THE CASE FOR ARGAN OIL
WHAT IS ARGAN OIL
Argan Oil is produced by pressing the pits of the argan fruit. Many centuries ago, the pits were hand pressed but today, argan oil is extracted using a cold-press process. We source our argan fruit from trees in the southwestern part of Morocco. The fruit is harvested by hand, and then sent to factories in order to be cold-pressed. The process is an exacting one and in fact, it takes nearly eight hours of labor to produce a single liter of argan oil.
WHY DOES ROUTINE USE ARGAN OIL
Since 600 BC, oil from the argan fruit has been used in beauty and wellness rituals. Argan oil is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, including Vitamin E. The antioxidants within argan oil coat the hair shaft and moisturize your hair, while the high concentration of fatty acids help your hair maintain a healthy look.
The anti-inflammatory properties within argan oil can also help prevent or improve skin conditions, including those that can affect the scalp (like psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis). In addition, argan oil helps flatten the cuticle layer of your hair, which helps to eliminate frizz and flyaways.
Finally, while there is no specific research proving this, argan oil has been shown to help improve new hair growth. The more that hair is moisturized and protected from damage, the less likely it is to fall out.
That’s why we use argan oil in every bottle of Routine Shampoo and Routine Conditioner.
THE SCIENCE
In the International Journal of Trichology, which is dedicated to the science of the scalp, an article found that lubricating your hair with argan oil helps stop absorption of water and “improves the conductivity of the hair and neutralizes the static charge”. This is the science behind argan oil and frizziness.
Recent studies have also shown that argan oil can help repair the barrier of the skin, meaning that not only does it help repair skin that is dry or damaged (think a dry scalp) but also helps skin retain moisture and nutrients (think healthy scalp).
REFERENCES
Natural Oils for Skin-Barrier Repair: Ancient Compounds Now Backed by Modern Science. Vaughn AR1,2, Clark AK1, Sivamani RK1,3, Shi VY4.
Argan oil and other argan products; use in dermocosmetology. Charrouf Z, Guillaume D.
Ethno economical, ethnomedical and phytochemical study of Argania. Charrouf Z, Guillaume D.