Lipstick for Dogs: An ACHS Fundraiser Benefiting the Oregon Humane Society

ACHS is hosting a fabulous fundraiser on July 27. We hope you can attend! 



Lipstick for Dogs is a fundraiser benefiting the Oregon Humane Society.

35% of retail sales and 15% of preferred client sales donated with a minimum $250 donation

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Lipstick for Dogs features Arbonne vegan cosmetics, skin care, and nutrition products. Events include a raffle, free makeovers, and more!

July 27 from 5-8 pm, PST at the Apothecary Shoppe Store, American College of Healthcare Sciences, 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland Oregon.

For more information, call (800) 487-8839 and "Like" the American College of Healthcare Sciences on Facebook for more information: facebook.com/ACHSedu

For directions, visit our website at http://www.achs.edu/about/campus-tour.aspx?id=15

Moroccan Argan Oil Antioxidant-Rich, Potential Skin and Dietary Support

Do you use argan (Argania spinosa) oil?

Also called Morocco ironwood, argan oil is from the soapwood family and has a history that can be traced back more than two million years.

Argan is a culinary oil and a cosmetic oil, and has traditionally been used in both skin and hair care. Medicinally, argan oil has been used to help heal wounds and with rheumatism and arteriosclerosis.

The oil, pressed from the trees’ kernels, contains more than 80% unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, and large quantities of vitamin E antioxidants and sterols; it may be very nourishing when used on the skin and may be effective as a dietary supplement.

Currently, there are about 50-60 women’s cooperatives in Morocco producing argan oil the traditional way. These cooperatives are growing in number as a resource for Berber women to revive the traditional hand-pressing method of extracting argan oil and to ensure an income. Read more about the women’s cooperatives on the Targanine website.

Traditionally, argan oil is hand-pressed by the Berber women. First the trees’ fruit pulp is allowed to dry; then it is removed. The remaining nuts are cracked between two stones so the kernels can be used undamaged. The kernels are lightly roasted and then ground by hand. An oily paste forms and the oil is removed through the use of lukewarm water and constant kneading. It is then decanted.

The picture in this blog post is from ACHS President Dorene Petersen, who recently hiked through the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and watched the women hand pressing the oil. Check back with ACHS Facebook for more info from Dorene about the medicinal properties and products of argan oil, and pictures from the women's cooperatives.

Here are some links to recent research articles about potential medicinal properties and uses of argan oil that you may find interesting:

1. Effect of dietary argan oil on fatty acid composition, proliferation, and phospholipase D activity of rat thymocytes

2. Consumption of argan oil (Morocco) with its unique profile of fatty acids, tocopherols, squalene, sterols and phenolic compounds should confer valuable cancer chemopreventive effects

3. Effect of Argan Oil on Platelet Aggregation and Bleeding Time: A Beneficial Nutritional Property

Share your experience using argan oil. Do you prefer it to olive oil? Is it more moisturizing than your traditional skin care base oil?

Organic Coconut Oil a Very Effective Skin Support

Coconut oil is extracted from the meat of mature coconut, found throughout tropical climates. Traditionally, the oil has been used as a source of fat in the diet, including as a cooking oil, but did you know the oil also has been tested for industrial uses because of its natural lubricant properties?

Today coconut oil is highly prized for its use in cosmetics and skin care products. In specific, coconut oil has moisturizing and skin softening properties, and well as film-forming properties so the oil "seals in" moisture, so to speak. In addition, coconut oil is often recommended for use with dry skin, sensitive skin, and can even be used to help reinvigorate dry, damaged hair [1] and in lip balms. Recent research even suggests the lauric acid found in coconut oil may be useful with acne[2]!

If you like to make your own natural skin and hair care products, coconut oil is a wonderful, versatile base oil to use. And, it is relatively unscented, which means you can add essential oils for your own custom blend.

Keep your skin glowing for summer and moisturized year-round. Shop for your organic products and essential oils at the Apothecary Shoppe. Free ground shipping for all purchases of 11 oz organic coconut oil made by midnight, August 16, 2010. Just add the code NEW2010 to the comments section of your order at checkout. Visit www.apothecary-shoppe.com

For more information about the benefits of coconut oil, you may want to check out the Coconut Research Center: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/index.htm

References
[1] Rele AS, Mohile RB. Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage. J Cosmet Sci. 2003 Mar-Apr;54(2):175-92. Accessed online: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12715094?dopt=Abstract
[2] Nakatsuji T, Kao MC, Fang JY, Zouboulis CC, Zhang L, Gallo RL, Huang CM. Antimicrobial property of lauric acid against Propionibacterium acnes: its therapeutic potential for inflammatory acne vulgaris. J Invest Dermatol. 2009 Oct;129(10):2480-8. Epub 2009 Apr 23.