It’s sometimes called “Liquid Gold” because the oil is so prized.
When I went to Africa I saw mothers rub it on newborn babies’ skin, women brush it into their hair.
People even sprinkle it on their couscous because the oil is not only good for your skin and hair, but it’s also healthy to eat. Studies show it can even improve markers for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
For your skin, you can use it to reduce blemishes, reduce scars left by acne, prevent stretch marks, moisturize and relieve chapped and dry skin. It’s also used to protect skin elasticity and promote healthy skin and hair.
In fact, it’s so healthy for skin that this oil even fights skin cancer.
In one study, researchers treated animal melanoma cells with this special oil. The more oil the cells got, the more it decreased production of enzymes that help the skin cancer cells grow.1
This could be because it contains the polyphenol schottenol, which shows anti-cancer potential, and the phytonutrient spinasterol, which is anti-tumor.
What is this incredible oil?
It’s called argan oil. It comes from the kernels of the fruit of the argan tree, native to North Africa.
There are many plants that are excellent for your skin but little-known in the West, and argan oil is one of the best.
The first people to use it for skin were the Berber people of southwest Morocco around 800 years ago. Now its use has spread throughout Africa.
On my most recent visit to Africa, I saw traditional African healers and local herbalists use it to reduce redness, even out skin tone, smooth out wrinkles, heal dry skin and even relieve itching and irritation.
Clinical trials like the one I just mentioned show us that many of these natural traditional treatments shunned by modern medicine really do work.
And for many of my female patients, these hidden remedies are very important to help them naturally retain the look and feel of youth.
What does that have to do with argan oil?
During menopause, your estrogen decreases. And your skin is an estrogen-dependent organ. So when you go through menopause, you’re more predisposed to develop skin dryness.
This is characterized by an increase in trans-dermal water loss from your skin, and a decrease in the water content of the epidermis.
Argan oil contains linoleic acid, a fatty acid that can enter through the skin and helps enhance firmness and support the sebum, the fatty fluid your body produces to keep your skin soft and supple.
It also has other skin-healthy components like polyphenols (plant nutrients that are protective for humans), tocopherols (heart healthy vitamin E components), and squalene (which helps skin retain moisture and firmness).
So using it helps keep your skin healthy after menopause.
At the Research Center for Medicine and Biopharmacy in Morocco, researchers looked at the effects of argan oil for post-menopausal skin. They wanted to see if their “liquid gold” could help improve skin, relieve dryness and increase water retention.
They looked at thirty healthy postmenopausal women and asked them to apply a few drops of argan oil to one forearm, and nothing to the other. The women were also asked not to use any other skincare or cosmetic throughout the study.
After only two months of daily argan oil, ALL the women showed a huge decrease in trans-dermal water loss, and a huge increase in epidermal water content.2
You can buy argan oil at many online stores. Pure argan oil is potent, and you don’t need much with each use, so you’ll often see it in 2 or 4 oz. droppers.
Look for pure Argania spinosa oil that has been cold pressed from the kernels. Some that I’ve seen have vitamin E tocopherol added as a preservative, but most of that will be synthetic alpha-tocopherol, which you don’t want.
I’ve been recommending argan oil to my patients for a while now, but only recently have my team and I figured out how to best help you use argan oil to benefit your own skin.
What I decided to do was put argan oil into a scrub. So after you wash your face, when commercial scrubs would only dry out your face, this special scrub will do the opposite.
1. Villareal M, et. al. “Activation of MITF by Argan Oil Leads to the Inhibition of the Tyrosinase and Dopachrome Tautomerase Expressions in B16 Murine Melanoma Cells.” Evid Based Comp Alt Med. 2013;2013:340107.
2. Boucetta K, et. al. “Does Argan oil have a moisturizing effect on the skin of postmenopausal women?” Skin Research and Technology, 2013; Volume 19, Issue 3, pages 356–357.