I was reading an article in a skin care publication the other day and came across some intriguing information about Argan oil. What piqued my interest was that all argan oil sold today is produced by a co-op of women belonging to the Berber tribe in Morocco. The profits from sales of the oil help provide education and healthcare for the entire community. The co-op has also established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out.
The oil is derived from the kernels of the Argan tree, which is one of the rarest trees in the world. It was brought to the brink of extinction by clear cutting and it's use for fire wood. The argan tree is endemic to Morocco, and due to its small and very specific growing area, the oil is referred to as "liquid gold". The women of the Berber tribe cold press the argan kernels to retrieve the oil. It's used cosmetically as well as in cooking.
The oil is incredibly rich in vitamin E, phenols, carotenes (vitamin A precursor), squalene, and essential fatty acids. What that means for skin care is you have a non greasy, scar healing, anti aging, blemish preventing, anti-inflammatory powerhouse oil. Its so rare to come across anything that works for every skin type, but this oil does it and is such a multi-tasker. You can use it as a hair serum, to soften cuticles, to treat eczema, psoriasis, hypersensitivity, and is safe for use on infants. I've compared it to the most expensive face creams, and this simple oil has higher concentrations of the most sought after active ingredients on the market.
You have to be a bit picky when buying argan oil. I've found it hard to find 100% pure argan oil. I found many products claiming to be pure argan oil but the dead give away that they aren't is the color. Pure argan oil is a clear, bright acid yellow and will have a strong smell. After much searching, I found
Argan Oils Company and this is the real thing. I encourage you all to give it a try and tell me what you think.
Hope you all have a lovely week!
-Layne
Layne is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist working at Urban Sanctuary in Athens, GA. She writes the bi-weekly column, Down and Out Beauty. Editor's note- I started using Argan Oil on my face, every night, after reading this post. I adore this stuff and highly recommend it.
