The relaxing effect of essential oils on the mind
Did you know that the components of your cosmetics could have a positive effect on your well-being ? Particularly when they contain essential oils ! Essential oils have many benefits on your health, skin but also your mind, when they have been carefully selected. Essential oils can thus relax and relieve stress.
When applied on the skin, essential oils will pass through your body to help you relax, and will have a positive effect directly within your skin tissues. To get even more benefits from essential oils, you can inhale your skincare products when applying them on your skin. Instead of applying your products as usual, without thinking about it, rub your hands together with a few drops of product.
Cup your hands below your nose and inhale the relaxing essential oils.
When a skincare product contains essential oils, its molecules will lift up your nose and soothe your mind. This is why we add essential oils to our products whenever it’s possible. Our anti-aging face serum for example, contains neroli essential oil while our waterless and moisturizing face cream contains ylang ylang essential oil and jasmine absolute.
7 relaxing essential oils
Which essential oils use to relax ? Which essential oils help fight against stress and anxiety ? We will list in this article the properties of 7 essential oils.
1. Jasmine essential oil
Latin name: Jasmimum grandiflorum
Jasmine essential oil, which is actually jasmine grandiflorum absolute, is known as “the night queen”. Did you notice the enchanting fragrance in the streets when the sun is down ? Jasmine has the ability to fill the air with its enchanting fragrance, warm, floral, comforting and soothing.
Also, jasmine is rare, and its delicate flowers are handpicked to preserve its odorant properties. Jasmine essential oil – or jasmine absolute – is known to help being optimistic and to sooth the body and mind.
It is advised in case of stress, anxiety and bad mood. Relaxing, it enables soothing tension and promoting sleep, perfect if you use it before going to bed !
You can find this essential oil in our moisturizing face cream.
Important: it is not recommended during pregnancy and when breastfeeding, and not recommended for children under 7.
2. Ylang ylang essential oil
Latin name: Cananga Odorata
Ylang ylang essential oil has many cosmetic properties, we can actually find it in the composition of many skincare products. But it also has many benefits on the mind. As jasmine essential oil, it has a floral and voluptuous fragrance. It is the sort of fragrance that is easily recognizable !
Ylang ylang essential oil calms nervous tensions, relieves stress, restlessness, irritability and mood swings. It also fights against sleeping disorders and momentary blues cases. It is also well known for its aphrodisiac virtues !
You can also find it in our hydrating face cream.
Important: it is not recommended before the 2nd quarter of pregnancy and for children under 7.
3. Lavender essential oil
Latin name: Lavandula angustifolia/officinalis or lavandula vera
Lavender essential oil is one of the most renowned essential oil to soothe the body, skin and mind. Its aromatic molecules will do a lot of good to your mind. Soothing and relaxing, it is advised to relieve blues moments and anxiety. It is advised to help recover from hard times and to help the mind rest. It can be used pure on wrists, inhaled whenever you need it.
Important: it is not recommended before the 2nd quarter of pregnancy and for children under 3. If you are breastfeeding, ask your practitioner.
Citrus essential oils help fight against the stress
Let’s now have a look at citrus fruits with bergamot, orange, petitgrain and neroli essential oils. You will actually notice that the latin names of these essential oils all begin with the common denominator “citrus”.
Important: citrus essential oils are photosensitive, one should not have sun exposure after using them on the skin. It is also important to use them when diluted with vegetable oils, and not pure on the skin.
4. Bergamot essential oil
Latin name : Citrus bergamia
Bergamot essential oil is ideal if you need relaxing, well-being and a little help to sleep. The molecules contained in this essential oil helps lowering down blood pressure and stress. They act positively on the nervous system and help soothe the mind. The citrusy fragrance of bergamot essential oil makes it very pleasant to use.
Important: it is not recommended during pregnancy and when breastfeeding, and not recommended for children under 7.
5. Orange essential oil
Latin name : Citrus sinensis
Calming, soothing and anti-stress, orange essential oil helps sleeping and brings joy. It is recommended in case of anxiety, depression, mood swing and burn out.
Important: it is not recommended before the 3rd quarter of pregnancy and for children under 3.
6. Petitgrain essential oil
Latin name : Citrus aurantium
Calming and relaxing, petitgrain essential oil soothes the mind and calms nervous strain. Also known as bitter orange essential oil (citrus aurantium in latin), it is ideal for irritability and mood swings. It is the essential oil of “emotion”, perfect to feel well and serene. It helps fight against stress and to have a feeling of comfort.
Important: it is not recommended before the 2nd quarter of pregnancy and for children under 6.
7. Neroli essential oil
Latin name : Citrus aurantium ssp amara
Did you notice the common point between petitgrain essential oil and neroli essential oil? They are part of the same plant, which explains the common denominator “citrus aurantium” which corresponds to the bitter orange tree. Petitgrain essential oil is obtained from bitter orange leaves while neroli essential oil comes from its flowers. Which means this essential oil is more rare and precious, and has a higher price.
Its properties are very effective on the nervous system. It has nearly the same properties as petitgrain essential oil, but they are way multiplied in neroli essential oil ! It is then perfect to soothe the mind. Besides having a voluptuous and enchanting fragrance, neroli helps reequilibrating the nervous system. This essential oil relieves anxiety, helps relaxing and sleeping.
You can find it in our anti-aging face serum.
Important: it is not recommended before the 2nd quarter of pregnancy and for children under 6.
Crafting an Anti-Aging Routine with just 4 Key Ingredients
Mature skin, (first) wrinkles, fine lines, dull complexion, dehydrated skin or sagging skin… The effects of time are not kind to us and often reflect our age. But no panic ! When using the right products and doing the right things, you will be able to fight against age signs.
Did you know ? It is not only the time passing that determines the soupleness and tonicity of the skin, but also its visual aspect. There can be many factors as : genetics, hormones, lifestyle, sun exposure, etc…
Why use anti-ageing products in one’s routine?
The first signs of ageing usually appear around the age of 30. We often advise to start applying anti-ageing skincare products at the age of 25. It is from that moment that collagen production lowers down.
But the real signs of skin maturity appear around menopause. The hormones drop linked to this specific time leads to skin dehydration and a loss of firmness. The face oval is less maintained and wrinkles and brown spots might appear. But again, no panic ! You can limit the ageing signs adopting skin routine “saviors”.
Besides from adopting a healthy lifestyle as soon as possible (food, hydration, sleep, physical activity, limit alcohol consumption and smoking, etc) you can choose to have a natural anti-ageing routine with adapted skincare products and most of all….organic. You can then forget silicones that will hide ageing effects without treating them. What is important is to take care of your skin effectively and sustainably.
Natural and anti-ageing ingredients and products
In the domain of organic cosmetics there are a lot of ingredients that enable fighting efficiently against ageing signs. Among them, prickly pear seed oil, argan oil, musk rose oil, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol, vegetable collagen but also coenzyme Q10. There are many ingredients of natural origin to fight against skin ageing !
But what is an anti-ageing ingredient?
An anti-ageing ingredient is intended to limit the signs of skin ageing. It reduces wrinkles, fine lines, brown spots, the loss of radiance, elasticity but also skin dehydration. Anti-ageing products that contain this type of ingredients can be used to prevent or to treat these issues.
Let’s have a look at the most renowned natural anti-ageing ingredients !
➔ Argan oil
Argan oil nourishes, protects and revitalises the skin. It is rich in vitamin E (antioxidant) and in sterols (which stimulate cell membranes). Rich in essential fatty acids, it has high levels of omegas 6 and 9. Omegas 9 are good for skin elasticity and prevent skin premature ageing while omegas 6 diminish skin water loss.
➔ Musk rose oil
Musk rose oil, also known as rosa mosqueta oil, enables cell regeneration and improves skin suppleness and elasticity. It improves collagen synthesis, protects the skin from free radicals and helps preventing wrinkles. It also has positive benefits on brown spots.
➔ Prickly pear seed oil
Prickly pear seed oil has many benefits for the skin. Its richness in vitamin E, omega-6 and sterols enables this oil to be the perfect ingredient to fight against free radicals, responsible for skin aging. The concentration of sterols is much higher than the one in argan oil, which is also recommended to prevent skin aging. Its high concentration of omega-6 helps prickly pear seed oil effectively fight against skin dehydration.
➔ Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight of water, which shows its super hydrating power ! It is naturally present in our skin, but its concentration lowers drastically over time. It helps maintain the hydration, elasticity and suppleness of the skin, while plumping it and giving it a smoother appearance. Indeed, it does the same as a sponge would do. Hyaluronic acid also stimulates collagen production and skin cells’ renewal.
Prevent ageing by cleansing the skin
It’s important to have a gentle and effective daily skincare routine. Cleansing the skin, using a tonic and applying nourishing treatments will be the perfect routine to naturally fight against ageing !
In order to prepare your skin, the first step is to clean it properly. A skin cleaned on a regular basis will naturally look better. Even if you don’t wear makeup, the pollution, sweat, and impurities that accumulate during the day will not be “great” for your skin.
You can start removing your makeup with vegetable oil and floral water, massaging your face with your fingers. Then clean your skin with a gentle cleanser, such as cold processed soap, which is enriched with nourishing and anti-aging active ingredients (argan oil for example). Apply the soap on your face, rinse with clean water, and dry smoothly with a clean towel. These natural products are great for cleansing the skin softly.
After your skin is clean and dry, apply some toner or floral water to tighten pores. Rose water and orange blossom water are particularly recommended for mature skin. Rose flower water not only smells super good, but it is also known to fight skin aging.
Nourish mature skin with organic products
After cleansing, it’s time to nourish and hydrate your skin. The face of course, but also the neckline and neck, often forgotten, but which also require great attention and care.
Apply an organic anti-aging serum by rubbing a few drops between your hands. “Heating” the product will help it better penetrate the skin. We advise you to massage your skin for a few minutes to stimulate microcirculation. You may be interested in our anti-aging organic face serum enriched with prickly pear seed oil and raspberry seed oil. The latter is rich in omega 3 and antioxidants, perfect for fighting skin ageing !
Hydrate mature skin with organic products
To finish your skincare routine, apply a nutshell of our organic face cream. It does not contain water. It is actually composed of aloe vera juice and rose flower water, which hydrate the skin deeply. Most face creams contain at least 70% water, but water does not contain active ingredients. The water contained in face creams is used to obtain an emulsion between the different ingredients and provides a creamy texture to the final product. But we decided to use aloe vera juice and rose flower water instead. Our organic face cream has then a higher concentration of active ingredients than a classic face cream has.
Unlocking 5 Rhassoul Benefits for Your Skin and Hair
What is rhassoul?
Rich in essential nutrients and minerals, Rhassoul benefits are large for hair and skin. Also called ghassoul, rhassoul is a volcanic Moroccan clay that has been used since a long time by women in Morocco. Rhassoul powder is an essential part of the hammam ritual! It is used as a multi-purpose treatment : on hair, on the body and on the face. In Morocco, it is often mixed with rose water, orange flower water, argan oil or essential oils. Indeed, it has many properties for skin and hair.
The 5 rhassoul benefits and properties
Rhassoul powder contains a large amount of natural saponins. Saponins have gentle but effective cleansing properties. Unlike some soaps and shampoos, it does not pollute groundwater because it is not composed of any surfactant, only natural saponins. Moroccan clay is very gentle to the hydrolipidic film of the skin and scalp and absorbs impurities without irritating.
List of the 5 rhassoul benefits and properties:
- it makes the skin soft
- gently purifies (scalp and skin)
- It makes hair silky and shiny
- regulates sebum excess
- It brings volume to the hair
How to use rhassoul on hair?
Fun fact : rhassoul can replace your usual shampoo! This is called the no poo technique (no shampoo). It helps get rid of impurities and absorb sebum excess. It does not contain surfactants. On the other hand, it contains natural saponins that are gentle with sebaceous glands. Did you know they were responsible for the production of sebum?
Rhassoul, for which type of hair?
Rhassoul can be used by all hair types but it is recommended for hair that need volume, normal to oily hair, but also scalps that are irritated or prone to dandruff. It helps wash less regularly your hair, and has a regulatory role on sebaceous glands: either by preventing your scalp from producing too much sebum, or by stimulating these glands so that they produce a sufficient quantity of sebum to “nourish” dry hair.
Now that you know the many benefits of rhassoul for hair, let’s see how to use it ! Rhassoul can be used on wet hair and applied to the roots. To do so, you just need to mix it with a bit of cold water or flower water, and a bit of vegetable oil like argan oil. Important: in order to keep the natural absorbent properties of rhassoul, be careful not to use a metal container or utensil. Prefer stainless steel, glass, wood or ceramic.
Quick recipe for using rhassoul on hair: Mix 2 tablespoons of rhassoul, 1/2 teaspoon of argan oil and a bit of cold water. Stir until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Apply on wet hair with your fingers, insisting on the roots.
If your hair lacks moisture, you can turn your rhassoul shampoo into a mask by adding moisturizing ingredients like vegetable glycerin, soy yogurt or aloe vera gel to your preparation.
Rhassoul hair mask
In a bowl, pour and mix:
- 2 tablespoons of rhassoul
- 1 teaspoon of oil of your choice (argan, coconut or jojoba oil)
- 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
- a few drops of essential oil (check their properties and precautions before use)
- 2 tablespoons of mineral water or rose water
Leave this mask on your scalp for 5 to 10 minutes, and rinse with water.
How to use rhassoul on the face?
Naturally rich in minerals (magnesium, iron, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, etc.), rhassoul can be used in face masks. It will gently remove impurities and sebum excess, while cleansing and detoxifying the skin. It is so gentle that it can also be used around the eyes.
For which skin types can rhassoul be beneficial?
It can be used on all skin types. But it is especially recommended in case of impurities, pimples and blackheads. If you want to purify your skin and tighten your pores, this is the clay your skin needs! Rhassoul is also particularly appreciated by combination to oily skin and acne-prone skin. Naturally gentle, it cleanses without irritating the sebaceous glands. It can thus be used by sensitive and reactive ski.
Rhassoul face mask
For a soft and purified skin, mix in a bowl:
- 1 tablespoon of rhassoul powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of oil of your choice (argan or jojoba)
- 2 teaspoons of mineral water or organic rose water
Mix until you get a texture that is easy to apply on the face. If needed, add water or clay to your mixture. Apply this mask in circular movements on your face and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let the mask dry completely, as this may remove too much sebum from your skin (which needs a minimum of sebum). Rinse off gently with water and apply your usual oil or moisturizer. Note: your rhassoul mask can be kept up to 48 hours in the refrigerator, but it is rather advised to use it after preparing it.
Ayda natural rhassoul powder (picture: blog the green blossom)
Focus on Ayda’s rhassoul powder
Since we released our rhassoul powder, the comment that comes up most often is that it is very thin. The fact that it is an ultra-fine powder allows it to be better mixed with other ingredients. It thus gives more homogeneous textures and it is more pleasant to apply, especially on the face. We are often told that it is of very good quality, like all our other products of course ;)
But what makes it different from other rhassoul powders? First, it is packaged in a glass jar. In addition to being ecological, this packaging helps preserve all of its properties and qualities. Then, it is ultra-thin, which makes it a very pleasant powder to apply. The quality of our rhassoul clay powder lies in its selection : it is extracted in the Boulemane region in Morocco, on the edge of the Middle Atlas, about 200 kilometers from the city of Fez.
First dried under the sun, the clay extracted from rhassoul quarries is cleaned with water and then filtered, in order to remove impurities. The last operation is to dry it again and to transform the rhassoul clay into an ultra-fine powder. It is the know-how in drying and sieving rhassoul powder that determines its quality.
Maximizing Aloe Vera Benefits for your Skincare and Haircare Routines
What are the benefits of aloe vera gel? How to use it?
Aloe vera is a succulent plant composed of an hydrating pulp (up to 98% of water!) This plant was already present in the ancient medecine treaties for its benefits in medicinal (burns and scars) and cosmetic care. We actually chose to use this plant in our organic face cream, instead of water, which is usually used in skincare products.
Aloe vera gel is the star ingredient of natural cosmetics : its properties have many benefits on skin and hair. You can have a look at the way to use aloe vera gel on face and hair in the corresponding parts of this article. Aloe vera gel can be used in different ways, on the face as a serum, a cream, an under eye treatment, but also as an after-sun gel or an hydrating treatment for hair.
Note : it is important to have a look at its components if you buy it as an ingredient. Some aloe vera gels are made of water and dehydrated powder (leaf powder). Dehydrated leaf powder has less benefits and less nutrients. Real aloe vera gel can be found under the name of “Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice“.
Benefits of aloe vera gel
Don’t hesitate to take notes as aloe vera gel is one of the magic ingredients that have many active components – over 150 ! Rich in vitamins, oligo-elements, minerals, enzymes and essential amino acids, it has many benefits for skin and hair. Essential amino acids naturally present in the aloe vera pulp help regenerate skin tissues (keratinocytes and fibroblasts).
Aloe vera gel is a real concentrate of properties : it is hydrating, soothing, healing, regenerating, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, repairing, tightening…
Its benefits on the face
Aloe vera gel is great for all skin types : mature skin, dry skin but also sensitive skin and skin with imperfections. It is a great ingredient to seal skin moisture, but it also has many other benefits.
Here are some examples of its benefits on the face :
- Repairing (stimulates skin repair),
- Anti-aging (smoothes skin, reduces fine lines, diminishes dark spots),
- Stimulates cell renewal (collagen and elastin synthesis),
- Hydrating (it helps compensate the natural process of skin dehydration),
- Soothing (irritations, redness, fever spots),
- Purifying (acne, sebum excess),
- Healing (acne scars, small cuts, razor cuts),
- Nourishing (thanks to its richness in vitamins and oligo-elements),
- Protecting (it forms a film on skin’s surface).
Aloe vera gel has a great synergy with vegetable oils as it helps fatty acids penetrate the skin. It is advised to mix it with a vegetable oil to avoid the tightening effect that it may cause when used on its own. You can find below 3 examples of skincare uses : lifting serum, hydrating under eye care, after-shave (to soothe razor burn). These recipes don’t contain preservatives, thus, they have to be used the same day you prepare them.
★ Face lifting serum recipe : 2 doses of aloe vera gel for 1 dose of vegetable oil of your choice.
☆ Hydrating under eye care : 2 doses of aloe vera gel for 1 dose of avocado oil.
★ Refreshing after-shave recipe : 1 dose of aloe vera gel, 1 dose of argan oil and 1 press of peppermint water.
Aloe vera gel for hair
While it has many benefits on the skin, aloe vera gel is great for hair too ! It suits all hair types, giving them a great shot of hydration. It is also known to soothe itchy scalp, when it is sensitive, irritated or with dandruff. Aloe vera gel also enables to space out shampoos by regulating excess sebum (when applied on dry hair roots). If it’s suitable for all hair types, it is particularly recommended for dry, oily or weakened hair, but also for hair lacking hydration.
Aside from its hydrating and regenerating properties, aloe vera gel gives a great definition to frizzy, curly and wavy hair. You can find below 3 quick uses of aloe vera gel on hair. These recipes will enable you to create a hair gel, an hydrating recipe and a curl defining serum. These recipes don’t contain preservatives, thus, they have to be used the same day you prepare them.
★ Hair gel recipe : Pour and warm between your hands 1 to 2 nutshells of aloe vera gel, and apply on dry hair.
☆ Hydrating recipe for hair : Mix 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel with 1 teaspoon of argan oil and apply to lengths and ends. You can apply this recipe on dry or damp hair, depending on your hair type. It is ideal for deeply repairing and hydrating hair.
★ Curl defining serum : Mix 2 tablespoon with 1 teaspoon of broccoli oil. Apply on wet hair. Use the “scrunch” method if you want to add more bounce to your waves and curls.
Aloe vera gel benefits on the body
It has many benefits on your face and hair. But did you know it also has many benefits on your body?
Excellent for tightening skin, it helps diminish and prevent stretch marks, providing your skin with all the hydration it needs ! It is great for recent scars, as it helps diminishing them. It also soothes sunburns, insect bites, irritations and superficial burns.
Thanks to its healing properties, it helps alleviate burns and irritations. If you have sunburns or in case of insect bites, apply 2 nutshells of aloe vera gel and 2-3 drops of organic lavender essential oil. It will help accelerate the healing process.
Argan oil benefits
Argan tree history
First of all, argan oil comes from the argan tree which is a thousand years old ! Well-known in Morocco, it glees its inhabitants…and goats. The latests are fond of argan tree fruits, and if you happen to cross the road of this tree, you will have a chance to see goats perched on its branches. You can find the argan tree in South-West of Morocco, in the High Atlas region.
goats eating the fruits of the argan tree
Did you know?
The argan tree helps slow down desert growth in arid areas of Morocco. It then enables maintaining good levels of humidity and soil fertility for agriculture.
Vegetable argan oil is used for its cosmetics and culinary properties. When used in recipes, and thanks to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, it helps protect the cardiovascular system.
Argan oil’s ID
Latin name : Argania spinosa
Origin : Morocco (Souss Valley)
Part of the plant : argan fruit
Production method : cold-pressed fruit
How is argan oil made?
The argan tree fruit contains one to three nuts, also known as “amandons”. But how to obtain this precious oil?
Nuts’ peeking is done during the summer by moroccan women. They dry the argan fruits under the sun, take off the flesh and crush nuts’ shells to extract the little nuts. 40 to 60 kilos of argan fruits are necessary to obtain 1 liter of oil. The argan tree plays an important role in this arid region of Morocco as argan oil production is the only women’s source of revenue… We advise you to choose an organic argan oil, 100% pure and natural.
argan nuts
Let’s have a look at argan oil’s components
If it’s that reputed, it’s because of its precious ingredients ! Composed of mostly 75% of unsaturated fatty acids*, it also has high levels of vitamin E and sterols.
*31-36% of linoleic acid (omega 6) and 43-49% of oleic acid (omega 9)
You will find below the cosmetic properties of its components :
Properties of unsaturated fatty acids : nourishing, protecting and regenerating, they help the skin recover its natural glow and prevent premature skin ageing. Omega 9 are great for skin elasticity while omega 6 diminish skin’s water loss and regulate sebum production.
Properties of vitamin E : antioxidant, it helps fight against cells ageing
Properties of sterols : improve skin barrier function and microcirculation, slow down skin ageing, and stimulate cell membranes.
Argan oil benefits
It has many benefits for skin and hair. It’s an oil that can be found in many cosmetic products. Particularly adapted to dry skin, it is also adapted to mature skin, dry and brittle hair, but also to soft and brittle nails. Its levels of unsaturated fatty acids are good for the health of skin and hair. It is also recommended to relieve skin irritations, eczema or psoriasis.
List of its benefits :
- Strengthens nails and eyelashes
- Slows down skin ageing
- Repairs chapped and cracked skin
- Releves eczema and psoriasis
- Strengthens fragile and brittle hair
- Nourishes dry hair
- Regenerates skin
Renowned for its nourishing, protecting and regenerating properties, argan oil is a great cosmetic activ. It’s ideal to fight against skin ageing signs, and give soupleness to skin and hair. It supports skin tissue healing, limits brown spots development and enables epidermis and dermis restructuration.
Did you know? The actives present in argan oil help lipid production in the epidermis. Lipids are known for skin hydrolipidic film good functioning. It enables skin to produce sebum naturally (essential for the skin) and to increase the levels of nutrients in skin cells. It also enables to maintain skin’s natural hydration, for a soft and supple skin.
Argan oil benefits for face
Argan oil is a great anti-ageing ingredient for the face…but not only ! With almost 75% unsaturated fatty acids, this oil has a repairing, regenerating and nourishing action on the skin. It also stimulates defense mechanisms of the skin and its resistance to external aggressions (cold, sun, wind, temperature variations, etc).
Rich in vitamin E and in sterols, it also has antioxidant properties that enable to fight efficiently against skin ageing, while both stimulating cell renewal and neutralizing free radicals.
Our face skin regenerates constantly in order to create new cells. With time passing, this process takes more time and its intensity diminishes. This is why vegetable oils can be a real boost to stimulate cell renewal. It helps restore skin hydrolipidic film, which is essential to have a hydrated, supple and elastic skin.
Argan oil benefits for the skin :
- tonifying
- antioxidant and anti-ageing
- nourishing and repairing
- protecting
This precious oil is adapted to all skin types, but particularly to dry and fragile skins, combination skins and to fight against wrinkles. Thanks to its components, argan oil enables to have a firmer and less wrinkled skin. A daily use of anti-ageing vegetable oils such as argan oil or prickly pear seed oil will have a positive effect on skin, and will help it fight against ageing signs.
How to use it as a skincare product ?
Pour 2 drops of vegetable oil in your hands and rub them to naturally heat the oil. Apply the oil in circular movements on your face, on your neck and neckline, from inside out.
huile d’argan et huile de figue de barbarie Ayda
Argan oil for hair care
For supple and shining hair, nothing better than vegetable argan oil. Argan oil has a great concentration of benefits for hair. It nourishes and revitalizes hair, and also leaves them strong, soft, shiny and silky.
Moreover, it is particularly recommended for dry, dull and brittle hair, and for damaged ends. It also deeply nourishes hair and strengthens the scalp.
Quick hair care recipe:
To deeply nourish your dry hair, apply 1 tablespoon of argan oil, from roots to ends. Brush your hair to spread the oil, wrap your hair in a hot and damp towel (to help the oil penetrate better) and leave it for at least 2 hours. To remove excess oil, wash your hair with a smooth shampoo.
You can also apply daily and without rinsing some drops of argan oil on your lengths. Heat the oil in your hands and apply on each hair strand, until there is no more oil left in your hands. Your hair will be nourished and shiny, but also stronger and protected against external aggressions… Great for split ends and brittle hair!
Benefits or argan oil on hair:
- Strengthens and protects
- Deeply nourishes
- Adds shine to your hair
Argan oil for body and nails
You are convinced of argan oil benefits on face and hair, but did you know that this oil was also good for your body ? It can be used to prevent stretch marks when your weight changes or during pregnancy, as it improves skin elasticity.
Thanks to its levels of omega 6 (also known as linoleic acid), argan oil has healing and repairing properties on the skin. Perfect if you have burns, scars, chapped skin or skin tightness.
It is also recommended to reinforce fragile, soft and brittle nails. When used regularly, it will make wonders on your nails and cuticles !
Quick recipe for your nails :
Mix a nutshell of argan vegetable oil with 1 drop of lemon essential oil. Use it in the evening (lemon essential oil is photo-sensitive) and massage your nails during a few minutes. Be careful not to touch your eyes or lips after applying this recipe.
Origin of prickly pear oil benefits
Maybe you’ve heard about prickly pear oil benefits? At Ayda, it’s one of our best references, but let’s tell you why. To sum up, prickly pear seed oil is one of the most precious vegetable oils. Therefore, it is rich in active ingredients, it has even more anti-ageing properties than argan oil !
Firstly, prickly pear is a fruity juice with many seeds. It can be yellow, orange, red and even green colored depending on where the fig tree is located. This cactus comes from Latin America, Mexico, which proudly bears a fig tree and an eagle on its flag. Therefore, it can also be found in the Mediterranean region (Italy, Sardinia, Spain, Corsica), North Africa (of which Maghreb) and South Africa. The seeds hidden in the figs are the guarded secret of this beauty potion…
Therefore, it’s a precious fig oil, this is why its price can be quite surprising at first glance.
Why is it so precious ? Because of its yield : to extract just one liter of oil, we almost need one tonne of figs. If you come across low priced prickly pear seed oils, it might mean that it’s not 100% pure oil. It might be mixed with other less expensive vegetable oils.
Don’t forget to check if the INCI list has the following ingredients : Opuntia ficus indica (latin name), Opuntia ficus indica seed oil (latin/english) or Prickly pear (english).
Prickly pear seed oil and prickly pear oil extract are two different things
You can come across prickly pear oil extract which is nothing more than the maceration of prickly pear flowers in vegetable oil. The maceration will contain less active ingredients than cold-pressed prickly pear seeds. How to recognize it ? First of all, the name of the product has to indicate if it’s pure oil or an oil extract. Seeds often macerate in sunflower oil, which you can easily recognize with the name “Helianthus annuus seed oil”.
Prickly pear seed oil skin benefits
If this oil is so renowned and appreciated, it is because it has many benefits on the skin. Its high concentration of vitamin E (around 1000mg/kg), omega-6 and sterols (around 10g/kg) helps this oil fight against free radicals, which are responsible for skin ageing. Its exceptional concentration of sterols is actually higher than the one of argan oil, which is also reputed for preventing skin ageing. The antioxidant properties of this precious oil (due to vitamin E) are great to maintain skin firmness and elasticity.
Its high concentration of essential fatty acids (of which omega 6) gives to this oil regenerating and nourishing properties. Perfect for skin dehydration natural tendency !
prickly pear versus argan benefits
Aside from the fact that it fights against skin ageing, it has protecting and healing properties. It can be used in winter to protect skin against cold or dehydration. But also in case of scars left by acne. It can be used by all skin types, and even by greasy skins, because it is not comedogene.
The 5 benefits of prickly pear seed oil
Antioxidant : thanks to the amount of sterols and vitamin E, it prevents the negative effects of free radicals on the skin
- Healing : thanks to its regenerating properties it helps diminish blemishes or scars left by acne
- Nourishing : emollient, it nourishes the skin and protects it against dehydration thanks to palmitic acid, naturally present in the oil
- Regenerating : full of linoleic acid (omega 6), it tones the skin and stimulates skin regeneration
- Revitalising : recommended for dull complexion, its unsaturated fatty acids have restructuring properties, which helps give tonus and radiance to the skin
Prickly pear seed oil can be used all over the body. It can be used on skin, nails and hair, but we advise you to use it mainly on your face, because of its price. It’s a precious oil, it is then better to use it wisely.
The best anti-ageing vegetable oil
If it’s so appreciated by all skin types, prickly pear seed oil is particularly recommended for mature skin. It’s a vegetable oil particularly reputed for its anti-ageing properties. Thanks to the essential fatty acids, sterols and vitamin E contained in this oil, it efficiently fights against the effects of time passing and against skin ageing. Wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles and skin sagging will soon be forgotten thanks to this magic oil !
It can easily replace anti-ageing classic skincare products thanks to its precious components. Vitamin E and sterols are natural antioxidants that help neutralise the effects of free radicals on the skin. Sterols also enable to preserve skin hydrolipidic film. Which helps having an hydrated, souple skin, naturally. Hydration actually plays an important role in preventing wrinkles.
The omega 6 that it contains helps repairing the skin, stimulating skin cells renewal and fighting against dehydration. Rare and precious, it gives firmness and elasticity to the skin. It is the perfect anti-ageing ally to have in one’s bathroom !
Benefits on under eyes
Above all, most vegetable oils are not adapted to under eyes’ skin, because they are too rich for this part of the face. Your under eye skin is very thin, it then needs special treatment. Vegetable oils are perfect to take care of your under eyes’ skin but you need to choose a suitable oil for this sensitive zone. Thanks to its light and non greasy texture, prickly pear seed oil is quickly absorbed by the skin. And without bringing a heavy feeling to the under eye.
When used under the eyes, prickly pear seed oil will naturally treat dark circles, wrinkles and bags ! Take one drop of oil, and tap under your eyes without pulling on your skin. Massage gently doing circles, from the outside corners to the inside corners of your eyes. It will smoothe the under eye and diminish dark circles and fine lines.
How it is made?
Finally, you are eager to know how this magic oil is made? You will find here its production secret. Fig trees grow in arid countries, such as Morocco. To obtain this precious oil, we pick the prickly pear fruits to extract their seeds. The production process of this oil is rare and precious, so is prickly pear seed oil ! To extract 1 liter of oil, we need almost 30 kilos of seeds, contained in 1 tonne of figs. Each seed contains more or less 5% of pure oil.
To obtain this precious oil, there is first a meticulous picking process. Maybe you’ve spotted the spines around the fruit ? They make workers’ task harder, and slow the process of seed extraction. It is thanks to the know-how of our moroccan women’s cooperative that we obtain the precious seeds. They pick with care the figs that they open to extract the seeds.
The seeds are then washed and dried under the sun, before being cold-pressed. At Ayda, organic prickly pear seed oil is made from generation to generation by our women’s cooperative partners. It is in the heart of south Morocco, that we collect an exceptional and organic prickly pear oil extract from seeds. We guarantee you a slow extraction to obtain a 100% pure and natural oil. Actually, an oil of high quality is generally green or yellow and its smell is more or less notable.
To preserve its cosmetic properties, we pack our oil in glass bottles.
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