The Journey of Argan Oil

Helloooooooooo everyone! First off I would just like to just apologise for the fact that I haven’t posted AT ALL since before August! I was away in Morocco where there was absolutely NO WIFI *crying* and since I've been back I've also gone back to Uni. So my schedule has been jam-packed!! However......I have a really exciting post for you all.

As I was in Marrakesh I had the pleasure of meeting a guy who was trained in making pure Argan Oil. Here, I will take you through the process of making the ‘Holy Grail’ of Oils...

>I’m so sorry for the quality of recording. I couldn't take my good camera because it’s pretty rough in that area so I had to use my phone. But I really hope you enjoy the little video clips I put in for you<

Everybody has heard of or been to the famous market square in Marrakesh- Jamaa El Fna. It’s amazing! Everywhere you turn you can see snakes, monkeys, crazy amounts of yummy food, and soooo much more. If anyone is thinking of visiting I would highly recommend it. So within the market there is a little shop where we found a man who makes 100% pure Argan Oil who actually allowed us to watch while he made our oil. Outside the shop was this sign so look out for it if you’re down there.... 

This was the guy who made our oil! He's really nice and speaks English really well...if you do end up meeting him let me know in the comments :) 

So first of all he starts with the Argan nut that’s taken from the Argan tree. *Fun Fact* It’s not actually a nut that grows on a tree contrary to what some people might think. It starts off as a fruit that grows on the Argan tree which is then eaten by the goats that climb the trees (I know what you’re thinking.....what kind of goat can climb a tree!!? I thought that too haha). So the goat eats the fruit and leaves the nut. However, within the nut is the kernel which is what we use to get our amazingggg oil. 

But it doesn't end there...this has to be broken only by hand which you can imagine is pretty exhausting!

The picture below shows how Argan goes from fruit to nut to kernel...

So once there are enough of the little kernels, they’re all put into this grinding machine where it turns it into a thick paste (at this point even if you touch the paste you can feel how oily it is).

Now the paste is really thick and can actually be left like this if you didn't want it turned into an oil *Fun Fact* You can use this clay type paste when you are bathing and it has really good skin benefits! 

This thick paste is then scraped into a big clay bowl where the magic happens...

*Another Fun Fact* Pure Argan Oil isn’t just used for cosmetic reasons; it also has really good health benefits for your heart if it is eaten. Moroccan’s love to dip bread in it! 

Warm water is then poured bit by bit into the paste while its being needed by hand until the paste turns into a dough-like oily texture...

Now watch how much AMAZING PURE OIL COMES OUT OF THE “DOUGH”...

It’s actually crazy how much oil came from that amount of the “dough”. It managed to fill up four medium sized bottles which is really good. Apparently there are machines that can get even more oil out of the “dough” but it’s obviously really expensive. So they stick to the traditional way of needing the oil out by hand which I think is better as it keeps its authenticity.

>Something you should look out for<

Many companies who produce Argan oil claim that their products are 100% pure or contain high levels of Argan oil...DON’T ALWAYS BELIEVE THIS! These companies may be using Argan to make their oil but more often than not the pure oil is mixed with cheaper oils and so the Argan Oil is diluted/ watered down. Obviously this can still give you great results depending on what oil is being mixed in, but it won’t give you the same results as pure Argan oil.

I really hope you all enjoyed this post! Please don’t hesitate to comment if you would like to know more about Argan Oil or how to get your hands on some!

Until next time, L x