Argan Oil Women Cooperatives

Morocco is a really beautiful place to visit and experience its natural beauty. The real find here is Argan Oil which grows exclusively in this region. This is said about Argan oil that it has got the restorative and age-defying effects to a large extent. It is high in Vitamin E and fatty acids and it helps in all sorts of skin problems: dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, wrinkles. Moroccans use them on their hairs and nails even they use it for their babies. They eat it also in salads, almonds, honey and bread.

Argan Co-operative a group consisting only of women manufactures oil on a pretty large scale. Older women sit and work over the extraction process and younger bilingual women will be explaining the whole process. The nuts looking like a cross between walnut and almond are pulled out of the fruit of the squat. Animals especially goats also are seen munching on the leaves in a particular season.

The women working in the co-operative first crack the shells with sharp stones. They are then placed between two Flinstone-size slabs of rock, and then they are grinded into a brown paste. This paste is kneaded by hand to extract the oil. The paste after getting kneaded is transformed into a solid hunk which is sent to the nearby factories. In these factories oil is extracted by a press. Soaps, shampoos and creams are also made out if it but oil is the most sought after. These oils are filled in little jars and labeled with the Co-operative name which is the mark of its authenticity. The best deal in buying Argan oil is to go to the co-operative directly and get it from there. They are exported all over the world and the working has transformed from the mud and stone co-ops into spas and sephoras all around the globe.

The whole process of extraction of Argan Oil is a cumbersome process and it takes a lot of time to extract the oil. This is the reason the govt. of Morocco has started funding these co-operatives. Other countries also like Monaco also help in this movement. Women from villages are provided a good working environment here with a fair amount of salary.