The facts and history behind Argan Oil and its use in Moroccan Oil and Moroccan Oil ahir products by www.headtotoeshop.co.uk.

www.headtotoeshop.co.uk has been at the forefront of the introduction of argan oil based haircare products in the UK. As one of the UK’s first users and retailers of Moroccan Oil products, and again, one of the first to introduce Kerastase Elixir Ultime, which boasts the use of argan oil amongst its ingredients. For those that like to find out a little more about their hair care products we take a look behind the history and facts of argan oil.

The argan tree (argania spinosa) is perfect for a harsh environment, surviving heat, drought and poor soil.

It is little known outside Morocco, and many Moroccans themselves have never heard of it because it grows only in the south-west of the country - roughly between Essaouira and Agadir, in an area covering 700,000-800,000 hectares. But within the area where the argan grows there are about 21 million trees which play a vital role in the food chain and the environment, though their numbers are declining, it is thought the modern rediscovery of this precious oil will halt the decline in tree numbers.

The tree, which is thorny and can reach heights of 8-10 metres, probably originated in Argana, a village north-east of Agadir. It lives longer than the olive and requires no cultivation.

The trunk of the argan is often twisted and gnarled, allowing goats to clamber along its branches and feed on the leaves and fruit.

The fruit has a green, fleshy exterior like an olive, but larger and rounder. Inside, there is a nut with an extremely hard shell, which in turn contains one, two or three almond-shaped kernels.

When goats eat the fruit, the fleshy part is digested but the nut remains. Later, the nuts are collected by farmers to produce oil.

The production of argan oil, which is still mostly done by traditional methods, is a lengthy process. Each nut has to be cracked open to remove the kernels, and it is said that producing one litre of oil takes 20 hours' work.

Argan oil is slightly darker than olive oil, with a reddish tinge. It can be used for cooking and is claimed to have various medicinal properties, such as lowering cholesterol levels, stimulating circulation and strengthening the body’s natural defences. Internationally, there is now much interest in its cosmetic uses. Moroccan Oil uses Argan oil in their range of hair care products, and this brand has become a world leader in the specialized use of argan oil in hair care. Other manufacturers such as L’oreal Paris Kerastase use argan oil in their Elixir Ultime hair treatment.

Both Moroccan Oil and Kerastase Elixir Ultime can be found and purchased from www.headtotoeshop.co.uk, along with a range of Moroccan Oil shampoos, conditioners and styling products all benefiting from the argan oil, and all having a huge following in the hairdressing industry. This simple ancient oil has taken the hair and cosmetic industry by storm, and looks set to continue for many years to come.

Head to Toe Shop is the retail arm of Head to Toe, a five star hair and beauty salon in the heart of Oxfordshire, UK. www.headtotoeshop.co.uk offers the world’s leading hair and beauty salon brands at low discounted prices delivered direct to your door, often for free for orders over £30.00 in the UK.