Argan Oil

medicinal and cosmetic properties

Morocco’s Fluid Gold

For millennia, the shepherds and nomads of Morocco’s southwestern desert region have been harvesting pits of a peculiar looking tree that grows there. Would you believe that these shepherds actually collected these pits from goat excretion? Well, they did! The reason is that the oil produced from these pits proved to be tremendously valuable. How? Let’s find out.

A Local Secret Becomes Global

The pits that the nomads of Morocco so diligently sought (to the extent of searching through goat excretion!) are from the Argan tree. These pits are then ground and eventually pressed to get a rich, nutty oil. It is this precious Argan oil that the people of Morocco hold in such high regard. The people of Morocco mainly use the oil in their cooking. In fact, a famous Moroccan dip has Argan oil as its base ingredient. Slowly, however, they began realizing that this seemingly ordinary oil had some astonishing medicinal and cosmetic properties as well. Argan oil used to be a well- kept Moroccan secret. Today, however, the rest of the world has caught on. Argan oil, as a result, is a much sought after cosmetic product in parts of Europe and North America.

A Closer Look at the Superstar Oil

But what makes Argan oil so special? Oil from the Argan tree is essentially a cocktail of around six essential acids the most prominent of which are oleic acid and alpha- linolenic acid. Both of these work wonders for the hair. Argan oil also contains Vitamin E, which, coincidentally, also works wonders for your hair. A whole range of other ingredients from sterols to carotenoids makes this oil one power-packed substance. The oil, therefore, does a great job at repairing and rejuvenating hair that has lost its natural moisture and elasticity. Hair that has been damaged by chemical processes such as dying or straightening can also benefit from generous usage of Argan oil. Are you surprised now that shepherds dug through goat excretion for this precious oil?