Argan Oil

Some people have referred to this stuff as liquid gold! Needless to say, its good shit.Except for the shit part...
you get what I'm saying.

I've always preferred using natural oils on my face (and body) to anything else, and while I was researching the benefits of different oils (coconut, almond, sunflower, emu), I came across argan.

Apparently goats LOVE the berries of the argan tree! Doesn't this look  like funky modern art?

Argan oil is harvested from argan trees, which only grow in a few locations in the world. Currently they derive the majority of it from Morocco (Moroccan Hair Oil, which you may have heard of, contains argan oil).
The fruit of the argan tree is pressed with stones (by hand! So old school!) to get the beneficial oils out. Doing it this way preserves its fatty acids (it is full of Omega-6 and vitamin E).

 

You can get it in various forms from different brands, and it is definitely available for purchase online in its raw form (warning: if you just Google "argan oil" you will be overwhelmed by options).

The crux of it:
This stuff is healing, rejuvenating, nutritive...all kinds of lovely words like that.
I prefer it to other oils because it is so light and you literally only need a teeny tiny bit (I'll put what I think is just 2 drops in my hair and it will be greasier than I want. It is POWERFUL!)

If you have oily skin and you think putting argan oil on your skin is counter intuitive, think again. Your skin is producing the extra oil because it thinks it needs it to remedy dryness. Try using oil as a moisturizer, even if just at night and see if it makes a difference in your oil production.

Use it as a moisturizer, hair mask, cuticle oil, body oil, bath oil, etc.
This is the kind I use--JosieMaran--and I love it. The only problem with this larger-sized bottle is the pump. The pump always shoots out WAY more oil than what I need, so I like to use a dropper instead. I bought this at Sephora and it has lasted me 6 months. I'm about 1/2 inch down from the top! I need to refrigerate it so it will last longer but I hate traipsing out to the kitchen every time I want to use it. Oh, laziness...
They say this is the one product that can replace every other in your medicine cabinet, but I have yet to get there because I am a complete product whore. However, it is my favorite multi-tasker to date.

Healing Your Winter Skin

My secret weapon:


I got this at Whole Foods for $25-$30. I've had it for more than 2 years and I'm about halfway down the tub. It has bee pollen and royal jelly in it and is more of a salve than a cream. It is a yellowy shade and you only need a bit on your fingers--it melts down and absorbs quickly. I'll slather some on my face after a bath, before bed, and sometimes use a dab during the day on my cheeks and brow bones for a bit of a glow.

For a cheaper dry skin treatment (I really consider the Egyptian Magic an indulgence) I like Pond's Dry Skin Cream.
It does just what it says it will ! And quickly!! Available at basically any drugstore, and I believe mine was $6 at Rite Aid.

And for those wine lovers out there....
  Merlot skincare is wonderful! The day cream has an especially fabulous texture. You can find these at most Walgreen's.
I use these 3 moisturizers because I find if I use the same one on a consistent basis my skin stops responding the way I would like it to. These 3 all have different beneficial properties, so I swap them out every couple of days.
Happy Moisturizing!