Argan Oil is an incredibly nourishing, natural vegetable oil, rich in vitamin E, antioxidants, flavonoids, ferulic acid, polyphenols and carotenoids. It’s rich, complex and unique chemical composition is amazing for your skin, helping to soften lines and sooth and protect against environmental damage.
Argan Oil is made by grinding the nut of the goodness-packed green fruit of the Argan tree, which grows in Southern Morocco. The oil from this nut, Argania Spinosa, is a skincare force to be reckoned with.
With so many skincare options, it’s increasingly important to know what really works, and what’s just filler. I always tell friends to check the ingredients when choosing skincare products. There’s a lot of synthetic stuff in most products like synthetic perfumes, petroleum or polyethylene glycol, which make them cheap to produce but not good for your skin. Botanical oils like Argan, pressed from a nut and rich in natural goodness, are not only much more powerful than synthetics, but bring natural balance to skin, enhancing the vitamin rich plants and herbs they are made from to have maximum impact on skin.
Argan is very rich in omega 6 essential fatty acids. These are the fatty acids that make skin softer and more supple, increasing elasticity. That means it’s great for mature or damaged skin, as it actively helps regenerate healthy skin cells faster. Having a very high vitamin E content, as well as plenty of vitamins A, B1 and B2, make Argan oil deeply hydrating, and it is non-greasy and easily absorbed, so is ideal as a face or body moisturiser. It’s commonly used in face and body oils, including oils used around the eyes, as it’s particularly good for sensitive and/or wrinkled areas.
Because it’s regenerating, Argan oil is very commonly used in before and after sun care products. It actively aids skin healing and has a very soothing effect. We use it in our Balancing Face Oil because it actively hydrates skin, and also protects it from the elements, in winter or summer, by repairing damaged skin and catalysing the production of newer, healthier skin cells.
Because Argan is a non-greasy oil, and packed with vitamins it’s great for your hair as well as your skin. It’s particularly good for taming frizzy hair, and for repairing damage done by repeated blow-drying and styling. The best way to use Argan Oil on hair is as a leave-in conditioning treatment. Smooth the oil and your hair and scalp and it will leave hair glossy and shiny, and even help combat split-ends!
And boys, don’t forget that beards can quickly become rough and wiry. Argan Oil will condition beard hair leaving it noticeably softer!
Argan has long been considered one of the best treatments for acne and eczema. It’s a natural antioxidant, and it soothes irritated skin. Argan Oil has a high linoleic acid content, which helps reduce inflammation caused by things like acne, insect bites, rashes, itching and infections. Using Argan as a treatment is a great way of keeping remedial skincare natural, and using oils and serums containing Argan is great way of treating irritation prone skin every day and avoiding breakouts.
Some people are scared of using oils on their skin, because they suffer from oily skin. Makes sense, right? Wrong! Many naturally occurring oils actively fight oily skin. Argan oil contains naturally occurring linoleic acid, and reduces inflammation and helps balance skin’s natural pH levels. Studies have shown that Argan helps reduce the sebum levels in individuals with oily skin, helping to balance the acid mantle and improve skin’s health and appearance.
If, like me, you’re an avid collector of botanical oils, you might order some pure Argan Oil and use it as and when you need to. A much more well-rounded way to get the most out of this powerful botanical essential oil is to get yourself some skincare products which contain good quality ingredients, in high proportions, and therefore high up on the list (check for INCIs commonly used, like Argania Spinosa for Argan Oil), preferably combined with complimentary oils.
You’ll often find Argan used along with Rose Oil, Evening Primrose and Jojoba, along with a host of other natural oils with related qualities. Check out face oils like our Balancing Face Oil, which is an intelligent blend of natural botanicals, blended to include everything you need to keep your skin healthy and beautiful. Its rich blend of essential oils make it a skincare powerhouse, suitable for everybody.
As well as being a soothing treatment for bug bites (see above), studies have found that leaves, nuts and pulp of the spinosa family of fruits – fruits often found in tropical locations – have evolved to contain natural chemicals which repel insects. Argania spinosa is commonly used in natural anti-insect sprays and scents, so it’s as useful before exposure to bugs as it is after!
As Argan is particularly good for dry, damaged or irritated skin, an obvious key use is in treating those so-often ignored body parts – your feet. The often dry and cracking undersides of your feet will love the soothing effects of Argan, and will leave feet noticeably softer after one or two applications. I recommend rubbing in the oil and then putting on a pair of cosy socks and putting your feet up for half and hour to let the oil really soak in.
Nails and cuticles are often overlooked, but need care and attention aside from the more cosmetic treatments. Argan Oil is a great natural oil to use on nails, once any polish has been removed, and leaves cuticle skin and nails softer and hydrated, appearing shinier and healthier.
