Moroccan Argan (argania spinosa) Oil
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Herbal Essences argan oil shampoos, conditioners, masks and oils include real argan oil, as certified by plant experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London.
Argan oil is sometimes referred to as liquid gold
What is Moroccan argan oil?
Virgin argan oil, or Moroccan argan oil, is a prized speciality oil produced by cold-pressing kernels of argania spinosa fruits.
Argan oil originally comes from Morocco, where women have used it for centuries as one of their main beauty rituals. The oil is revered for its naturally-occurring vitamins and is rich antioxidants. It is believed to have moisturising and nourishing properties, for both skin and hair.
Argan is therefore sometimes referred to as 'liquid gold'.
Where does argan oil come from?
Argan originally comes from the south-west of Morocco, where it grows in a forest. As a matter of fact, the argan forest acts as a natural barrier against the advance of the desert, preventing soil erosion and protecting water resources.
The argan forest is therefore a valuable eco-system and has even been a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1998.
Once you’re there, you will get a nice surprise – tree-climbing goats! These Moroccan tree goats used to climb the Argan trees to get the delicious fruit and the oil would then be extracted from the nuts and kernels discarded by the goats. Luckily for us, the fruit is now harvested like any other fruit – straight from the tree.
Argan is a multi-purpose plant. Once the fruit is collected, it is dried prior to the extraction process. The argan oil is extracted by cracking the argan kernels and pressing them to release fresh argan oil.
The argan oil that is obtained is then used both for cooking and cosmetics. As well as argan oil, pressing also creates a byproduct – a thick argan paste – which is used separately. Finally, the outer pulp provides food for village animals, while the shells are burned for fuel. Nothing else is wasted.
