How and where to buy Argan oil?

With online shopping and low prices on the internet, most people think that buying argan oil is an easy thing; after all, you just need to read reviews and pay with your credit card! However, buying argan oil can be very tricky and you are at high risk of getting scammed!

In this guide, you will learn important tips in order to always buy the most authentic and healthy argan oil.

In our argan oil plantation in the South of Morroco, many tourists come to us and ask us about tips for buying the best argan oil, these are the tips we always give them, use them too in order to make the right decision when all the time:

The first important criteria when buying Argan oil is to ask yourself why would you like to buy it?

This might sound like a strange question, however it’s extremely important to answer.

I.e., there are two types of argan oil, culinary argan oil and cosmetic Argan oil, those are totally different and as their name suggests, they serve different purposes.

If you want to buy culinary Argan oil, then the criteria are totally different, you need to focus on the flavors, the quantity, and the argan oil color, trust me, buying culinary Argan oil is one of the trickiest things you can do, there are many crooked vendors and most manufacturers are going to add canola oil or other flavorless oils to increase the quantity and to get more money from you!

One of the best culinary argan oils you can buy is by Zamouri Spices, a Moroccan wholesaler, it’s the most authentic and flavorful in my opinion.

The color, the texture and the flavors are amazing. You can use culinary argan oil for your salad dressings and tagines.

The second type is cosmetic argan oil, and it’s the one I'm going to explain how to buy most to you because a lot of people are misled by crooked vendors.

When buying cosmetic argan oil, you should always aim for high quality, because argan oil is going to certainly be applied to your skin and hair, and it’s highly absorbable by your skin, if you buy low-quality argan oil, it will certainly do more harm than good to your skin and hair.

• The first thing to look for when buying cosmetic argan oil is the technique of extraction.

It’s very important because it’s the one thing that will determine whether the argan oil is going to be good for your skin and hair or not.

There are two different techniques for extracting argan oil, the first one uses heat to roast the argan nuts before grinding and pressing them, this technique is damaging for the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory organic compounds of argan oil, and it’s mainly used to get culinary argan oil, the roasting is going to give the oil is very nutty and flavorful aromas.

The second technique of extraction is cold pressed, and it’s the best one for getting the most nutritious and beneficial cosmetic argan oil because the argan nuts are not roasted, they are raw when crushed and pressed, and the temperatures are highly monitored, this means that the oil will stay rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules, the Omega6s and Omega9s fatty acids will not to be damaged, they are the ones responsible for making the skin very firm and healthy looking.

• The next thing you should focus on when buying cosmetic argan oil is the method of oil extraction.

By this I mean whether solvents have been used to extract the oil or not. You should avoid as much chemical interventions as possible when buying argan oil because these solvents are going to stay in the final product and may even get into your bloodstream!

• Another important criterion is the smell.

Many will consider that cosmetic argan oil must not smell, this is totally wrong because it’s the smell that carries all the antioxidants your skin and hair need, that's why you should stay away from deodorized argan oil, it’s a waste of money, it’s like applying canola oil on your skin!

• The next criterion is the origin.

We all have heard that argan oil comes from Morocco, but there are other countries that produce argan oil too, among them are Mexico and Israel, I have nothing against this, but in these countries, argan oil is produced using modern techniques, this may sound like a good thing, but in Morocco, the argan trees are left alone, they fight off the harsh weather, the bugs, the goats, the droughts, the intense heat, and many more elements, alone and with no human intervention!

This is how we grow argan trees in our argan plantation, we just let them be! We plant them and forget about them, this is how we get the most flavorful and antioxidants rich argan oil.

This makes the argan oil produced in Morocco one of the richest oils in the world in term of antioxidants, it’s because the argan trees are battling the elements alone, no pesticides and no fertilizers will ever be used, and if you come to Morocco and visit the South, you will find argan trees growing wonderfully well in the desert and in the harsh rocky mountains!

Argan oil from other countries may be less aromatic and more "beautiful" in terms of color and texture, but the true argan oil is the one that comes from Morocco.

• The final criterion to consider when buying Argan oil is the freshness and the amount.

Argan oil is a highly perishable product, this is why I highly recommend that you only buy from Amazon.com, the products are always new and fresh.

The next thing to focus on is the amount, if you are getting too much argan oil for a bargain, then you are certainly being scammed as argan oil is very expensive.

With this said, I think that the best cosmetic argan oil to buy is provided by a Moroccan brand called Mogador Argan Oil, it’s organic and it’s produced in the South of Morocco, more precisely in the region of Essaouira.

It’s the best argan oil to buy.