As a herbalist and cosmetic formulator I am obsessed with natural beauty ingredients and the products people make. One of my favourite things to do when visiting other countries is to sample skincare products and discover new, exotic ingredients. I love to indulge in indigenous beauty practices and visit producers who grow and create plant-based products.

Morocco has remained true to her roots and kept ancient beauty and self-care practices alive in the modern age , preferring to use what can be naturally sourced from the landscape. These heritage practices ensure authentic sensual rituals using beautiful products rich in herbs, oils, clays and essential oils , these often transcend the individual experience bringing families and friends together.

What Is A Moroccan Hammam?

Hammans are public steam/bath-houses akin to Turkish baths that locals use, rooted in Roman and Islamic traditions. Moroccans reguarly visit hammams, orignally this was a necessity in the absence of modern bathing facilites in the home, in the modern day this tradition endures as a means to deeply purify and detoxify the body. Benefits include boosting circulation, enhancing immunity and general physical and mental wellbeing.

Hammams are segregated for men and women and usually in opposite sides of the same building. They consist of tiled, heated rooms varying from warm to hot which have steam moving throughout. The warmest room encourages sweating and dilation of pores to release toxins.

Black soap is used to cleanse and a kessa glove helps remove impurities and boost the circulation. Other products used include clays, botanical powders and oils.

Visiting a hammam is very much a shared social experience, these are communal spaces where friends and family will gather.

Natural Moroccan Beauty Products

Moroccan beauty products are often crafted from local, natural plant sources including native medicinal herbs, plant oils, essential oils, flower waters, shells and clays. Often the products are rustic, completely natural and homemade.

Distillation is an ancient art practised throughout Morocco in traditional copper stills to extract precious oils and create flower waters to use cosmetically. Read about this transformative process here

Moroccan Herbs

Herbs are key Moroccan beauty ingredients, Morocco is naturally blessed with native medicinal plants due to its location, abundance of natural habitat and climatic conditions. The vast mountainous regions of the Atlas range and Rif mountains support a large variety of plant life including many species unique to these regions.

A longstanding ethnobotanical relationship endures between Moroccan people and native plants, knowledge and skills around sourcing and preparing plants is passed down through the generations, respect for elder knowledge and a desire to honour tradition keep the legacy alive and herbs at the forefront of Moroccan beauty rituals.

Moroccan Oils

Plant-based oils are central to most of the beauty rituals practised in Morocco and are used for nourishing skin and hair. Some of the more popular oils are Sweet Almond, Olive, Prickly Pear and Argan.

Other Moroccan Beauty Products

My further blogs will include other Moroccan beauty essentials, all of which are natural and mostly plant-based. I will be covering-

• Essential Oils

• Flower waters

• Soap

• Clays

• Henna

• Botanical powders

My Top Picks Of Moroccan Beauty Products

I only select products that contain pure oils and botanical extracts from brands I trust following my extensive experience as a herbalist and formualtor. One of my passions is green, clean plant-based beauty and I like to reseach botanicall ingredients including herbal extracts, herbal oils, glycerites, essential oils and other natural ingredients. My recommendations only include products I would be happy to use myself and I am very fussy about natural ingredients and authentic fragrance.

This is a wonderful, nutrient-dense cosmetic clay found exclusively in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. It has been used for centuries in Moroccan skin and haircare. The beauty of this clay as I recently found when making a face mask, is that it creates a silky mud-like mask that feels really good on the skin without being too drying. Mix the clay with floral waters or herbal infusions to hydrate.

Rhassoul Clay

Moroccan Tbrima Powder

This is a blend of herbs, clays and botanical powders used to exfoliate and create masks. The aim is to detoxify, stimulate the circulation and removing dead skin cells, brightening the skin.

Pure Blue Nila Powder

Nila is a stunning powder, an incredible vivid blue colour derived from Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) . This is used in a similar way to the Tbrima as a mask which will brighten the skin.

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An Immersive Herbal Tour Of Morocco

A Nomadic Herbalist & Timeless Fez Collaboration

Next spring, Nomadic Herbalist in conjunction with Timeless Fez will be hosting a unique Herbal Immersion aimed at those seeking slow, meaningful travel experiences that take them far beyond the usual tourist routes to get a glimpse into Morocco's thriving herbal heritage.

'Roots & Remedies' is a four-day guided exploration to discover the medicinal plants of the Middle Atlas Mountains. This offers a rare insight into indigenous foraging practices seldom seen and an opportunity to learn about the native herbs of Morocco. The tour traces this ancient process from roots to remedies, from the collection of raw plant material through to the finished products sold in the souks such as Soul Attarine and cosmetics in the Henna Souk.

Take part in the transformative process of distillation and soap-making during hands-on workshops and begin with a guided, meditative sensory introduction to some key herbs.

Herbal Tourism is a growing niche in sustainable, nature-based transformative travel which keeps traditions alive, preserving Herbal Heritage and supporting rurual economies to continue foraging herbs.

It is important to give value to the wild landscapes of Morocco and preserve what grows there, alongside this it is equally important to preserve the knowledge and wisdom of the foragers and those who transform raw herbal material into usable products. These are the people who speak to the plants and translate to the people, the alchemists and weavers of magic.

Register here