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If you're like me, you're probably excited to have discovered argon (also known as argan and argane) oil and are looking forward to enjoying its many beauty benefits first-hand, including: softer skin, diminished wrinkles, more even skin tone, reduced scarring, lustrous nails and hair - and even relief from skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
But before you rush off and purchase the first bottle you find of this liquid gold, be sure to read the below tips. You will soon realize that, firstly, not all argon oil is created equal. And, secondly, even the best raw material can be easily compromised due to the commercial manufacturing and treatment processes used by some cosmetics companies.
TOP 10 TIPS FOR BUYING ARGON OIL:
1. Make sure you are buying authentic argon oil. If you are buying argon oil from a reputable (online) retailer in the USA or Europe, you can skip this tip and go straight to #2. However, if you are planning on purchasing the oil while visiting Morocco or from an unfamiliar retailer, then please read on. Apparently, some unsuspecting tourists browsing the local souks, or stopping at road-side stands, have been sold common vegetable oil simply labeled as argon oil. To make sure you are getting what you paid for, read the label and check that the name of the cooperative that produced it is featured. Better yet, go directly to the cooperatives and buy it straight from the source.
2. If you are choosing to use argon oil as a beauty product, make sure you buy cosmetic grade and not culinary argon oil. The nuts destined for culinary oil are roasted to bring out their distinctive nutty flavor; those that will be used for skin- and hair-care products are usually left raw to maintain the integrity of the essential fatty acids and vitamins.
3. To gain the maximum beauty benefit, choose argon oil that is all-natural and preferably certified organic. That way you don't have to worry about how it was produced.
4. Choose cold-pressed or first cold-pressed argon oil. If you want to buy the best argon oil, look for oil that is labeled "cold-pressed" or, even better, "first cold-pressed." Cold-pressed means that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation. First cold-pressed, which is of even higher quality than cold-pressed, means that the oil was made with the first pressing of the argon nuts.
5. Above all, do your best to purchase fairly-traded argon oil. Women in Morocco have greatly benefited from the heightened interest in argon oil and are now operating cooperatives in return for fair wages and good working conditions. By actively seeking out fair-trade products, you are supporting their efforts.
6. To preserve as many of the oil's properties as possible (and be more eco-friendly), opt for a dark-colored, UV-protected glass bottle, rather than a plastic container.
7. If you are not buying 100% pure argon oil, research the other ingredients in the finished product. You will want to double check that they are not diminishing the oil's natural properties, such as acetic acid is thought to do.
8. Given its price, make sure that there is a high enough concentration of argon oil in any finished product you buy to make an actual difference in your skin. Since argon oil has become the latest miracle ingredient in the beauty industry, its mere mention has lots of advertising power! A quick and easy way to ensure you are getting good amounts is to read the label. If argon oil is listed as one of the first ingredients, your money will be well-spent. If it appears as the last ingredient, then it's likely that it is being used in small quantities and you may not see the results you are looking for.
9. If you are sensitive to the natural nutty odor of argon oil (which does dissipate upon application), choose a product that has been deodorized.
Although it's preferable to use the oil in its 100% natural state, I understand that some people could be put off by its distinctive smell. To combat this, some companies offer a deodorized version, so bear this in mind if you have a sensitive nose!
10. Finally, if you want to enhance your health and beauty from the inside out, you might like to buy the culinary version of argon oil.
Be sure to choose a smaller size, opaque bottle though as, once open, the oil should be consumed relatively quickly and ideally be refrigerated. (As a side note, culinary argon oil should not be heated. Simply drizzle it over salads, vegetables or fish for a healthy, gourmet taste).
Armed with the above information, you should now be able to source the best argon oil for your needs - and soon be enjoying all its health and beauty benefits.
There's a wide variety of hair braiding styles out there - French braids, pigtails and so forth - but there's also a slew of styles out there that not many people know about. If you're a stylist, it's important to have lots of go-to hairstyles in your repertoire, so you can mix and match when it's time to get creative with a client's coif.
With that in mind, here are a few of the lesser-known types of braiding - styles you may not know of. But get to know them - they may impress someone into making you their permanent stylist!
Dutch Braids. Remember that episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk ran into their doubles from a parallel universe? The Dutch braid is like the parallel-universe version of a French braid. It's also called an "underbraid," largely because the left and right sections of the braid are passed underneath the middle section instead of over the top of it. There's no better way to make passersby do a double take - they'll see something that's like a French braid, but subtly different.
Fishtail. A fishtail is a two-strand braid. To make it, divide a single section of hair in two, then lay them one-over-another like you would in a normal braid. Pull them together, so as to tighten the plait. Here's the catch: Instead of braiding them into one another, pull smaller segments off of each section and braid them across the middle, forming a herringbone pattern. This looks wonderful on someone with very long hair.
Reverse Braiding. A reverse braid is like a Dutch braid, in the sense that you're going under the middle rather than over the top. Here's the difference: Instead of following a French braid pattern, follow the pattern of a normal braid.
Braiding things into hair. This is a twist on braids, and it can be done with any of the above methods, as well as with any other braid style. Including things like ribbons, strings of pearls, or strips of colored fabric in a braid can lend a festive yet graceful touch to any hairstyle. These are popular among historical re-enactors and Renaissance faire attendees, but done right, they can look just as modern as any style on MTV. The process is simple: Just use the added material in place of a strand of the braid. So if you're making a three-strand braid, use your material and two strands of hair.
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At makeup counters, I'm a skeptic. Because I worked in marketing for 13 years, I can sniff out the ploys cosmetic companies use to pull the wool over our eyes. They've realized that in the land of video and photography, high definition techniques have pushed makeup artists and directors of photography toward changing their methods to account for the much clearer pictures we are now seeing on our TV sets and out of our still images. So the makeup companies have jumped on the band-wagon and tried to put the term "high definition" in as many products as they can to make a buck. The problem I have with it is that they don't perform and many labeled "high definition" can't actually be used in high def situations.
What is all of the buzz about high definition and filming anyway? High definition concerns for filming and photography are really the same as they have been in real life when we are looking at a person's face. What we see live is what we now see on the new high resolution TV screens or in photos. For TV especially, makeup artists and talent used to be able to get away with piling on heavy foundation to hide the ills of the skin. And doing a quickie makeup application was okay because a wayward lip liner was never noticeable for film, but that's not the case now. But it's never been the case when women are seen face to face in makeup. So the new "high definition" revolution really isn't a revolution at all; it's simply about film and photography crew putting more of a spotlight on achieving those fresh and natural looks we've always worn in our homes, offices and on the streets-everywhere outside a studio. They now have to capture reality. We only are hearing it labeled as a high definition situation because buzzwords are powerful attention getters. We stand up and listen and cosmetics companies know we will.
If you take out the term "high definition" to define our makeup, we are left with familiar descriptions of the way we've always wanted to appear in makeup, whether it's called "high definition" or not. We really are talking about makeup that performs well so that the skin still looks like real skin, pores aren't really noticeable, blemishes are hidden naturally, but the powder we use to hide them is also invisible; there are no obvious seams where a colour stops and starts-meaning the blend of the product is really smooth, there are no mismatches in the colours of the face with the neck, the shades are true to real skin and not too pink. And the makeup doesn't make the hairs on the face and jaw-line look like peach fuzz!
HD in the products means that cosmetics manufacturers have tried harder with foundations to make them fill in lines on the face, so often they contain silicone that is like spackle filling cracks on a wall. It feels beautiful but I find that silicone is too slippery and the foundations with this base, don't last as long; they almost seem to repel the makeup instead of allowing it to grab onto the skin.
HD in face powders means they are finely milled and when you touch them you can barely feel them on your fingers; one of the popular ones I've tried filled the lines around my eyes, smoothing them nicely but when I had my photo taken there was a huge white ring below.
The bottom line is that many of the products on the market are called high definition but when I've tested them in high definition situations, they don't perform. A popular one sold at a leading makeup mecca (no names mentioned. Don't want to pick on them too much) was way too pink and went on a little thick. Many of them also contain SPF which means you can't have your photo taken without a white ashy face flashing back in the final shot.
Here are what your high definition makeup looks should be aiming at and my favourite products to accomplish it. Sorry, they aren't the ones labeled high definition.
Skin that looks real. MAC Face and Body Foundation, Georgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, Cinema Secrets Cream Foundation, Kett Airbrush makeup systems (great when you are having someone else apply makeup for you)
Pores that aren't noticeable: Blot with MAC Blot powder
Blemishes covered naturally. Use Makeup Forever Full Coverage Concealer
Mascara that doesn't clump: Maybelline Great Lash
Under-eye concealers that aren't too thick but still cover your darkness: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector
Blushes that blend smoothly: L'oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Blush. "Pinched Pink" is a great universal colour
For women to get that high definition, "ready for my close-up" look, they need to augment their makeup shopping with a great skin care routine that includes skin moisturizers and treatment creams that are chemical exfoliants. I suggest a daily retinol cream; ROC makes nice ones as does Neutrogena. They must be packaged in metal containers to protect their active ingredients from decomposing. And about 3 times a week, use an Alpha-hydroxy Acid Cream of 8% strength. These powerful face products will keep the skin at it's best and ready for the products that actually do work, whether or not they are labeled high definition.
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