Argan oil for hair: properties and rules of use

In advertising texts about the new miracle shampoo, the combination "argan oil" is used every now and then. Let's figure out what this oil is, whether it really is almost a panacea for a number of hair problems, and whether it can be used at home in its pure form or as part of homemade masks.

Argan oil is extracted from the fruits of the plant of the same name, which grows in northern Africa. The Moroccan Argania tree produces fruits similar to olives, but larger and fleshy. It is from them that argan oil is extracted by the cold pressing method.

The pressing process using this method is energy-intensive and requires a large amount of raw materials, which is why the finished product has a rather high cost. But it is with this method of obtaining it is possible to preserve all the healing properties of the fruits of Argania.

For hair care, you should choose oil for cosmetic procedures, external use. It does not undergo heat treatment, which means it retains more useful elements. There is also culinary argan oil that can be used for hair care, but you shouldn't expect a lot from it. Its main purpose is cooking.

The composition of the cosmetic product contains many vitamins and beneficial fatty acids, which makes it possible to successfully use the product for cosmetic purposes - to improve the condition and treatment of skin and hair.Thus, the contained vitamin A has an antioxidant effect, promotes the production of collagen, increases the rate of tissue regeneration and regulates fat metabolism in cells.

Another antioxidant in argan oil is vitamin E, which is also responsible for the transport of oxygen to cells, improves regeneration and slows down the process of age-related changes in cells.

Vitamin F promotes better assimilation of the rest of the ingredients of the composition, "monitors" the sufficient moisture content in the cells, and provides the necessary hydration.

Among the antioxidants of the product, it is worth highlighting polyphenols, which, moreover, restore cells and retain pigment in them. Self-rejuvenation processes, as well as slowing down the process of the appearance of gray hair in the hair, is provided by a product substance called sterol, which is of organic origin.

More than 80% argan oil consists of fatty acids - palmitic and oleic. They are necessary to maintain the desired composition of cells, and also protect those from the negative effects of the environment. Finally, the composition contains the so-called herbal antibiotics, which help the scalp to resist fungi, microbes, dandruff.

With minor hair damage, the first results from using the product will be noticeable after a couple of weeks of using it. If there is serious damage, then 4-6 months of treatment will be required, the visible positive effect of the oil is felt after 2 months of regular application of the composition.

The richness and naturalness of the composition make it possible to talk about the wide complex effect of the oil on the skin and hair. So, fatty acids are useful for weakened, thin, split ends. The oil helps to smooth the hair scales, due to which the hair becomes stronger, "fluffiness" disappears, and smoothness and shine appear.

Acting on the scalp, argan oil softens it and normalizes lipid processes. This allows you to forget about dryness and a feeling of tightness of the scalp, eliminates excessive grease, dandruff (thanks to vitamin F).

Providing an antioxidant effect and slowing down the aging process, the oil helps to strengthen and nourish the hair follicles, as a result of which the hair becomes stronger and denser, and less shedding. With frequent use of the product, it is possible to prevent the early appearance of gray hair.

The benefits of the product for dry colored and bleached hair are obvious:

• firstly, it compensates for the moisture deficit that invariably occurs in dyed hair;
• secondly, it helps to retain the pigment in the hair structure, which means longer preservation of the color and shine of the colored hair.

Dyed and even more so bleached hair often becomes light and fluffy. This is because the dye lifts the hair scales to get inside. As already mentioned, argan oil closes, smoothes the scales. Thanks to this, the hair does not frizz, is smoothed and retains the shade obtained as a result of dyeing for a longer time.

Thus, the following main directions of using hair oil can be distinguished:

• treatment of damaged split ends, including the ends;
• scalp treatment (dandruff, oily seborrhea, fungal infections);
• moisturizing and preserving the color of colored hair, prevention of early gray hair.

Natural argan oil is considered a product that rarely causes allergies. However, being saturated with active ingredients, the product can still cause a negative reaction in the body.

An allergy test will help prevent such a nuisance. In its pure form, the oil is applied in a thin layer to the wrist and left for 4 hours.If during this time, itching, swelling, redness, rashes appear, then the use of oil (even as part of masks with other components) should be discarded. If there is no negative reaction, the product can be used.

The use of oil is not recommended for serious dermatological diseases of the scalp. In the presence of open wounds, burns, abrasions and scratches. In this case, you should wait for the healing of the skin.

Quality oil is sold in dark glass containers and is usually equipped with a dosing cap. The country of origin must be Morocco, in a pinch - the neighboring countries. The shelf life of a natural product without preservatives is no more than a year.

If the oil stored in the refrigerator (and this is where it should be kept) darkens and forms a precipitate, this indicates the presence of impurities in the composition. It is unlikely that the product can be considered 100% safe.

By the way, the smell also speaks of the presence of impurities. The natural product smells sweet, has a light popcorn aroma. The absence of smell or floral amber is evidence that the oil has gone through some procedures not foreseen by the technology of cold pressing.

The oil is suitable for use on both dry and damp hair. In the first case, a small amount of it is applied along the hairline and on the ends as a spray or conditioner. It is convenient to apply just a couple of drops of oil on the palm of your hand, rub it a little, and then, as it were, smooth your hair, avoiding the composition getting to the roots. You do not need to wash it off, you can immediately start styling.

For scalp treatment and root strengthening, apply the oil correctly at the base of the hair. The product is rubbed into the scalp while doing a gentle massage. Then the composition is distributed over the entire length of the hair. Like most oil masks, argan oil requires warming of the head, so after applying it, it is advisable to put a plastic cap on your head and warm yourself with a towel. You need to keep the mask from an hour to several hours, you can even leave it overnight.

To achieve a greater effect from the use of oil, it is helped by heating it in a water bath to 37-38C. It heats up quickly, so before applying it to the scalp, you need to drop the oil on your wrist. If the temperature seems comfortable, oil can be used. If it still feels hot, allow the food to cool down a little.

The composition is washed off quite easily, in most cases one is enough, rarely - two soaping the head with shampoo. If you are afraid that after the oil masks your hair will hang like "icicles" and turn out to be greasy, you can add a teaspoon of hair balm to the oil or a mask based on it. Useful for these purposes and egg yolk, which is rubbed into the scalp before using the Moroccan product.

Argan oil can be combined not only with other oils, but also with essential counterparts. The latter also have many varieties and, accordingly, a purpose. Essential oils are added in small amounts to the argan product - no more than 2-3 drops.

You can combine essential oils of ylang-ylang, sandalwood, bey oil with Moroccan oil. Such tandems will relieve dryness and split ends.Combination of a Moroccan product with essential oils of grapefruit, lemon, lavender, rosemary, bergamot will save you from excessive fat content. From loss - its combination with esters of eucalyptus, neroli, cedar.

Argan oil has a wide range of uses. By adding this or that component to it, you can enhance a certain effect of the mask. Let's take a look at the most popular proven argan mask recipes for various hair problems.

The medicinal composition according to this recipe will revive naturally dry hair and give it the necessary moisture. It is also suitable for those who ruined their hair with frequent staining, using a curling iron, a hair dryer.

In addition to argan oil, you will need almond and burdock oils to prepare the mask. The oils are taken in equal amounts and applied to the hair. Keep for an hour.

The composition will relieve excessive greasiness of the scalp, due to which the hair will stay fresh longer, it will be possible to wash it less often.

You can get the mask by mixing 1 teaspoon each of argan, grape and avocado oils. Add 2 drops of cedar nut oil to this mixture (as a rule, it is sold in small bottles, like essential oils, so it will be convenient to drip). If the hair is below the shoulder blades, double the number of ingredients.

Stir the components of the mixture, apply to the roots, combining the process with a light massage, and then distribute over the entire hair strip. The exposure time is 30-40 minutes.

Argan oil nourishes hair follicles, prevents cell aging. If you add an additional portion of vitamins A and E to it, then you can create a mask that promotes the accelerated growth of hair.

To this end, you should mix 1 teaspoon of argan oil and castor oil, add the same amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice and liquid honey. Lastly, add 10 drops of vitamin A and 5 ampoules of tocopherol.

The mask is rubbed into the roots, and the rest is distributed over the strands. It won't be too oily. Then the hair is dried with a hairdryer and left in this form for 2 hours.

Due to the peculiarities of the composition, this Moroccan oil mask moisturizes the strands, restores their structure, and also retains the pigment in the colored strands, relieves them of dryness. It is also useful to do it in the summer after a trip to the sea, where, under the influence of the sun and sea water, the hair is actively losing moisture.

This mask is based on argan and olive oils, which are taken in 2 tablespoons. Then you need to add 1 teaspoon of lavender and sage oils to the mixture. Heat the mixture in a water bath, and then add the yolk of one egg. The duration of the action of the medicinal mixture is 20 minutes.

If the strands have become dull, fluffy and do not fit well, argan oil (2-3 tablespoons), to which macadamia or shea butter is added (1-2 teaspoons), will help. The mixture is applied along the entire length with a slight deviation from the roots (literally by 1-1.5 cm) and left on the hair for 45 minutes.

Hair that has been bleached or dyed in light tones is more likely to require moisturizing. They lose a lot of moisture, and therefore, in the absence of proper care, they become brittle, dry, tangled. The situation is aggravated by the regular use of tongs and a hair dryer. Argan oil will solve the listed problems and neutralize the harm caused by paint and heat-laying.

The mask is prepared from a tablespoon of argan oil, which is mixed with the same amount of aloe juice. 10-15 minutes before that, rye bread without additives should be soaked in milk. When it softens, squeeze out the bread, mix the resulting gruel with an oil-vegetable mixture and distribute through your hair. Insulate and keep for 50-60 minutes.

Argan oil has received many positive reviews when used in hair care in general. The girls themselves note that the visible effect is achieved with regular (at least 2 times a week) use of the product.

Unlike other oils (burdock, castor, olive), argan oil is washed off the first time and does not cause oily hair. In addition, it can be safely used by fair-haired young ladies - the product does not lead to yellowing of blond strands.

The easiest way to use the oil is to literally apply 1-2 drops on a comb, distribute over all the teeth and comb the hair without touching the scalp. This instantly makes them smoother and easier to style.

Best of all, the photos before and after using argan oil will tell you about the medicinal properties of argan oil.

For example, in this case, the girls' hair cannot be called severely damaged. It can be seen that they lack moisture - dry ends, fluffiness. After applying argan oil (as indicated in the review, for 4 weeks), the hair became vibrant, shiny, it looks healthy and well-groomed.

The following photos show a similar result. Here oil was only used for the ends. After a month of use, the split ends turned out to be sealed, acquired liveliness, got rid of dryness. Please note that the hair has become shiny, which is especially noticeable due to the shade of the strands.

The next tip is from the owner of curly hair. Before using argan oil, the hair was dry and lifeless, frizzy. After application, the strands are moisturized and smoother.

For a video review of the use of argan oil for hair, see below.