Argan Oil - Save Your Skin and the Planet

Posted May 27th 2009 at 9:40PM by Courtney Dunlop (Subscribe to Courtney Dunlop's posts)

Moroccanoil Treatment adds shine and heals damaged hair. Photo courtesy of Moroccanoil.

Super-ingredient argan oil is having a moment - and rightfully so.

Although Moroccan women have known about its amazing moisturizing and anti-aging properties for thousands of years (argan nuts are harvested by hand in Morocco), we westerners just started catching on about a year ago.

There are three reasons to care about argan oil:

It'll Give You a Youthful Glow Argan oil is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin E and omega 6's that protect your skin and hair from environmental damage.

It Prevents Deforestation The indigenous argan forest of Morocco has been devastated by deforestation and unsuccessful crop planting, which has allowed the desert to creep in a claim the land. It's very very hard to re-plant trees in the desert, but by giving the argan nuts an economic value it creates incentives for the Moroccan people to protect and re-plant the forest.

It Empowers Women Argan nuts are almost exclusively harvested by women, and with the rise in demand for quality oil women who haven't traditionally worked outside the home now have the resources to form cooperatives and create business opportunities for themselves. (Aveda does a good job explaining the co-ops on their site.)

And now for the best argan oil products!

Kiehl's new cleansing oil smells like sweet orange and cedarwood. Photo courtesy of Kiehl's.

Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil - A new addition to Kiehl's argan collection (which includes the limited edition body lotion which raises money for Waterkeeper Alliance), the cleansing oil gently washes away summertime grime without stripping moisture from the skin. It's so hydrating you can even shave with it!

Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil - Eco-entrepreneur Josie Maran recently followed up her best-selling Argan Oil (a multi-purpose treatment for dry skin, split ends and cracked cuticles) with the new bronzing version. Use it on parched skin to get a radiant, healthy glow.

Moroccanoil Treatment - As the first company to offer professional argan products for hair, Moroccanoil is a favorite among celebrity hair stylists (and has tamed the tresses of stars like Salma Hayek and Taylor Swift). The free-trade argan oil products make hair bouncy and shiny.

Aveda Green Science Firming Face Cream - Aveda is always on the ball with using botanical ingredients to beautify the skin. This cream mixes argan oil with a cocktail of other skin-restoring peptides from natural sources to hydrate skin and smooth fine lines. Aveda also helps fund literacy programs for the all-female co-ops that supply the oil.

Do you have a favorite argan oil product? Tell me about it!

Tags: anti-aging, argan, argan-oil, aveda, josie-maran, kiehls, morocco, waterkeeper-alliance

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

sasha 5-28-2009 @ 10:36AM

French women love Argan oil!
100% Pure Argan oil is already a best seller in France!

I have been using it for a year I highly recommend it.
I use a few drops of pure argan oil on my nails and hands at night to strengthen my nails and soften and hydrate my hands. The argan oil is absorbed by the skin within 15 minutes and hands don’t feel greasy at all.
I also massage in a few drops of argan oil to my scalp and hair 3 times a week at night and shampoo in the morning. I noticed that my hair is growing longer and healthier with a lot less split ends.
You don’t need to use a lot of argan oil to notice results therefore a small 1.7 fl.oz bottle will last you several months depending on your usage.
I use Natessance Lift’Argan 100% pure argan oil available online at http://naturenvy.com/LA_argan_oil.html
Naturenvy imports from France two skincare lines made with argan oil including amazing day creams, night creams, facial scrub, facial mask, body scrub, body balms, shower gel, bath and massage oils.
Enjoy!

Sarah @ Salescoop 5-28-2009 @ 11:20AM

This is a great post. I kept on seeing Argan oil products recently, and I was wondering what they were really for, behind all the packaging. I'm especially interested in Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil, as it can bring some glowing color to my skin. My only worry is that I don't have dry skin, and I don't want the oil to cause breakouts.

I also love that the purchase of the products can contribute in empowering women, and preventing deforestation!

Nancy 6-03-2009 @ 1:10AM

I Love the article. I get the best result from the pure oil.
I usually get mine at www.arganoils.com
I all for their mission statement
EMPOWER PROTECT PRESERVE