Ingredient Spotlight: Argan Oil

Goats climbing an Argan Tree. Photo credit: Discovery Channel and Abedellah Aboudrare/Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture

Argan Oil is one of those luxury oils used in skin and hair care around the world. Recently I had been helping a customer with their questions about Argan Oil and I realized that if one person had questions, many people probably also had similar questions!

What is the big deal with Argan Oil?

Argan is high in oleic and linoleic fatty acids, which offer a longer shelf life and great skin care properties. Cosmetic uses include hair care, skin care, and nail care. While Argan Oil is hailed as a “all healing miracle oil,” I’ve found that it doesn’t work for everybody when used straight on the skin. Argan Oil has a subtle nutty odor and feels like jojoba oil, light and penetrating, non-greasy. Argan Oil does give your skin that TLC that it deserves when used as a luxury oil in lotions, creams, and even cuticle products. I have read many stories from people with dry and/or curly hair and they will swear that Argan Oil helps by making their hair more manageable and easier to style. I’ve even tried a hair oil with Argan Oil, and while I was impressed with soft and manageable hair, I wasn’t impressed with the extra oil my hair had. What can a girl do when she has naturally oily hair? 🙁

How is Argan Oil made?

Let’s start with the basic botanical information: The Argan tree is a plant that is endemic to Morocco. While I may be a word-nerd, I had to look up the word endemic. According to Dictionary.com, endemic means “belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place.” So, basically this means that the Argan tree only grows in the calcium carbonate rich semi-desert environment of southwest Morocco. The Argan tree grows between 26 and 30 feet tall and can live up to 200 years ! The tree will flower typically in April, and then after self pollination it takes one year for the fruit to develop into mature fruit. The fruit typically ripens in June or July of the following year. WOW!

Argan Oil

While I could not find a direct citation or proof, it is said that the Argan Oil industry provides income for 3 million people. That is 1.5 times the population of the state of Utah!

Where does your Argan Oil come from?

Our Argan Oil comes from Morocco. The argan fruits are collected and brought to market in the city of Marrakesh. These fruits are then taken to a facility where the shells are removed to be sold as heating fuel. The fruits are mechanically ground and then pressed to get the raw oil. The raw oil continues through the processing and is bleached through clay, deodorized by steam and filtered to remove sediment. Clean, cosmetic grade Argan oil that you didn’t have to make a mess to make!

What are the best uses for Argan Oil?

Any place you can imagine! We suggest using this oil with problem skin like eczema, psoriasis, acne, and sunburned skin, but truly, your imagination is the limit.

Some of our recommendations are:

• Lotions & Creams
• Lip Balms, Glosses & Scrubs
• Cuticle Treatments
• Scrubs
• Hair Oils or Serums
• AND MORE!

Where would you use this oil? Come back tomorrow to join Taylor as she makes two recipes highlighting this fabulous oil!