Let me introduce you to my friend, ARGAN

Hello! I hope all you lovely Americans are having an amazing Memorial Day and are taking a moment to remember all the fallen service members who fought and are fighting for our freedoms. And I hope all you international lovelies are having a simply fabulous May 28th!!;)

via

Today I wanted to quickly tell you about my LATEST OBSESSION. OMG, I really think I could become addicted to this stuff. But before I get right into it, have you heard of Argan Oil?? Basically, it's oil that comes from the kernel of a tree in Morocco. It used to be harvested out of goat poo (ew, I know), but there's a newer (cleaner?) way to do it now by pressing the kernels. Anyhow, it has high amounts of Vitamin E and fatty acids that are known to fix a bunch of skin issues. The other super cool part is that the pure oil comes from Morocco and is harvested by women! Like it's this whole women's cooperative thing that allows them to work and be involved in the fair trade industry! How could you be against something that helps other women, right??:)

Read more about Argan oil here.

clearly, I was a fan ;)

Anyway, I'd kind of heard of it before, but it wasn't until I started Beauty Army and I got to try BABOR Argan Cream. (which, p.s. is like $125 for a very small amount). I LOVED IT. It feels different than other moisturizers.... I don't want to say it leaves you slimy.. 'cause that sounds bad and it is definitely *not* slimy... but like, it's light and it makes your skin just feel very smooth...

So! Let us fast forward to a couple weekends ago when I was at the mall and meandered my way into LUSH. The fabulous salesman asked me if I'd tried Ro's Argan yet? No, I hadn't, but wait a minute, did you say ARGAN? Sign me up! So he took me to the sink to have my try this (amazing fabulous must have) product he was trying to sell me! (and he didn't have to try hard! This stuff sells itself!)

Basically, it's like conditioner for your skin. You know how you're supposed to put conditioner in your hair and leave it in for a while to allow it to really get into your hair? Same way this stuff is! So during your shower (after you're clean;) you rub some of this on to your skin and leave it. It feels a lot like regular lotion, but softer... almost like... butter that's been sitting out for a while... you know that really soft almost mush-able consistency? So it sits on you skin for just a few moments (he said 30 seconds.. I usually do about a minute) then rinse off and it is AMAZING! Like, it feels like you have just lathered your body in lotion! And you did it all in the shower!

Now, before I get too far ahead of myself, I wanted to tell you about the smell. It's kind of a unique smell to try to describe. It's called "Ro's" Argan because of the person who invented/created it, but also it's supposed to smell like "Roses"... and it does! But in a more softer, romantic way. Like, it reminds me of an old smell... not an old moth-ball kind of smell... but an old vintage smell... like the way I imagine my Nana would've smelled in the 1940's when she met my PopPop at the USO, ya know? It's not super flowery.. it's just... pretty. And the craziest thing is how the smell lingers! I catch myself sniffing my arms throughout the day because it is just such a beautiful smell!

I wish this could be a scented picture!

Another fabulous perk of it? Okay, ladies, let's be honest. After shaving, how many of us put lotion on our legs and have that excruciating burning feeling! And the bumps! Ah, the misery! This doesn't do that. Oh, you read that right, this doesn't burn AT ALL! I exfoliate, shave, put this on, rinse it off... my legs look like I just stepped out of a shaving gel commercial on TV. You know, with that light little shine? A-Maz-Ing. It's like a miracle product, it really is.

So the negative? Not a huge negative for some, but here it is. I got the "sample" size (to see if I really liked it and it was worth the money) for $5.95 for 1.5 ounces. The full size is 8.4 ounces for $29.95... not HORRIBLY expensive, but a little pricey for what it is, because I'm honestly not sure how long that size would last. A lot of it will depend on how often you use it, how much you use, etc. I've started doing it just on my legs because I want to make it last longer lol... and it's hard to know how much to use since you have to scoop it out...

...but let's not kid ourselves. If I have an extra $30 lying around, I probably will buy this again. And I bet if you try it, you would want to buy it too:)

Have you tried anything with Argan oil in it? Have you seen Ro's Argan at your local LUSH? Have you tried it? I highly encourage that you do;)

Guest Post: Beauty by Arielle's Hair Tips

I have something special for you all! Arielle of Beauty by Arielle and I are doing a blog swap today! She's posting for me here, and I'm writing over at her blog. Make sure you check it out:) 
xoxo, Kristen

I want to thank Kristen for participating in this blog swap with me today! I am very excited to share this post on hair washing with all of you!

We all wash our hair on a daily basis and have done so for years, so why do we need tips on it? Good question. I thought I for sure had this beauty ritual down. Wrong. 

About a year ago I was listening to Cosmo Radio and they had a guest who was talking about hair care tips. What I discovered was that there is the wrong way to shampoo your hair!

WRONG!

image via How to Make Hair Grow Faster

The only area shampoo should be lathered into is the scalp not throughout all of the hair. When you rinse there will be enough shampoo to run down the rest of your hair and effectively clean the rest. Shampooing all of your hair will dry out the ends.

The amount of shampoo is important as well. For longer hair, the size of a quarter is enough. As the length decreases so should the shampoo amount. 

This  is a great tip I learned from a hairstylist. When you use the same shampoo day to day and week to week it tends to build up in your hair. Switching shampoos on a weekly basis will prevent this build up from happening. For example, week 1 use favorite shampoo 1 on week 2 use favorite shampoo 2. Then, switch back and forth. The stylist pointed out that this tactic is especially good for color treated hair. 

A shampoo I like to use are the John Frieda Brilliant color lines:

image via Overstock Drugstore

I think this line is especially great for color treated hair! 

On to conditioner...again there is a wrong way to do this! The same hair guru on Cosmo Radio said to never condition your scalp.

WRONG!

image via Recipes for Life

Conditioning the roots will only weigh your hair down. The only strands that need conditioning are from the point where you would make a low ponytail to the ends. Also, leave conditioner on for a minute before rinsing so it can penetrate into the follicles. 

To keep your hair hydrated one to two times a week use a deep conditioner. I love L'oréal EverPure Deep Restorative Masque:

image via Real Beauty

When I bleached my hair, I'm a brunette, I used this conditioner twice a week and it left my locks nice and soft. This conditioner is safe for color treated hair and the rosemary mint smells fantastic! 

Do you have any hair tips you swear by?

Arielle is the author and creator of Beauty by Arielle. You can find her blog here. Her blog is devoted to all things beauty related. She features product reviews, hauls, tutorials, tips, fitness, fashion and food. Arielle also hosts a monthly guest blogger series. If you wish to participate you can e-mail her at beautybyarielle@gmail.com . You can also follow her via Google Friend Connect by clicking here.