Ready for our Top 8 Best Argan Oil for Hair Benefits?

Then this is the article for you!

In our last post, Argan Oil for Hair Growth, we mentioned our top 8 best benefits of argan oil for hair. We discussed ways to use argan oil for hair growth and how to use it to fight hair loss. In this article we’ll tell you about the other benefits and ways to use argan oil for your hair. We’ll also discuss everything else you need to know about argan oil for hair. We’ll tell you what makes it so great, where it comes from and how to find the best argan oil.

Argan Oil

What is Argan Oil and Where Does it Come From?

Argan oil comes from the kernels of the fruit of the argan tree. As we mentioned in our previous post about Argan Oil for Hair Growth, argan fruit is actually pretty popular with goats and it’s not uncommon to see several climb the thorny argan tree for food.

Luckily, argan oil isn’t made from the fruit of the argan tree, it’s actually made from the seeds, or kernels. For hundreds, if not thousands of years, the Berber women of southwest Morocco have harvested these seeds to make the oil, which has long been believed to have many natural, therapeutic benefits, many of which have been confirmed by research in the last decade or two.

The Berber women hand press the argan kernels into the oil, which is quite the accomplishment, as the kernels are reportedly “16 times harder than a hazelnut.”¹

With the popularity of argan oil rising in recent years, larger companies have attempted to modernize the process, using solvents to extract the oil. This process generally creates a less pure product, so when looking for the best argan oil for hair, it’s important to make sure you purchase high-quality, hand pressed Moroccan argan oil.

Thanks to the awareness of the benefits of high-quality argan oil and the work of a researcher and professor named Zoubida Charrouf, today, argan oil “supports 2.2 million people living a subsistence existence in rural regions. It is vital both economically and culturally.”¹ So there are even more reasons to buy the hand pressed moroccan oil than just the improved benefits for your hair, skin and diet.

What Makes Argan Oil so Great?

Argan Oil has become quite popular in recent years as an ingredient in a wide range of beauty, cosmetics, skincare and haircare products. It’s filled with a variety of vitamins, antioxidants and fatty acids, essential and non-essential, that make it great for revitalizing the hair, face and skin.

Guess what?

It’s also great for eating!

Adding Argan Oil to Your Diet

utama spice best argan oil hair growth treatment

Utama Spice Argan Oil

Argan oil is customarily used as a dip for bread or a dressing for salads. It has a slightly nutty flavor, and while not typically used for cooking, there are a few oils out there that are toasted first that can be great for cooking.

The antioxidants, vitamins and fatty acids in argan oil are not only great for the skin, but great to include in your diet as well. As we mentioned in our first post about Argan Oil vs Coconut Oil, both oils could have long term benefits for your health if you add them to your diet.

Coconut Oil is one of our favorite oils to use as a carrier oil. Like we said in our post about Using Essential Oils Without a Diffuser, carrier oils can be mixed with essential oils to dilute them before using for topical application. Coconut oil has some great benefits for the hair and skin as well, but we recommend adding to your diet because coconut oil contains fats that actually “boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy. They also raise the good HDL cholesterol in your blood, which is linked to reduced heart disease risk. Most fats in the diet are called long-chain triglycerides, but the fats in coconut oil are known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). What this means is that the fatty acids are shorter than most other fats. When you eat these types of fats, they go straight to the liver, where they are used as a quick source of energy or turned into ketones. Ketones can have powerful benefits for the brain, and are being studied as a treatment for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and other conditions.”²

The Power of Argan Oil’s Fatty Acids

On the other hand, Argan Oil contains both essential and non-essential fatty acids that have wonderful benefits for your heart, brain, skin and hair. According to Healthline.com, “Argan oil is primarily comprised of fatty acids and a variety of phenolic compounds.

“The majority of the fat content of argan oil comes from oleic and linoleic acid.

“Approximately 29–36% of the fatty acid content of argan oil comes from linoleic acid, or omega-6, making it a good source of this essential nutrient.

“Oleic acid, though not essential, makes up 43–49% of the fatty acid composition of argan oil and is also a very healthy fat. Found in olive oil as well, oleic acid is renowned for its positive impact on heart health.”³

So adding coconut oil and argan oil to your diet can have a long lasting impact on your overall health. With the way food is trending more and more to increased processing, it’s important to find ways to add essential fatty acids and other good fats to your diet.

Interestingly enough, the Penn State Hershey Medical Center states that “Along with omega-3 fatty acids, omega–6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain function, and normal growth and development. As a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), omega-6s help stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain the reproductive system.”⁴

So just including argan oil in your diet can already have positive benefits for your hair!

Argan Oil for Hair

So now that you know how great argan oil can be to add to your diet, let’s talk about how amazing argan oil can be when used on your hair! In our previous post about Argan Oil for Hair Growth, we talked about our favorite way to use argan oil to promote a healthy scalp, increase hair growth and fight off frizz.

For more details, check out our post, but we like to recommend the argan oil overnight scalp massage. Simply massage a few drops of argan oil into damp, freshly-washed hair. Once the argan oil has been applied, wrap a towel around your hair and go to bed. Just wash and shampoo out the oil in the morning.

In our post about Argan Oil for Hair Growth, we also mentioned our other top 7 best benefits of argan oil for your hair. In this post we’ll go into a little more detail about each of them.

Our Top 8 Benefits of Argan Oil for Hair

Excellent Conditioner and Moisturizer
Prevents Heat and Sun Damage
Soothes an Itchy, Dry or Red Scalp
Boosts Shine
Reduces Frizz
Encourages Hair Growth and Fights Hair Loss
Reduces Damage from Styling and Color
Improves the Scalp, Follicle and Hair Health

If you’re wondering how argan oil can do all of this for your hair and scalp, it’s time to talk about Vitamin E!

As we mentioned in our previous about Argan Oil for Hair, according to the Ultimate Guide to Using Argan Oil for Hair, by Argan Oil World, “Vitamin E is extremely beneficial for hair, and is found in argan oil in high quantities. Vitamin E promotes healthy hair growth as it contains antioxidants, which help boost cells and encourage them to produce healthy hair – it has even been used for hair regrowth.

Argan oil has a number of benefits when used on hair. It can act as a moisturizer for the scalp to fight dandruff and dry scalp. It can also promote the growth of healthy, strong hair as opposed to thin, brittle hair.”⁵

And don’t forget the antioxidants and fatty acids! All of that combined with the vitamin E in argan oil make it great for a variety of purposes.

1. Argan Oil is an Excellent Conditioner and Moisturizer

As we discussed in our post about Argan Oil for Skincare, argan oil works great as a moisturizer for the skin, but it works just as well on the scalp and in the hair. As you might have guessed, argan oil is a great moisturizer because of its abundance of fatty acids and Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant, which means it helps the skin retain water. This is also part of the reason why argan oil is a non comedogenic oil. Like we said in our Argan Oil for Skin post, “Noncomedogenic oils help keep dry skin supple and oily skin acne-free. That’s because noncomedogenic oils don’t clog pores. This allows skin to breathe, remain hydrated, and keeps it free from breakouts.”⁶

Because argan oil is a non comedogenic oil and it has vitamin E’s moisturizing properties, it’s great for use on the scalp!

2. Argan Oil Prevents Heat and Sun Damage

The vitamin E and antioxidant properties of argan oil also help to provide protection against heat and sun damage for your hair and your skin. As stated by Healthline, “Argan oil has been used by Moroccan women for centuries to protect skin from sun damage. A 2013 study found that the antioxidant activity in argan oil protected skin against free radical damage from the sun. This benefit may also extend to the hair, helping to prevent drying and other damage from ultraviolet rays.”⁷

So using argan oil before or even after a long day in the sun can do wonders for both your hair and skin.

3. Argan Oil Soothes an Itchy, Dry or Red Scalp

A dry, itchy or irritated scalp can be quite the nuisance at times, especially if it comes with dandruff. Argan oil has certain properties, like its fatty acids and vitamins, that are great for the scalp and skin. This can help nourish and promote a more healthy scalp to fight off dryness or itchiness.

As Healthline mentions, “Argan oil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that… can help prevent or improve skin conditions, including those that can affect the scalp that can cause hair loss, like: psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis.”⁷

We’ve also discussed how to treat scalp conditions like dandruff and itchiness with some of our favorite essential oils. Check out or post on Lavender Essential Oil for Your Hair for more information on even more ways to improve your scalp health.

4. Argan Oil Boosts Shine

The experts over at Byrdie.com also love argan oil for its wealth of benefits. In their article 6 Reasons You Should Be Using Argan Oil on Your Hair, they state, “Argan oil is an age-old beauty secret that has many uses, helping to hydrate and soften your hair. With its high content of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamin E, the benefits of argan oil naturally help increase hair’s elasticity and consistently restore shine to dull, lifeless hair.”⁸

So as you can see, the combination of different components in argan oil can provide a wealth of benefits. From sun protection and scalp hydration to shine boost and dryness relief, argan oil just keeps proving what a great addition it is to any skin, scalp or hair care regimen.

5. Argan Oil Reduces Frizz

We want back to Byride.com’s experts to hear what they had to say about argan oil’s frizz fighting capabilities. Here’s what they thought, “Argan oil is rich in nutrients and vitamins such as vitamins A, C, and E; antioxidants; linoleic acid; and omega-6 fatty acids, so it’s a great ingredient for a conditioner. The combination of all these super-nourishing ingredients leaves the hair strands softer, shinier, more manageable, and helps tame frizz.”⁸

Like we said, argan oil is definitely a must-have for treating almost any minor hair issues! Boost shine, reduce frizz and next we’ll talk about promoting hair growth and protecting against styling damage.

6. Argan Oil Encourages Hair Growth and Fights Hair Loss

If you’re looking for more information on how to use argan oil to fight hair loss and promote hair growth, check out our previous post on Argan Oil for Hair Growth!

7. Argan Oil Reduces Damage from Styling and Color

Argan oil is a great, natural way to get your hair and scalp back on track after any damage that could be caused from too much coloring or styling. According to Healthline.com, “The medium-chain fatty acids in argan oil have a protective effect that can help prevent damage from washing and styling.

Research shows that other oils that are rich in linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid add a protective layer to the hair that improves combing force and protects the hair from breakage during heat styling. Oil treatment was also shown to reduce the formation of split ends, which can result in thicker, healthier looking hair.

A 2013 study also found that argan oil reduced damage caused by hair dye when applied to Caucasian hair after color processing.”⁷

So not only does argan oil reduce damage, research has shown it can actually repair the hair by reducing the formation of split ends. Meanwhile, it is also improving the health of your scalp and providing protection against the sun!

8. Argan Oil Improves Scalp, Follicle and Hair Health

As we mentioned before, argan oil is great for the health of your scalp! The mixture of fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins, combined with argan oil’s non comedogenic property make it great for your scalp and follicles. According to Healthline, it’s the Vitamin E, “which provides a fatty layer to your hair and scalp that may help prevent dryness and can help reduce frizziness and boost shine.”⁷

What did you think of our top 8 best benefits or argan oil for hair? If you’d more information on ways to use argan oil, check out our previous articles on Argan Oil for Your Face & Skin and Argan Oil for Hair Growth.

If you have some more tips on using argan oil for hair let us know! Comment, Like, Share and Follow Us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!

Sources

Best Argan Oil for Hair