points of sale (mainly pharmacies).
What I like about the brand — in addition to their innovative products — is their ethical commitment. Sales of Naturelle d’Argan support Moroccan women who work in a cooperative called the Arganeraie. Groupe Batteur has built a building specially for them where they can work in safe conditions, complete with health clinic and a space where their children can play.

Production is handled by around 60 women working daily, depending on the season. There they break the argan kernels by hand — about 43 kilos of argan nuts go into one liter of oil — so this kind of manual labor is no joke. Despite that, the women were against mechanization because they wanted to preserve the natural, traditional process.

“It’s their primary source of income,” notes Heuls, “so it helps women become more autonomous.”
Naturelle d’Argan also helps the environment. Scientific research is focused on saving the argan tree, and cultivating argan orchards prevents the desert from encroaching on Morocco’s fertile land.
We, on the other hand, benefit from the myriad properties of this miracle oil. Rich in omega 6 and 9 fatty acids and with almost triple the vitamin E of olive oil, argan softens, protects and moisturizes, improving our skin’s elasticity and barrier function, battling free radicals, and combating aging and the early loosening of skin. Not only is Naturelle d’Argan free from parabens, silicone, and phenoxyethanol, the company also deodorizes the oil to remove its pungent nutty aroma, making their products even more of a pleasure to use. Read more ..

Review: Douvall’s Organic Argan Oil Moisturiser

Alicia Douvall is thrilled to be launching two new products in her organic and ethically produced skincare range, Douvalls.  The new products include an Argan Bronzing Oil and an All-in-One Argan Oil Cleanser.

Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is for all skin types. It moisturises, cleanses and is a fantastic make up remover, including stubborn mascara.


This 100% natural Organic cleanser takes out the impurities in the skin that accumulate over time as well as being an excellent anti-aging moisturiser. Rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, it restores the PH balance of the skin whilst nourishing with replenishing fatty acids.

Enriched with almond, sunflower seed, rapeseed seed oil as well as our age-defying Argan oil, it leaves the skin moisturised, nourished and toned.
This non greasy cleanser works with your skin rather than against it, renewing every layer, leaving your skin moisturised not tight or dry. It is free from parabens, sulphates, propylenes, toxins, lanolin, perfume and alcohols.

It is also easy to use! Shake it to wake it! Apply to dry skin. Wet face, massage and then rinse thoroughly with hand-hot water using a muslin or face cloth.
The moisturising Argan Bronzing Oil is 100% natural with added mineral make up, giving you a healthy, bronzed and shimmery glow without the harmful effects of the sun. It can also be used on the face, body and hair. It is also free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and toxins. Even the bottle is 100% recyclable.

Review: The Best Skin Care Products Contains Argan Oil

The Argan tree produces the most coveted, luxurious oil that has been traditionally applied to hair and skin for its unsurpassed anti-aging properties for centuries. It’s no small wonder then why the best skin care products feature argan oil to be used as part of a daily face care regime.
How does Argan nourish your skin?
This miracle oil offers plentiful vitamin E content and 80% essential fatty acids, for the benefit of healthy hair and skin. When applied to the skin it preserves the hydro-lipid layers, the barrier system that prevents moisture loss through evaporation.
Additionally, a compound known as saponin, makes the skin more supple and pliant, decreasing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Reparative triterpenoids, an active ingredient, disinfects and heals inflammation due to UV exposure, healing damaged skin cells and erasing blemishes.

Argan is found in the luxury face oil serum made by celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas. This facial oil, due to it’s Argan rich content, provides tocopherols, natural antioxidants that shield your skin against a myriad of free radicals and environmental stresses ever-present in urban terrain. Toxins, pollution, chemical preservatives and additives would all otherwise wreak havoc on your skin without the potent antioxidants present in argan.
The sterolins are also a vital compound that enhance moisture retention and promote cell metabolism for a more toned, smooth and youthful complexion.

This rare North African oil features unique compounds such as schottenol and spinasterol which are the most powerful anti-inflammatories that effectively treat acne, wounds, burns and rosacea. And this also makes it prevents aging skin as inflammation has been traced as one of the causes of aging.
 Read more...

Review: Nuance Salma Hayek Argan Oil Glossing Shampoo

With acai fruit, rice bran & passion flower seed oils. Helps restore shine and strengthen for sleek, smooth hair. My line is inspired by my grandmother, who dedicated her life to keeping women beautiful. My products are designed to help every woman enhance the nuances that define her individual beauty and make my grandmother proud. -Salma. Argan oil penetrates each strand, helping restore shine and protecting against thermal damage for glossy, healthy hair. Acai fruit & rice bran oils help prevent split ends and dryness for a soft, silky finish. Passion flower seed oil softens and nourishes to help retain moisture. Paraben free. Not tested on animals.

Ingredients:

Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth-7, C12-16 Pareth-9, Trideceth-12, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Fragrance, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, PEG-150 Distearate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone.

Usage:

Apply to wet hair and massage into a soft lather. Rinse thoroughly and follow with conditioner.

Mechanisation Pushes Argan Oil Profits For Morocco

A Moroccan university professor’s interest in the economic preservation of the declining Argan tree has resulted in women harvesting the tree’s valuable oil increasing their income by more than ten times.
The Argan tree is an ancient species that formerly spanned most of North Africa, but due to over-harvesting for timber and livestock grazing has seen its range limited to southwestern Morocco. The trees produce nuts, which in turn contain almond-shaped pods which, when crushed and processed, yield oil that is valued for its taste and flavor across Morocco. This rare Argan oil is used in couscous, salads and for dipping breads. Rich in vitamin E, phenols and caratenes, it is also used to treat skin conditions and has recently found favor in the cosmetics industry.

Zoubida Charrouf, a professor at Mohamed V. University in Morocco, initially developed an interest in the tree and its oil for conservation reasons, but has since improved the extraction of oil by establishing processing cooperatives – such as the Ajddigue and Taitmatine cooperatives – run entirely by local women.  This commercialisation of Argan oil has boosted business in the cooperatives and emancipated the women by offering them a meaningful livelihood. Charrouf says that Argan Oil “should readily find a place of choice amid the most profitable oils for human health”. Celebrities as diverse as Sophie Dahl, model and writer, and Heston Blumenthal, one of Britain’s leading chefs, are fans.

  The commercialization was achieved by mechanizing some of the tedious production tasks, such as grinding the nuts and pressing the oil. This sped up the operation and also improved the quality of the oil, doubled its shelf life, and reduced waste. Membership in the cooperatives now ranges from 35 to 40 women, who now earn about $8.60 a day, an increase of more than ten times from when the projects began in 1997. Argan oil is now a high value niche product on the international market, and what began as a cottage industry could now provide more employment to Moroccan women.
”At the time [the project started], we were losing more than 600 hectares of Argan forest each year,” says Charrouf. “But we also wanted to convert this ecological problem into an economic opportunity. I knocked at several doors, but no one believed in my project. Now Argan oil is known around the world.” The economic opportunity that Charrouf uncovered for Moroccan women is now being supported with grants from the Moroccan government and the European Union.
“Being part of the cooperative freed me from tedious domestic work in people’s homes,” said one member of the Taitmatine cooperative. “Now I’m learning to read and write and I’ve learned how to ensure the quality of the Argan kernels. The cooperative has made me more independent. I’ve been able to visit other cooperatives in other provinces. I’ve seen how girls and women like me have been able to shape their own destiny and move ahead to develop their cooperatives.”

Josie Maran Argan Oil Illuminizing Body Butter Review and Demo

I love Argan Oil. My skin responds wonderful to it. I have used Josie's Whipped Argan Oil Butter in the past and love how soft and smooth it made my skin feel. Now she came out with a version that is illuminating and bronzing and the smell is fantastic. I love it!

Stuff I Love: One 'n Only Argan Oil Curl Cream

I am sure that wherever you are, you are experiencing a heat wave unlike any other. I have not been heat styling my natural hair, because it's pointless, I'd be sweating my hair out before my flat iron would reach my ends! I've been rocking my curls all summer, and running through product like crazy. I am a product junkie and my bathroom cabinet is full of different things I may have bought but didn't love. In order to pare down my product overload and not be wasteful, I have been going through my cabinets and experimenting with what I have to see if something would work better in combination with some of my other stuff. All natural girls know it's all about experimenting to find the right combo for your hair!

I purchased One 'n Only Argan Oil Curl Cream a while ago when Sally's was having a ridiculous sale. I'm a frugalista, so when they have a buy 3 get one free, on top of my Sally's discount and I had a coupon for another free item, I grabbed almost everything in the product line. I loved the Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner immediately. I also snatched up the hair mask and Argan oil, and those are also favorties. But I didn't love the Curl Cream off the bat, it was too heavy for my hair. So I used it on my son's hair, since it needs a lot of moisture. Read more at  Conventional Culture

Liquid Gold Argan Oil - Ingredient Spotlight

Earlier this year we splurged on a bottle of Moroccan argan oil, and it sits in our pantry like a bottle of liquid gold, used sparingly and savored deeply. At first we were merely curious about the intensely nutty flavor of this oil, which we had associated with cosmetics more than cuisine. As we learned more, we were captivated by the details of its history and production involving rare trees, goats, and the Berber women's cooperative movement.. read more at thekitchn.com

Shana' Experience With Argan oil

I had a bad hair experience two days ago. I was visiting my boyfriends mother in Phoenix. She used to be a hairdresser and I asked her if she would mind touching up my roots. I am a natural brunette and have blonde highlights and a lighter base color. We bought all of the stuff at Sally and when she was done with the process the roots were orange as was some orange streaks in the length. She thought maybe one more process would lighten them so she did it again, still orange. It was awful. I almost cried and told her just to put a single process chemical free dye on it and that would be that although I didn't want to go dark I had no choice, I wasn't putting anymore chemicals on my hair. Long story short, she has a friend who is a hairdresser and she took me to her salon (she "knows an emergency when she hears one") and put a gentle violet based red allover and foiled some highlights.

She also used argan oil and gave me several little packets to try. She told me my hair was still very healthy after all it went through but I do really like the oil. Is it good stuff? Will it help my hair recover? Is it good for routine maintenance? I know nothing about this stuff. Thank you. read more...