Argan Oil: Beauty Miracle or Goat Poop?

There's always some new thing that's guaranteed to make you beautiful.  Last year it was mineral makeup, before that it was vitamin c, and on and on.  The new kid on the block is argan oil.  From The Beauty Brains:

The fruit of an argan tree:  image courtesy of sptimes.com

Argan oil is produced from the kernels of argan tree fruit. These trees only grow in a few regions, like Morocco, so this oil is one of the rarest in the world due the small supply and the limited growing area – hence the high price and the hype.

Traditionally the oil is produced by hand. First the soft pulp is stripped from the nuts which are then laid out in the sun to dry. Stones are used to crack open the dried nuts so the seeds can be removed. Next, they’re gently roasted to give the oil a rich, nutty flavor. A little water is added to the roasted seeds and they are ground into a thick paste which is squeezed by hand to extract the oil.

Legend has it that there’s another way to produce this precious oil: Breaking open the nut shells is really hard work and the Moroccans have found that it’s easier wait for their goats to eat the fruit (yes, goats are big fans of argan fruit. They’ll even try to climb trees in search of this succulent treat!) The seeds pass through the goat’s digestive track and emerge on the other end a bit softer since they’re partially digested. So, all the Moroccans have to do is follow the goats around and wait for the seeds to… uh, reappear.

(Apparently that part about the goat poop is just a legend.)

The Brains say that argan oil has properties that could help skin (as an effective treatment for oily skin or psoriasis but with the possible side effect of clogging pores), but they weren't able to find any proof that it will do much for your hair. But the Argan Oil Society website says that it has several benefits for hair, including:

• Argan oil hydrates the hair in a natural way. It stops the curliness and roughness of hair in an efficient way.
  
• Argan oil penetrates into the hair pores or shafts and enhances the elasticity of hair. It also proves to be very nourishing for the growth of hair.
  
• Argan oil is very good for uncontrollable and unmanageable hair. It restores the smoothness of hair and makes them manageable again.
  
• Natural antioxidants present in Argan oil strengthen the hair by repairing the damaged cellular membrane of hair.
  
• Presence of Vitamin E in Argan oil makes it a tremendous agent for hair treatment. Many external and internal agents like heat, over styling and oxidization damage the hair. Vitamin E present in Argan oil is very useful in restoring the natural hair and renewing and repairing the damage caused by destructive agents.
  

Argan nuts being pressed into oil:  image courtesy of care2.com

Suddenly the market is flooded with hair and skin products containing argan oil, the most popular probably being Moroccan Oil.  But at $37, it's worth having a look at the ingredients.  Moroccan Oil is mostly silicones – argan oil is the sixth ingredient on the list!  And while silicones are effective for fighting frizz and smoothing hair, you can pay a lot less money to coat your hair with silicone by buying a bottle of Frizz-Ease.  And if you use a sulfate-free shampoo (like I do), you'll need to avoid silicones because non-sulfate detergents aren't strong enough to break them down, which will leave you with build-up.  So a product like Moroccan Oil won't work with that type of routine.  Similar products (like Marrakesh Oil) are also available, but they have a similar ingredient list and carry a similarly high price tag. 

Nothing is wrong with these products, of course, as long as you know what you're buying and aren't following a silicone-free routine.  But you're paying a lot of money and not getting as much of the advertised pivotal ingredient as you might think. 

If you want to find pure argan oil, which you can use on your skin or hair, model Josie Maran features it in her cosmetic line available at Sephora.  Or you can check out alternative retailers like The Posh Peddler. 

Since argan oil is expensive you may also want to consider alternatives:  coconut oil is similar enough to hair's natural oils to penetrate the hair shaft better than most oils and is available at health food or organic food stores.  And jojoba oil closely mimics the oils in your skin, so you can use that as a light moisturizer or skin oil.  Jojoba oil is also available at health food stores, beauty supply stores, or your local Trader Joe's.  Both are less expensive than argan oil. 

Like most beauty trends, it's important to read ingredients and know what you're buying before you part with your cash.  A little knowledge goes a long way to saving you money! 

Take a walk on the wild side this fall!

Cheetah Print Dress, $24.99 at Target.com

Somehow it seems like fall is synonymous with animal prints.  Maybe it's the warm tones associated with them, maybe it's some subliminal way of embracing the warmth of a foreign safari as the temperature drops, but whatever the reason, I love it.  I wear my leopard print flats year-round anyway!  And I've already got my eye on this cheetah print dress from Target.  (Though it's mis-named:  cheetahs have spots, not stripes.)

Leopard is always a popular look.  I love this cropped jacket – the shape has sort of a Mad Men feel, and you could just as easily wear it over jeans and a t-shirt as you could a little black dress and heels.  It's the kind of piece that will instantly lift your basics into a more polished look.  If you're feeling a little more adventurous, the same site also offers monochromatic leopard-print jeans.

Cropped leopard jacket,
$21.99 at NewportNews.com

Zebra print skirt, $19.99 at Target.com

Target also has a nice selection of zebra this fall.  Zebra is a great print because it's black and white palette and graphic look make it really versatile.  You can wear a zebra print piece with almost any other color.  Mix it with brights and it creates a bold, pop-art look.  I love this cardigan for exactly that reason – the bright pink (or is it purple?) border creates a nice contrast.  I also love that they continued the pattern into the colored area.   Or you can keep your look all black and white and still have the bright pop of the pattern.  This skirt would look great paired with a crisp white shirt and black pumps. 

Snakeskin purse,
$34.00 at NewportNews.com

If you prefer to keep things more subtle, you can still work some wild style into your look.  Try a snakeskin purse – the pattern is a little less flamboyant but you still get the idea.  (This is a better option if you prefer a bigger bag.)  Or remember those leopard flats I mentioned?  Shoes are a really easy way to give an outfit a little pop.  Check out these cute flats at ModCloth, or these from Payless – the Payless shoes also come in a cute blue and black version.  If you prefer pumps, there are plenty of affordable options.

Liven up a solid dress or cinch the waist of a cardigan with a zebra-print belt, like this one, on sale for $29.99.  (It also comes in leopard.)  Or give just a hint of the wild with a leopard print watch.  

"Feline Feisty" flat, $29.99 at ModCloth.com

If you do choose an animal print, make it the focal point of the outfit – I love the look of a bold print with bright colors, but keep the shape and style of your other pieces simple.  Print + ruffles or shoulder pads or any other kind of frippery can become too much really fast.  To keep it classy, keep the focus on the print.  Keep jewelry simple and makeup subdued (though a bold red lip and leopard print do make a classic bombshell combo).  Definitely stay away from actual animal print makeup.

A lot of people shy away from animal prints because they think they're hard to wear.  But really you can tailor them to your own style with the amount and type that you choose.  You don't have to look like someone out of Married to the Mob. 

Even stars love a bargain sometimes

A friend tipped me off to this:

Image courtesy of Yahoo!

 Talk about mixing high and low fashion! What did the adorable Drew Barrymore choose to wear to host the Nylon magazine/Express party this week in Los Angeles? 

This gorgeous $25 metallic-printed 3/4-sleeve shift dress from a thrift store paired with $760 Yves Saint Laurent "Tribute" pumps, of course!

I thought it would be fun to highlight this given my last post about vintage shopping.  It can take some digging, but you can find some really amazing pieces shopping thrift or vintage – and you can almost guarantee that no one will be wearing the same thing as you! 

Yes, Drew is wearing that gorgeous $25 dress with $760 shoes, but a great pair of nude pumps isn't too hard to find at a variety of price points – check out ShopStyle, where you can filter your options by price, size, and even retailer.  Target also has them for just $29.99. 

Quickie: Shopping Vintage Online

If you love vintage clothes but find it overwhelming to comb the web yourself looking for quality pieces, check out Zuburbia.  Every day Zuburbia features a "VOPD" (Vintage Piece of the Day), and the site gives a weekly round-up of some of the best vintage buys on eBay.

From the site owner's mission statement:

I hope to share tips, hints, info and vintage shopping adventures in addition to bringing you my Vintage Pick of the Day (VPOD)—a vintage item I spied on one of the gazillions of vintage clothing sites that populate the Internet.

Every day I’ll be visiting sites and looking for unique, eye-catching, I-gotta-have-it pieces in all price ranges.

If you’re new to vintage, I hope these items will whet your appetite. If you’re already a vintage lover, perhaps you’ll end up acquiring an item you’ll wear with pride.

Just think of me as your own personal vintage shopper!

 If you prefer shopping for yourself, try Vintage Vixen or Vintageous.  Both sites offer a great selection from a variety of eras and detailed descriptions of each item's condition and sizing.  I've found the prices more reasonable at Vintage Vixen, but Vintageous tends to have more designer and ornate items.

Trends: the bad and the ugly

Ah, trends.  The terror of the fashion-phobic, the delight of fashion editors and advertisers looking for new reasons to tell you to throw away all your clothes and buy new ones.  I think it's important to be choosy with trends – to find what's appropriate for your own age, shape, budget, and style instead of trying to follow everything.  I love stores like Forever 21 for trendy accessories and accent pieces because their prices are low, so you can experiment without breaking the bank. 

Sometimes it's tough to choose between picking up on a trend and skipping it.  But sometimes?  Sometimes it's really really easy.  Take, for instance, this list of the year's worst fashion trends. 

Sandal booties?  This might actually be worse than socks with sandals being considered stylish.  What's the point of these things?  It's like wearing socks in the heat of summer but without any of the actual benefits – your feet are still uncushioned and exposed to the elements.  Isn't the whole idea of sandals to expose feet?  I know that fashion is supposed to be innovative and sometimes subversive, but I don't get this new push toward taking shoes designed to be open and making them stuffy and sweaty. 

Also?  They're ugly.  There's no way strap-on cankles are flattering.  And don't even get me started on the pointlessness that is open-toed boots.

The list also includes ill-advised items like harem pants, jumpsuits, and clogs – the kind of things that sometimes work on models in magazines, but almost never work on real people. 

Where I live a lot of teenage girls fall into one of two groups:  the girls who wear barely-decent miniskirts with Ugg boots (ugg is right) in the summer or (for some reason) with flip flops in the winter, or the girls who wear sweats or pajama pants and hoodies everywhere with their hair sloppily pulled up in a bun but with a full, perfect face of makeup.  I'm sure the fact that neither of these looks make any sense to me means I've officially become old, but I find myself wanting to shake these girls and shout at them about frostbite and/or the merits of a comb. 

Then I remember that I once wore nouveau-hippie trapeze dresses, neon, and acid-wash jeans (why are those back in style?!) tucked into my socks.  Youth is made for bad decisions and fashion is no exception.  But as an adult, I'm more confident about developing my own style and choosing which trends I want to follow. 

With that in mind, Refinery 29 has compiled a list of fall trends worth skipping. 

Go bananas for your body

A survey in the UK found that women who wear a size 14 tend to be happiest:

Girls who wear the dress size 14 rated their general happiness higher than any other, with a quarter rating their mood as extremely happy.

More than 43 per cent of size 14 women also said they were as happy as they could be with their career, while almost a third say they couldn't be more content with their love life.

Second happiest were women who wear a size 12 followed by those in a size eight. The unhappiest women were those in a size 24, size 20 and size 22.

This is good news for Americans since the average woman in the US is a size 14.  

But if you're not 100% happy with your current shape (or even if you are and want to get more fit), the fall issue of InStyle Makeover has a lot of handy workout tips.  A few of the good ones:

• Strength training won't bulk you up like most people think.  Using heavy free weights a few times a week or doing yoga can increase strength without drastically changing muscular appearance.
• Skip the sports drinks!  Most of them are loaded with sugar.  Instead, try milk, which builds muscle and burns fat.  A lot of celebrities have also started drinking coconut water, which has become trendy for its hydration ability, electrolyte content, and other health benefits.
• Working out doesn't need to be hard.  Walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, then follow that with crunches or push-ups for a simple routine to stay in shape.
• Variety is important.  This sort of contradicts the last point, but varying your routine (trade in the treadmill for the rowing machine, try free weights instead of push-ups) can help prevent your body from finding new ways to store fat and work different muscle groups.

And after you've worked out, treat yourself with a tasty ice cream substitute made out of my favorite super fruit:  bananas!  By the way, bananas are the only necessary ingredient.  No really.  You chop them, freeze them, and puree them.  You can add nuts or a little cream if you want, but all you really need is the bananas. 

Quickie: Helpful How-tos

The web is filled with all sorts of helpful tutorials for all your fashion and beauty desires.  Here are a few examples:

Liberty of London's YouTube channel has several videos explaining new and interesting ways to tie a scarf.  If you've got gorgeous scarves and don't know what to do with them (or just want some new ideas), check this out.

MAC Cosmetics hosts makeup tutorials on their web page that feature makeup artists showing you how to create a variety of looks using their products.  s the video plays, a list of the products they're using comes up underneath the video window so you can buy anything that interests you easily.

WikiHow is a user-generated collection of "how-tos" for every possible scenario.  Check out the Personal Care and Style section.

Howcast on YouTube hosts a variety of "how-tos" in video form, including this one on how to look good in skinny jeans.

Find ALM on Facebook!

ALM is now on Facebook!

So far I've had no luck adding the Facebook "like" box to my page here. Once I figure it out I'll add it.

Gray: the new hot neutral – for hair.

Good news! If you're starting to see some gray hairs sprouting up and making panicked calls to your stylist, put down the phone. Gray hair is a growing trend.

Kate Moss sported gray streaks at an event in January.

The New York Times reported a wash of silver among the young and fashionable in April:

Also caught up in the silver rush were pop icons like Pink, who showed off gray-tipped strands at the Grammys, and Siobhan Magnus, the “American Idol” contestant, who accessorized recently with a skunk streak and spectacles.

In embracing a tint their mothers would have shunned, such role models are lending gray new cachet, giving shades from ash to ermine an unlikely fashion moment. Now, some say, the trend, which trickled down from the runways of Chanel, Giles Deacon and their rarefied ilk to fashion hot spots around the country, seems poised to go mainstream.

The UK picked up on the trend late last year.

Ironically, gray hair seems to mostly be in vogue among the young. It's seen as sort of punky and subversive and the next logical step for young trendsetters who already have blonde and pink in their rear-view – while women whose hair has gone naturally gray are still spending money to color their locks. The grass is always greener on the other side. But even that may be beginning to change. Model Kristen McMenamy, a household name in the 1990s, has grown out her hair into flowing silver strands.

Kristen McMenamy in August's Vogue.

McMenamy says she stopped dyeing her hair six years ago:

"You can get older and still be rock 'n' roll. I thought all that gray hair would make a beautiful picture." She added, "You've got to keep moving forward."

Of course some people, like stylist Louis Licari, are bucking the trend. Licari says that gray hair "gray hair makes women look older and their complexions dull and drab..." Easy for him to say. On men gray hair is considered distinguished and handsome (see anyone nagging George Clooney to get a dye job lately?). He goes on to sat that the artificial grays being displayed by young women like Kelly Osbourne are attractive precisely because they are fake, and that natural gray is unflattering and "creates a huge burden for most people trying to look their best." The point of which seems to be that your hair is only OK if it's fake. But don't worry; Licari ends his article by saying that you have to be comfortable with your appearance, even if it means he'll tell you that you look old.

But in fact going too dark with hair color can create too high a contrast with skin that loses some of its luster with age, and that can make you look older unless you're willing to cake yourself with makeup (which can in turn settle into fine lines and cake up). So maybe nature knows what it's doing. To that end, StyleList has put together tips for making the most of your gray, from hair maintenance to makeup tips.

I think Licari has one thing right: you have to be comfortable. If you love the way you look, then who cares what anyone else thinks? Going gray can be tough on women when we're constantly pressured by advertising and magazines to stay somehow perpetually young and supple, and those first strands of silver can deal a devastating blow to our self-image. (I say this out of personal experience; I'm currently in a constant state of worry over the increasing number of white hairs I'm finding mixed in with my natural red.) So if for whatever reason fashion has turned in such a way as to make one facet of aging acceptable, I say go with it if you want to. (And if it makes you happy, go with it no matter what fashion says. The best kind of beauty comes from being happy.)

Of course the weirdest part of the gray hair trend might be the fact that it has somehow made Lady Gaga's current Vanity Fair cover seem almost mainstream:

Lady Gaga on the cover of August\'s Vanity Fair.

Who saw that coming?