Curly hair can certainly be a nightmare to manage if you do not do it properly. From tangled up knots to flat roots, you can spend more time wrangling your curly hair than you can actually spend showing it off. I’ve found several tricks and products designed to help with curly hair, however, none are more interesting than argan oil.
Argan oil is from Morocco and can give your hair several benefits. Some of them include adding curls back into your curly hair, reducing the look of frizzy hair, and making your curls softer and shinier. Of course, you know I don’t recommend products without telling you how they work, so let’s dive into everything argan oil has to offer!
What Goes into Argan Oil?
Argan oil is made from the nuts of an argan tree in Morocco, and it is a natural oil made from fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E. Due to all the ingredients from nature, your hair can soak the argan oil up like a sponge!
All of these ingredients act to help hydrate and soften the hair, while also working to restore a nice bright shine. The vitamin E inside the oil is especially useful, and it keeps your hair follicles clean from the damage of everyday pollution and chemical treatments.
Argan oil can be used either by itself or as an ingredient in a hair product. You just need to make sure that whatever you use doesn’t contain any harsh ingredients. Most of the products that contain argan oil should either have argan oil or Morocco inside of the name.
How to Apply Argan Oil to Your Head
If you want to see the benefits of argan oil for your curly hair, then you can apply it to your head in a number of different ways. One of the easiest ways is to take a shower, and once you are out you can apply small amounts of the oil to your head and then allow it to settle.
I’ve also found a lot of success when deep conditioning with argan oil. To do this, you need to put a lot of the oil inside of your hair, then place a shower cap on your head to make sure the oil isn’t disturbed. You can either keep the oil in overnight or allow the oil to sit in your hair for at least 30 minutes minimum.
Either way, the oil can soak into your curls and revitalize them with moisture, so you can get some deep conditioning with argan oil. All in as little as 30 minutes a day!
Picking a Good Argan Oil Product
In order to make sure you have found a good quality oil and not just one that is trying to cash in on argan’s good name, you need to inspect the product thoroughly. First, the argan oil should be a nice golden yellow hue with a smooth texture. If the oil is too watery and pale, it has likely been mixed or filtered with other oils.
It should also have a strong nutty scent to prove that it is pure. Finally, you should look at the consistency of the argan oil, because it should read 100%. If the argan oil is part of a shampoo or conditioner, then you need to see if it is one of the first ingredients on the label.
Be wary of getting argan oils that have been diluted too much or are pushed aside in favor of other ingredients. You are not going to be getting all of the benefits the product has to offer if you aren’t getting 100% pure oil to begin with.
Other Benefits of Argan Oil
Another use that I’ve found for argan oil is to use it as a moisturizer for the skin and hair. The fatty acid pairs that go into the oil can lubricate the shaft of your hair. This helps your hair lock in moisture and forms a fatty layer with the vitamin E. The layer helps to prevent dryness on the scalp and any frizz in your hair as well.
While you shouldn’t use argan oil as your first treatment for hair loss, it has been shown to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant properties. I’ve personally found that it helps deal with skin conditions that lead to hair loss.
Some people even claim that it can be used to fight dandruff with the oil’s antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, however, there isn’t enough research to reliably back that claim.
Finally, it does have an element that prevents tangling of your hair. The molecules that make up the argan oil are so small, that they can penetrate the cuticle of the hair much more effectively than other oils. The hair absorbs these molecules better, leading to softer hair and then much less tangling. If you are constantly fighting dry and tangling hair, then you need to try argan oil!
Getting Started with Argan Oil
You need to add the oil slowly. I’ve found that starting with pea sized droplets is enough to give you the benefits, and you simply need to run your fingers through the hair after every single wash. Comb it through your hair, and then you are done and can style your hair like normal.
Don’t add too much argan oil to your hair, as it can weigh your hair down and can make your hair greasy. Plus, you can’t get all the benefits of argan oil unless you only use a small amount, unless you plan to use a large amount for the hair mask treatment, but that requires dry hair and a long soak.
Argan oil has a lot of benefits that it can provide for your hair. If you are willing to try it out and follow the directions on how best to use it, then you can start to see the benefits for yourself after just a few washes!
