Almost at the end of our trip we were left with quite a bit of Moroccan Dirhams. Now we had already bought some of the famous Argan oil (tips on how and where to buy, how to use, is all included in this post) so decided to spend the money on other beauty stuff Morocco is famous for – its not only Argan oil.
First, lets talk about argan oil. The one I got was Naturesoin Huile D’Argan Non Torrefiee. Now when you are in Morocco, you will see a lot of cooperatives where they grind and sell argan oil. Although we did visit some of these cooperatives where the berber women made argan oil, I did think the oil here was quite expensive. We also read some advice recommending that argan oil should be bought from a pharmacy so that’s what we did. Just pick up bottles from any pharmacy you see in Morocco. The one thing you need to be careful about is the type of oil you buy. Moroccan people use argan oil in their beauty routine as well as for cooking so make sure you buy the one you actually need and don’t end up using the one for cooking on your face! The one I got said ‘not roasted’ on the bottle which means its for hair and face, if its roasted, its used for cooking.
Outfit details: Indian print maxi dress (tailor made) with brown camel leather shoes, basket from Riad Tizwa and Rayban shades (I buy this kids version which is almost half the price!).
So far I haven’t used the argan oil extensively but have been using it on the ends of my hair to see if they look less scraggly and a little more healthy! I am a little wary about using it on my face since I have been getting so many pimples – you may have seen me complaining about this on Instagram – so I’ll keep the oils away from my face for sometime.
The second item is Eau de fleur d’Oranger or orange blossom water. Orange blossom water is absolutely beautiful. This water was used on me during the hamaam (another story!) and I loved the smell and wanted a bottle to take home. I picked this up from a store but was disappointed. It smelt nothing like the one in the haamam and I feel this one had alcohol in it. I have used it a little on my skin but honestly, I don’t really enjoy it. But I have decided to give it a go and a fair try so lets see. and and I am a little disappointed and hope I actually end up using this lemon oil.
On my second attempt to get orange blossom water I decided to play it safe and get it from the pharmacy. I actually asked for orange blossom water but obviously the details of the items are written in French and a direct Google translate later told me what I thought was orange blossom water is actually lemon oil. Now I have no idea what lemon oil can be used for but if anyone knows please leave me a comment! By now I have given up trying to get hold of this mythical orange blossom water.
The fourth item I picked up was two bottles of shampoo from the duty free – Huilarome Anti-Dandruff and Lavender shampoo. I haven’t used any of them yet and I can’t say I am too excited. DJ just picked this up saying we will need shampoo anyway so might as spend the remaining money on this. Once I got home I realised both bottles have SLS and other not so good ingredients, although it does have argan oil, so can’t say I am excited to try them but will use them up anyway.
The fifth item I what I am most excited about, the Botanik Black Soap. Black soap is traditionally also used during the hammam and supposed to be very good for your skin. I have used this once and it feels wonderful on the skin. You use it like ordinary soap, I felt my skin felt so clean and super soft. I remember this being quite expensive but I definitely think something like this is worth it. This is what I feel is the perfect souvenir – something useful but still slightly exciting and traditional to the place you are visiting.
Thats all of my Morocco beauty haul. I will try and report back once I manage to use the items for a decent period of time. I also wanted to mention the location for these photos were the Le Jardin Secret or the secret garden in Marrakesh. Its a traditional garden with a historic palace and is quite lovely. It would be a lovely place to come and sit and read a book for sometime. Warning: you do need to pay to get in. I have to say I was not very impressed with the cafe – the food was not interesting or anything to really write about. I would suggest avoiding the cafe and just enjoying the garden itself.
Make sure you read up on the other Marrakesh posts and follow us on Instagram. We are trying out some new stuff on there and would be glad for some feedback! Thank you for reading and hope your Monday isn’t too bad!
– Anisha
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