Is Argan oil Beneficial?

Yes, argan oil is beneficial in consumption and topical application.  Argan oil is one of the best oils that a person can used for hair care and on their skin.  Because argan oil is rare it comes with a hefty price tag.  It costs approximately thirty dollars for one hundred milliliters of the oil which equals to a little over three ounces. The price also depends on how you are going to use the argan oil.  When you use argan oil for cooking it is extracted from kernels that have been roasted and if you want it for cosmetics the argan oils is extracted from raw kernels making the cosmetic oil more expensive. 

Why is it so beneficial?

• This oil is loaded with essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid.  This fatty acid is an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid.  Because argan oil contains fatty acids it gives this oil antioxidant, anti-aging, moisturizing, and inflammation-reducing properties.  There has also been claims that argan oil can help correct skin conditions that are age-related and can cause you to have a loss of skin elasticity and skin dehydration.
• In the oil there are six hundred twenty milligrams of tocopherols per kilogram.  This is a chemical compound that contains vitamin E activity.  This amount is two times the amount that you will find in olive oil.  It also has therapeutic properties for your body and is a free radical fighter.
• It is an oil that is a natural antioxidant which can help stimulate intracellular oxygenation.  This will help to protect your soft tissues and neutralize the free radicals and help to restore the health of your skin
• Argan oil also has omega-9 unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A.  Both of these properties will help keep your skin healthy.  They both will also add to the oil’s antioxidant properties.

What are some of the benefits of using argan oil?

The benefits of using a topical application have only been partially proven scientifically.  When cooking with argan oil the benefits of consuming it have been backed by limited scientific research on humans and animals.  Some of the benefits for your skin, hair, and body include:

• Skin—helps to soften your skin and reduce wrinkles.  It can help to lighten and prevent stretch marks by increasing the elasticity of your skin.  It also aids in the regeneration of your skin by helping to revitalize cell functions that can prevent early aging of your skin.
• Hair—it can make your hair more healthy looking and stronger.  You can tame frizzy hair, and the oil will not make your hair look oily and sticky.  It gives a shine to dull hair.
• Body—it can help give you relief from the pain of arthritis and rheumatism.  In men it has the ability to help reduce their triglyceride levels and will also help to increase your body’s immunity against infections and diseases because of the high level of antioxidants. 

For its therapeutic and preventive properties you should consume one to two tablespoons a day.

How Long Does Argan oil Last?

Argan oil has many antioxidant properties that help protect your skin.  These same antioxidant properties also help prevent argan oil from oxidizing.  Oxidizing means the addition of oxygen to a compound or the chemical reaction of a substance when it is exposed to oxygen.  If argan oil were to oxidize it could contain free radicals that promote inflammation, premature aging of tissues and cells, arterial damage, and cancer.  These things are what argan oil that has not oxidized helps to prevent.  The antioxidants that help prevent argan oil from oxidizing include vitamin E, polyphenols, squalene, carotenoids, squalene, and ferulic acid.

The active properties will allow argan oil to maintain its integrity, or have an expiration date, for at least twenty-four months but on average it has a shelf life of three to six months.  This will only happen if you keep the bottle of argan oil away from high temperatures and away from direct sunlight.  You also must be sure that the lid of the bottle that argan oil is in is kept closed tightly.  When you purchase pure one hundred percent organic argan oil it will be sold in an amber colored bottle not made of glass but made of Polyethylene Terephthalate.  If the argan oil you purchased is not in this type of bottle it is quite possibly not pure organic argan oil. 

How much argan oil is in a bottle?

Most of the time when you purchase a bottle of argan oil you will get approximately 100 milliliters, which is a little over three ounces.  It does not sound like a lot for the price that is charged which is around thirty dollars but since you usually only use a few drops per treatment this size bottle should last you for a couple of months, but it all depends on how often you use the oil. 

Culinary argan oil

This is the type of oil that is used to drizzle over your salads in place of regular salad dressings or oils and over your fish or vegetable dishes.  You can also consume argan oil for its therapeutic and preventive properties.  When using argan oil this way you would need to take one to two tablespoons each day.  If you are counting calories and taking one to two tablespoons a day you are consuming approximately 210 calories per tablespoon. 

How long does argan oil last on your body?

At this time it is not known exactly how long argan oil lasts on your body but one thing that is known is that when you apply it as a moisturizer it is absorbed quickly into your body to give your skin a soft smooth feeling.  It will also help to prevent or reduce wrinkles and stretch marks.  It also has inflammation properties to help with acne outbreaks, psoriasis, and eczema.  When using argan oil on your skin, nails, and cuticles, and your hair daily you can see the results for a long time such as shiny clean hair, softer cuticles, etc.

What is raw Argan Oil?

Raw argan oil comes from the nuts of the fruit of the Argania Spinosa tree which is found in Morocco.  When talking about raw argan oil it is also referred to as cosmetic argan oil and it is processed from raw argan nuts. 

Properties of raw argan oil

This type of argan oil is considered the world’s richest natural source of vitamin E.  You will also find that argan oil is eighty percent fatty acids that are essential for your skin.  There are other compounds in the oil such as phytosterols, phenolic, and squalene.  When you combine all these compounds together this oil will offer you many beauty benefits such as:

• Skin that is softer
• Helping to diminish wrinkles
• Helping to reduce scarring
• Helping to balance the production of sebum to help clear blemishes and acne
• Providing relief for psoriasis and eczema for everyone, including babies

How to use raw argan oil

• Nails—if you have cuticles and nails that are not looking so good you can soak them in a fifty-fifty mixture of lemon juice and raw argan oil for ten to fifteen minutes.  After soaking them you can put on white cloth gloves and wear them to bed leaving the mixture on your fingers overnight.  You can also soak your toes in the same mixture for the same amount of time and wear socks on your feet.  In the morning you can rinse the mixture off when you take a shower.  This mixture will soften your cuticles and limit the breakage of your nails.  You will also have a radiant look to your nails.  If you do not want to use the mixtures you can put a few drops in your palms and just rub it into your hands and feet.
• Face—for your entire face you will only need a little bit of the raw argan oil. There are three different ways you can use the raw argan oil on your face.  You can use it in the morning as a base for your makeup, at night before you go to bed, leaving it on for an intensive moisturizing treatment, or a combination of both of these applications.  When applying raw argan oil to your face it will not leave an oily residue because it penetrates your skin easily.  It is so gentle that you can even use it around your eye area.
• Hair—to help add shine to your hair and improve your dry scalp you can use raw argan oil for an intensive hair treatment.  When using it to treat your hair apply some to your hair and massage it in, leaving it on for thirty minutes, then wash and style your hair as usual.

Before you start to use raw argan oil on a regular basis try a little raw argan on a small area on your face at night to see just how your skin reacts to the oil to see if you have a negative reaction.

How is Cosmetic Argan oil Used?

For many years it has been said that Moroccan women used cosmetic argan oil on their hair, nails, and skin.  The kernels of the nut from which the oil is extracted will not be roasted when used cosmetically.  It is thought by many people that argan oil will help to prevent and reduce wrinkles and blemishes on their skin along with helping to prevent brittle nails, and nourishing your skin and hair.  The oil has such great moisturizing powers because of the high amount of vitamin E and fatty acids in it. 

The reason that many people, both men and women, use cosmetic argan oil is because of the many benefits it has for your skin as a moisturizer.  In addition to using it on your skin cosmetic argan oil can be used on your hair to help with damaged, dry hair.  When using the oil on your hair you should do at least two applications.  It will help to moisturize your hair deeply to the roots without having any unnatural product or harmful chemicals.  Because of all the moisture the oil provides to your hair it can help reduce or mend frizzy hair and split ends all together.  A couple of hours before you are going to shampoo your hair massage a small amount of argan oil into your hair.

Because cosmetic argan oil is rich in moisture it is also good to use on your nails and hands.  A person’s hands are being exposed to constant washing, environmental issues, weather that is cold, windy, or hot, etc.  These can all be a cause of having dry hands.  To give your dry hands moisture you can use a few drops of cosmetic argan oil every day on your hands.  Put a few drops on the palms of your hands and rub it in.  This treatment can also help with problem cuticles and brittle nails.  When using argon oil as a moisturizer on your hands it will not leave your hands with a greasy feeling because it will be absorbed into your skin quickly.  When you decide to have a manicure or pedicure mix lemon juice and argon oil and soak your nails in it for ten to fifteen minutes to help soften your cuticles. 

There are also other uses for cosmetic argan oil which include:

• To nourish your dry skin and help with cracked elbows, knees, and hands.
• It is thought to be a highly effective anti-aging agent by helping to erase the wrinkles and fine lines on your skin.
• Although it is thought to be a remedy for acne it has been found out that in rare cases this oil can cause acne.
• It can help to clear any blemishes on your skin including stretch marks.
• Argan oil is very popular to moisturize your hair making your hair shiny and smooth. 
• Before you go to bed apply a few drops of argan oil to your face and then wash it off in the shower in the morning.