Amazing Argan Oil

My cousin Alex mentioned this morning on her blog about how she loves jojoba oil for her hair and skin.  While I love jojoba and use it often as a carrier oil, I've recently fallen in love with Argan oil.
This amazing oil has gained popularity in the United States and I've been using it for about a year on my face, hair, and nails.

Argan oil is made from the edible part of the nuts inside the shell of Argan fruit.  The Moroccan Berber women have long used Argan oil to protect their skin, hair, and nails from the harsh conditions in which they live.  The oil has extremely high levels of Vitamin E and 80% fatty acids which protect the skin against premature aging called oxidation.  According to the Argan Society,

1. Argan oil protects the skin against wrinkles that appeared due to premature aging. It also helps reduce the appearance of crow’s feet (wrinkles under the eyes).
   
2. It is a very good remedy for dry skin. It does freshen and soften the skin more readily than any other skin softness creams or oils do.
   
3. Protein rich Argan oil is very good for the elasticity of skin. It strengthens the protein bonding structures in the skin which works to tighten the skin and make it look fresh.
   
4. Argan oil is good for reducing skin irritation. It quickly heals the marks caused by scratching on skin.
   
5. One of the most amazing facts about Argan oil is that along with dry skin it is equally good for oily skin. Sebum, an oily substance secreted by sebaceous glands, keeps the skin wet and protects against dryness, but its excess secretion is bad for the skin. Argan oil regulates the secretion of sebum and keeps it to a manageable level.
   
6. Argan oil helps to prevent stretch marks on skin made by pregnancy.
   
7. It gives strength to the weak and easily breakable nails. It also strengthens the delicate skin at the root of nails and makes it smooth.
   
8. Argan oil is useful in the treatment of red dots and patches which appear on skin from inflammatory diseases like acne, chickenpox and psoriasis.
   
9. In arthritic and rheumatic conditions in which joints and tissues of the body are damaged, Argan oil greatly soothes and reduces the pain.
 

When I apply Argan oil to my face, I put a few drops in the palm of my hand (a little goes a long way), rub my hands together, and then gently pat onto my face.  It is non-greasy and non-oily and absorbs into the skin very easily.  It also works great as a moisturizer under make-up.  If I have blemishes I usually put a drop of lavender, frankincense, or geranium essential oil in my palm and dab it directly on the spots in addition to using the Argan oil (which by the way is amazing for acne prone skin). 

Two brands of Argan oil that I love and have tried are Josie Maran's Argan oil (I just recently purchased a bottle of this and like how the bottle is translucent so that you can see when your oil is running low).  I also like Kahina Giving Beauty's Argan oil.  The bottles aren't cheap, but as I said, a little goes a long way so each bottle lasts a long time--you won't regret your purchase!

Want more information on the benefits of using oils on your face?  Check out this post.