You may have heard about it in passing, especially if you’re into learning about natural oils and using home remedies to improve your beauty and health. Maybe you heard about it in the context of a skin treatment, or maybe you overheard someone talking about it in terms of a cooking ingredient. It is true that this popular oil has many uses, but you may still be asking yourself: What is argan oil, exactly?
What is argan oil?
To be specific, Argan oil is produced from an Argan nut coming from Argan tree, which grows almost exclusively in southwestern Morocco. To produce argan oil local Berber women, in fair trade working cooperatives, hand-crack the argan nuts in between two stones, a technique they’ve used for centuries. It takes one woman three days to make just one liter of oil! This is perhaps the reason why aragn oil is called the “liquid gold” and have such a high price or perhaps for its incredible properties that we will see below.
In 1998, UNESCO has designated the 10,000-square-mile Argan forest in Morocco as a protected biosphere reserve, so argan oil is sustainable.
Argan oil not only is used to flavor foods, but it also has many cosmetic uses and can help keep the hair and skin healthy in a natural way. If you’re looking for an oil that has antioxidant, anti-aging properties that you can use both on the inside and outside of your body, then argan oil is a perfect candidate.
Compounds and properties of argan oil
This oil contains large amounts of healthy fats as well as antioxidant vitamins and other nutrients with excellent benefits for beauty and health. Let’s see:
–Essential Fatty Acids:
Argan oil contains 80% unsaturated fatty acids, making it extremely healthy. This property not only makes it nutritious to consume in your food, but also gives it anti-inflammatory properties when you apply it topically. It excels as a moisturizer
Argan oil contains:
- Oleic acid (omega-9) 42-45%
- Linoleic acid (omega-6) 34-36 %
- Palmitic acid 12.0%
- Stearic acid 6.0%
–Carotenes:
In addition, it contains carotenes (provitamin A), natural fat-soluble pigments powerful antioxidants which can fight aging both by protecting against cell damage and by protection your skin from UV radiation. Carotenes also help protect the arteries and the heart.
–Polyphenols or polyphenolic compounds:
Polyphenols are natural anti-aging agents as well, and can protect your skin from the effects of free radicals. These compounds are also anti-inflammatory antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-allergenic. They enhance immune response.
–Squalene:
This organic compound, which was originally obtained from animal sources, but is now known to exist in plant source like argan oil as well, can help to make your skin more smooth and soft to the touch, and also can help keep your collagen firm, improving skin elasticity and protecting it against wrinkles and even skin cancer. It’s a powerful bactericide and healer.
–Vitamin E:
As you may already know, Vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant to take advantage of, and it may potentially slow the effects of aging. It’s also a tissue regenerator.
–Triterpenoid saponins:
These are a type of organic compound that may help promote healing and regeneration of the skin. As such, they may be able to help in the healing of scars and other unsightly blemishes of the skin. Some claim that they can even improve brain function and mental clarity.
–Sterols (Phytosterols):
Argan oil contains 0.8 % Sterols. Plant sterols are essentially the hormones of the plant, and they may help boost the growth and regeneration of your cells, just as animal hormones do. In fact, plant sterols are sometimes recommended to women who are going through menopause to help mitigate symptoms of aging. These sterols reduce inflammation and help retain moisture. Also may have anti-cancer properties and can reduce bad cholesterol.
Main uses of argan oil
As you can see, due to its dense nutrient content, argan oil has many uses. It can be used as a topical skin moisturizer, as a compound to help slow the outward signs of aging, and as an oil that can help speed the healing of scars and other superficial wounds. This oil is highly recommended in cases of acne because it is a noncomedogenic oil ( rated as a 0) this means it does not clog pores.
In addition, argan oil can help the growth of hair and nails. Some people also use it as a dandruff treatment or as a conditioner that can restore the hair’s youthful shine.
How to choose best argan oil?
Not all Argan Oil on the market is real and pure as many brands that advertised Moroccan argan oil, may diluted it, and contained little actual argan oil just to make it cheaper. And because getting your Argan Oil in Morocco doesn’t guarantee it’s authenticity, always look out for these things in your argan oil:
- 100% Argan Oil or 100% Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
- Should come packaged in a dark glass bottle.
- Cold pressed. If the oil is cold-pressed by hand often has a few traces of sediment at the bottom
- It should be 100% Certified Organic.
- Raw and unrefined
- Has a mild nutty odor
- Smooth and silky texture
- Disappears into the skin instantly.You should not feel viscous, sticky or watery
- Has a honey-like color: golden soft and translucent.
Argan oil is pretty new in America but it has been a Moroccan beauty secret for centuries and is one of the world’s rarest oils due to its high content of essential nutrients and multiple properties to help all sorts of skin conditions: dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, wrinkles. It’s true the cost of pure argan oil isn’t cheap but order your argan oil and find out for yourself why they call it the “liquid gold”.