Argan oil, god’s real gift to women

Cindy Crawford with glowing skin and super shiny hair.

One beauty ingredient that has gained much positive feedback is the elusive argan oil. It’s anti wrinkle properties and benefits to skin tone, hydration and its versatility have been celebrated internationally. You have probably heard commercials or seen the words argan oil written on everything from face creams to shampoo and conditioners.

If you have, you are most likely thinking one thing. Should I invest? Will it be just another moroccan oil, noni juice extract, Pitera (think SK11) or jojoba serum that will go under my bathroom sink, without actually being used due to a vague description.

Well to begin, I have used all of the above ingredients before in products, and yes, I feel they do make a difference to my skins overall appearance, depending on if I use them topically or ingest them. 

However, and there is a however... none have been as versatile as argan oil.

Having both long hair, (that I don’t want to snip into a chic lob), and combination skin with occasional eczema, this product is one of my most highly used. If I’m feeling particularly drab I can do both a hair treatment and face treatment with the same miracle product all at once and look notably better the next day.

I use Kahina 100% Organic Argan Oil from New York. This bottle not only looks pretty on my bathroom vanity, but it lasts so long! This light and non-greasy formula absorbs easily and instantly giving my skin instant hydration. 

Argan oil of choice from the super stars at Kahina.

It promises to minimise fine lines and restore elasticity as well as calm skin irritation, perfect for chapped and dry winter skin.

Below are two ways to use this product on your skin or hair to gain the most from it.

Skin:

After emerging from the shower your skin is at its most supple and warm due to the opening of your pores. Now is the time to take a small amount of the argan oil (about the size of a 5 cent coin) and gently message into your skin on all planes of the face. The high antioxidants and powerful healing properties mean that you will not be left with a oily face, but with skin ultra hydrated. I suggest doing this at night time before bed when the skin is most relaxed and won’t come into contact with any pollution that the day will normally present. In the morning wash off as you have your shower.

If you are particularly interested in what is actually in argan oil that promotes such great hair and skin, here is the breakdown:

Raw argan oil is composed of a high percentage of vitamin E (more than twice as much as olive oil). The remainder of the oil is made up of 80% fatty acids, including hard to obtain Omega 6 and Omega 9 acids. These are key to promoting optimal skin health.
Here’s the breakdown: palmitic – 12.0%; stearic – 6.0%; oleic – 42.8% (omega 9); linoleic – 36.8% (omega 6).
Other components include phenolic oils, squalene and phytosterol compounds.

Hair:

 A lot of beauty products already claim to have agran oil within them as it is now scientifically proven to restore hair faster than many other beauty treatments. The percentage of raw argan oil that is placed within these commercial products is far lower than actually doing a pure argan oil hair treatment yourself. That is why I prefer to make up my own solution with Kahina’s Organic Argan Oil.

For a hair mask:

Rinse your hair with warm water (normal shower temperature) you can do this in the shower or with your head under a sink. Hop back out and pat dry hair. Your hair follicles will now be open due to the heat so now message in argan oil. The amount you wish to use depends on hair length and thickness but I would use about 4cm by 4cm on the palm of my hand and then rub into the lengths. Leave this in for as long as possible or for at least half an hour to gain maximum benefits. Hop back into the shower and continue to shampoo and condition like normal.

For someone who has no time for hair treatments:

Instead of buying a shampoo and conditioner that claims to have argan oil, make up your own solution. Take your regular conditioner and pour in about 50 ml of argan oil and give it a good stir and shake. You can now use this every time you need to condition your hair. Leave in for at least 3 minutes in the shower; the heat from the shower itself will propel this product to work.

I hope you have found this information useful and please give this product a try, it adds instant life and vitally to both skin and hair!