About Argan Oil
The Argan Tree
Argan oil has been produced for hundreds of years by Berber tribes in the Moroccan foothills of the Atlas Mountains. It is the only region where the rare and endangered Argan trees grow. They date back millions of years and at one time covered North Africa and parts of southern Europe, but now less than 900,000 hectares remain. Thankfully UNESCO protect the argan trees’ natural growing areas.
Harvesting Argan Oil
The argan oil we source is traditionally harvested, and the kernels are handpicked from the argan tree by Berber tribeswomen, as they have been for many centuries.
The Berber women, with the help of the Moroccan Authorities, have set up cooperatives, giving local women business skills and an
income that would have been considered undesirable and unachievable for rural women a few years ago. By choosing argan oil, you are helping women from this region. We never use kernels that have been foraged by goats. The goats love the fruit and often ingest the kernels, which pass through their gut and are excreted in their faeces. These are of inferior quality and have either a very strong smell, or no smell at all as the oil is deodorised. Beware of buying oil from kernels collected in this way.
Extracting Argan Oil
All Billy in the Tree argan oil is machine-pressed rather than the traditional hand pressing method. We have chosen this method, as no water has to be added in this process and no impurities can pass into the oil, which substantially extends the shelf life. The oil is also pressed raw and not roasted which ensures that the vital properties are retained. Roasted argan oil is available from other sellers and this is a culinary rather than a beauty oil.
We only use the first pressing and we buy in frequent monthly, smaller batches, so that we can ensure you have the freshest argan oil.
Billy in the Tree Ingredients
We are passionate about keeping things simple, pure and natural. We add nothing else to our pure argan oil and take nothing away. There is no need for an ingredients list as it says it all on the front black label- 100% pure argan oil.
We also have a fabulous range of argan oils with added essential oils and again the only ingredients are a small percentage of essential oils, between 3-5%, added to pure argan oil.
Be Amazed by Argan Oil's Properties
Your skin and hair will love this oil and you will soon see the benefits as many of our customers already have. It is exceptionally rich in vitamin E at a rate of 700mg per kilo. This is higher in fact than any other oil, and twice as much as olive oil. Vitamin E is renowned for its anti-ageing properties. Argan oil contains 80% unsaturated fatty acids including omega 6. It is packed full of natural anti-oxidants and anti-free radicals, including carotenes, squalene and polyphenols which have all been proven to improve the skin. Anti-oxidant phenolic helps neutralise free radicals and prevent skin damage. They have been proven over the years to help stimulate intercellular oxygenation and neutralize free radicals. This all helps to protect soft skin tissue and increase the nutrient content of the skin.
Believe it or not it is great for acne sufferers too. Argan oil is anti-sebum making, so yes, you can put the oil on spots. It also contains phytosterols. These plant sterols have been proven to help with minimising scar damage, improving dermatitis, calming sunburn, eczema and psoriasis and are found in many pharmaceutical treatment products. It is fabulous for hair too. Giving unbelievable shine and manageability. Feet nails and hands love it too. The list is endless!
And what is more, argan oil is a totally natural product with no synthetic chemicals added which can often cause irritation to sensitive skins. All in all, argan oil is great multipurpose oil. It is fast becoming a basic product for many people’s beauty routines