The Argan Oil story

Argan oil?

Argan oil comes from the argan tree (Argania Spinosa), an endemic tree in southwestern Morocco. Used locally for centuries, nowadays argan oil is attracting increasing interest from outside of Morocco, thanks to both its cosmetic and dietary properties. Ancestral method of argan oil extraction. Once ripe, argan fruits are typically collected by women and brought to village where they are broken down the traditional way between two stones, (left shells are usually used to feed needed fire). After getting rid of the shells, the almonds are then closely crushed along with some water in a handmade mill called Azerg. Then the obtained dough is kneaded repeatedly and pressed by hands to extract argan oil. The residue is conserved and used to feed own livestock. Using this traditional way, it takes more than 10 hours to produce just one liter of argan oil. Argan almonds are gently roasted before being crushed yielding an oil used in daily kitchen recipes.

For cosmetic purposes, we should use argan oil that comes from the not roasted almonds. The production of Argan oil has always been a merely matter of those Moroccan local families. But recent exploitations of argan fruit has taken it to an even more crafty, let alone industrial level because of the publicity that has been made on the virtues of argan oil. Local women's cooperatives have joined forces to produce more of this miraculous oil the traditional way.

A part of argan oil production is intended for export to Europe, Canada and the United States, which reinforces the local socio-economical role of this magically precious oil. Some of argan oil production is meant for high level cosmetic usage after further processing in laboratories.

"Winterize" your hair for the cold of winter with argan oil

Who doesn’t love a bright sunny winter day in the beautiful northwest? Your hair for one. Dry, frizzy, lifeless. Hair at this time of year seems to alternate between clinging pathetically to our heads, and dancing about uncontrollably in a static halo. The sun has taken a vacation from warming our bodies, but is still sending us plenty of UV rays to remind us that he’s still around. The arid nor’easter is ripping down from the Fraser River Valley tangling hair and robbing it of moisture. We’ve all retreated inside and cranked up the forced air heat, which is basically like sitting under a blow dryer all day. Let’s face it, winter is one of your hair’s worst enemies. Here’s the good news: no matter what’s behind your winter hair dilemma, there are steps you can take to protect and replenish your hair.

Let’s start with your morning shower. Nothing feels better on a cold morning than a nice long, hot shower. Unfortunately water is more alkaline than the acid mantle that protects our hair and skin. Basking in a hot stream of water for too long will strip your hair and skin of natural oil and moisture. Try limiting the length of your shower, and tamping down the heat. The cleansing agents in most shampoos will also rob your hair of moisture. Use a sulfate free cleanser such as Moroccanoil Moisture Repair Shampoo or any of the Pureology shampoos, and try skipping a day between shampoos. Your hair will feel better and your color will last longer.

Most people will benefit from regular use of a thick, rich, moisturizing conditioner. If you have medium to thick hair you should use a thick, conditioning hair mask at least weekly. If your hair is very coarse it will have a tendency to hold oil at the roots, so start your application a couple of inches away from the scalp. You should leave the mask on for at least the amount of time recommended, but it wont hurt if you go longer.

If your hair is very fine, thin, and flyaway avoid the conditioning mask-- it's just too heavy even for severely damaged hair. Instead use a regular conditioner every time you wash your hair, supplemented with a light conditioning leave-in spray. Colourmax from Pureology is an excellent choice, and has the added benefit of acting as a sunscreen. You may also add a dry oil spray. These mostly-silicone based products go on dry so they don't weigh hair down, but still offer a layer of protection against the elements.

No matter what your hair texture, adding a natural vegetable oil to your regimen is essential. Olive oil works well, but I recommend argan seed oil. Simply put a few drops of the oil in the palm of your hand, rub until your skin glistens, then starting at the bottom and working upwards, run your fingers through your hair. You can do this before you dry your hair, between washings, when you come in from the cold, or anytime your hair looks very dry.

One of the most problematic winter conundrums is static hair. The traditional approach is to use a boar bristle brush, but sometimes you need a more extreme solution. When rogue hairs just won't be tamed, grab a dryer sheet like Bounce and rub it lightly over your hair. What it does for the fibers of your clothes it will do for the fibers of your hair. No joke, it really works.

When it comes to styling winter hair, a few quick product switches may be all you need to combat most problems. For starters try substituting a hair cream for your usual styling gel or lotion. One reason styling creams are quickly replacing gels is because they add moisture to the hair, make it more pliable, and give it better elasticity so it's less likely to break -- all extremely important in winter.

In fact, when choosing any winter hair styling products including holding sprays, avoid high alcohol content which can be drying to hair. Likewise avoid putting fragrance directly on your hair since its alcohol content can also cause your tresses to look and feel dry and brittle.

Most importantly, limit your time under a blow dryer -- good advice all year round but essential in winter. To do that and still effectively style your hair use a towel to gently blot your hair and let it air dry until 25% to 50% of the moisture is evaporated, then hit it with the heat, stopping the moment your hair is dry.

To cut down on the proverbial "hat hair," pull longer locks into a pony tail high on your head, or push short hair straight back, before putting on the hat. Pushing hair against the way your style should fall will help it spring out with bounce once the hat is removed. To ensure that it does, carry a travel sized dry-hair texturizer that adds instant body. If you styled your hair with a cream product, adding just a few drops of water to your hands and rubbing them through your hair can refresh the style.

Courtesy of:

Envy, Bellingham's best hair salon 1322 Commercial St. Bellingham, WA 98225 360.676.8849

Argan oil benefits for cosmetic uses

Benefits of Argan Oil*

1. Can help reduce wrinkles in a noticeable way and softens skin

2. Has proteins that tighten the skin and protect its elasticity

3. Regenerates the skin by restarting vital functions

4. Protects skin from the damaging effects of the sun, weather, pollution, stress,

tobacco, etc

5. Reduces skin irritation and inflammation

6. Notably reduces scars produced by acne and chicken pox

7. Regulates sebum in oily skin

8. Hydrates the skin, restores its natural barrier and neutralizing free radicals

9. Used to treat acne, eczema and psoriasis

10. Soothes rheumatism and arthritis pain

11. Helps prevent stretch marks caused by pregnancy or weight fluctuations

12. Restores remarkable shine to hair, cares for scalp to advance hair growth, and helps to mend split ends

13. Safe enough to use on your baby’s skin

Argan Oil Hair Treatment Tips

Argan oil is perfect for hair care, too. Anyone (men & women) will benefit by using our organic argan oil as a hair treatment. Just apply the oil to your hair -dry or wet- and leave on for approx. 15-30 minutes. Then, shampoo & condition as you normally would. (You could also wrap your hair w/ the oil in a steamed towel and leave on). Argan oil is especially great for anyone looking to nourish color-treated hair, dry hair, or brittle hair.

Argan oil will seal, hydrate, strengthen, and revive damaged hair. Ideal for a smooth finish when you blow dry your hair, apply color, add extensions, and or straightening. Since healthy hair needs a fine balance of natural oils and vitamins, argan oil provides these much needed nutrients to make hair smoother and easier to manage without making the hair oily.

Argan Oil will:

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  soften thick unmanageable hair
  
  
  
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  restore shine & softness to dull lifeless hair
  
  
  
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  promotes healing & provides nourishment to hair damaged by color/styling
  
  
  
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  creates an optimal balance for the hair & scalp
  
  
  
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  nourishes the scalp (alleviates itchy, dry scalp)
  
  
  
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  protects against UV damage and other environmental factors
  
  
  
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  reduces drying times and speeds up styling time
  
  
  

What is argan oil?

Argan oil is pressed from the nuts (or kernels, like a peach pit) of the Argan tree. The Argan tree (Argania spinosa) is well adapted to the drought conditions of southwest Morocco. The Argan tree has a deep root system which helps protect against soil erosion. The tree is also very thorny and the trunks are gnarled. Argan trees grow up to 10 meters tall can live up to 200 years. The Argan tree's habitat once covered most of North Africa, but is now listed as endangered. Over the past 100 years, the area the Argan tree grows in has declined by 50%.  The demand for argan oil has allowed this tree to be preserved and protected from further destruction.

Goats love to eat the fruit of the Argan tree. Goats actually climb up into the Argan tree to get to the fruit despite the tree's thorns! The fruit is relatively small, about 2 to 4 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm across. Inside the fruit is a nut, or pit, surround by a bitter peel and sweet smelling, yet unpleasant tasting, fleshy fruit. The nut looks something like a cross between a walnut and an almond.

The argan fruit is gathered up and the nuts are removed from the fleshy fruit. The fruit is later used as animal feed. The nuts are roast over an open fire - much like chestnuts - giving the argan oil its distinctive nutty peppery flavor. If the argan oil is meant for cosmetic use, the nuts are not roasted.

Once the nuts are roasted, Berber women crack the nuts open with sharp stones. The kernels are then ground by hand into a paste. The paste is then squeezed by hand to extract the oil from the ground kernels. The leftover paste is used to create a funnel and the argan oil is poured through the paste funnel into bottles. The paste is then sent to factories where more oil can be extracted. Hand pressed argan oil has a shelf life of roughly 3 to 6 months whereas commercially pressed argan oil has a shelf life of 1 to 2 years.

It takes the fruit from one tree, about 14.5 pounds, to make one liter of argan oil. Argan oil is used as a dressing on salads, on meat and fish dishes. Amlou, a spread for bread similar to tahini or peanut butter, is made with argan oil and almonds and sweetened with honey.

Argan oil produced for cosmetic use is very rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids including linoleic acid, and Omega 6. Argan oil is said to help conditions such as dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, and wrinkles. Argan oil is used on skin, hair, and nails.