Moroccan Argan Oil - AAA Shea Butter Organic Virgin Cold Pressed Argan Oil + Josie Maran Argan Oil

I don't know why it took me so long to write a post about argan oil.  I'm still not sure if I should write one since Josie Maran has made it known and "out there". I've been using argan oil for many years now.  I've been using it maybe a year or longer before Josie Maran debuted her argan oil.  


What got me first interested and ultimately testing argan oil was that one time I was reading the forum or website of the renowned professional Hong Kong celebrity make-up artist Gary Chung.  People were asking him advice for their skin problems.  Some had dry skin, some had problems with acne, and some had problems with oily skin.  He gave the same simple answer to each of them: argan oil.  I decided that I had to look this up and voila, even before Josie Maran's debut, there was a lot of positive reviews from communities about this oil.  


Argan Oil?


I won't give a formal definition or description of what argan oil is because you've probably already heard of it, plus I am not a mad scientist or a biochemist nor am I a self-acclaimed expert on this.  Argan oil is an oil produced from the kernels of an argan tree in Morocco.  I also remember reading that argan oil is closest to our natural sebum, which is a good thing.  Taken from Josie Maran's site, "Argan Oil is extremely high in anti-oxidants, vitamin E, phenols, phenolic acid, essential fatty acids, carotene, and squalene. Perfect for both skin and hair, Argan Oil is moisturizing, helps to balance sebum production, is known to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, reduce redness, and repair sun damage. Josie Maran Argan Oil is the highest quality Argan Oil on the market, coming from a virgin first cold press."


And taken from AAA Shea Butter on Amazon.com, "The Argan Tree, Argania spinosa from Sapotaceae family and grows only in Morocco. The trees can live from 150-200 years. For centuries traditional cosmetic products produced from Argania spinosa have been a well kept secret known only to Berber women in Morocco. Argan oil is believed to be one of the rarest oils in the world. To produce Argan oil for cosmetic use, freshly harvested kernels from the fruit of the Argan tree are pressed and filtered through an organic cotton sieve, to extract the aromatic oil. The Argan oil is easily absorbed by the skin. This form of Argan oil is used for the treatment of dermatologic disease (acne, etc). Argan oil extracted by this method is used in Aromatherapy. In Europe, Argan oil has been used in the Aromatherapy industry for a long time, but for some reason it is not well known in the United States and is unavailable in retail stores. Argan oil has almost twice as much vitamin E or a-tocopherol as olive oil and it is much richer in linoleic acids. Its anti-ageing properties, due to high levels of vitamin E and saponins (which soften the skin), are well documented. Tocopherols are very important to human health because of their anti-oxidant actions and free radical scavenger affects. In traditional Moroccan medicine, Argan oil is used for the care of the body and face to counteract the effects of age or weather."


I've also read that there are I believe 3 forms of processing for argan oil, but I can't seem to find it right now.  The different methods of processing for different use.  Both Josie Maran's and AAA Shea Butter's are said to be cold pressed.  


Just in general 


Before I go into the difference/comparison of the two brands, I would like to say that in general argan oil is simply amazing.  I loved it the first time I tried it.  Argan Oil is multi-purposeful, good for the face, body and hair.  You only need a drop or two and you just rub it onto your hands before applying it.  In general, argan oil does everything it claims to do.  It has made my skin radiant, hydrated and just simply beautiful.  I love argan oil and its a must for all.


How do I use my argan oil?


This amazing multipurpose oil can be used for the face, body and hair.  You just need a drop or two and just rub it in your palms and apply.  I use it for facial massages.  I usually use it after toner as a serum underneath my moisturizer, or alone as a moisturizer over toner.  


Which one?


Like I've said, I've been using argan oil before Josie Maran debuted hers and it is the one by AAA Shea Butter.  Since, Josie's wasn't out yet, my first impression of AAA's was that it was great.  The only thing is that it has a smell, its not really a nutty smell.  It's a little strange smell, some may be pulled off by the smell.  And I'm not sure about temperature changes and maybe seasonal changes affecting the oil, but some comments have been about the bad quality of the product.  I only bought the AAA once, and mine was alright, so maybe they got a bad one.  Not too sure about that.  Also, some had said it made their hair brittle.  Not sure about that because I don't use either argan oil for my hair.


When Josie Maran came out with her argan oil, of course I had to try it too.  Josie Maran's is pricier and she's a supermodel, so in other words: good reputation.  Josie Maran's argan oil doesn't have that weird smell.  


It's really difficult to say which is better.  When I first tried Josie Maran's, I was thinking, this one's not as good because it has a dropper and I thought I was using more.  After I started using JM's for a while longer, I started thinking that this one is better than AAA's because it seems like it is more smooth and lighter, allowing my skin to absorb it more.  I finished off JM's first before returning to my AAA, which btw, lasts for a very long time, even after spilling it a lot while transferring it to the JM dropper bottle.  After returning to the AAA, I still think it is good.  It's still hydrating and everything.  It just has that smell, but its not overpowering.  


So, just a breakdown on the differences:


AAA Shea Butter Organic Virgin Cold Pressed Argan Oil

• has a bad smell
• much cheaper

Josie Maran Argan Oil

• Josie Maran = supermodel reputation
• more expensive
• no smell
• Josie Maran = supermodel reputation

I am definitely gonna continue using argan oil for the rest of my life.  I think the argan oil that I will likely repurchase is the Josie Maran one because its readily available at Sephora and it doesn't have a smell.  And maybe because of its "quality supermodel reputation".   It is pricier but I think I will get a much larger bottle of JM's and maybe I will get AAA's after that.  


Thanks for reading,


Peary


P.S. Stay tuned for my upcoming sheet masks reviews.   I still need to do the reviews of the rest of the Silk Whitia and I want to start on the la glace ones and some bio cellulose ones.