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Moroccanoil Treatment adds shine and heals damaged hair. Photo courtesy of Moroccanoil.
Although Moroccan women have known about its amazing moisturizing and anti-aging properties for thousands of years (argan nuts are harvested by hand in Morocco), we westerners just started catching on about a year ago.
There are three reasons to care about argan oil:
- It'll Give You a Youthful Glow Argan oil is loaded with antioxidants, vitamin E and omega 6's that protect your skin and hair from environmental damage.
- It Prevents Deforestation The indigenous argan forest of Morocco has been devastated by deforestation and unsuccessful crop planting, which has allowed the desert to creep in a claim the land. It's very very hard to re-plant trees in the desert, but by giving the argan nuts an economic value it creates incentives for the Moroccan people to protect and re-plant the forest.
- It Empowers Women Argan nuts are almost exclusively harvested by women, and with the rise in demand for quality oil women who haven't traditionally worked outside the home now have the resources to form cooperatives and create business opportunities for themselves. (Aveda does a good job explaining the co-ops on their site.)
And now for the best argan oil products!
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Kiehl's new cleansing oil smells like sweet orange and cedarwood. Photo courtesy of Kiehl's.
Josie Maran Bronzing Argan Oil - Eco-entrepreneur Josie Maran recently followed up her best-selling Argan Oil (a multi-purpose treatment for dry skin, split ends and cracked cuticles) with the new bronzing version. Use it on parched skin to get a radiant, healthy glow.
Moroccanoil Treatment - As the first company to offer professional argan products for hair, Moroccanoil is a favorite among celebrity hair stylists (and has tamed the tresses of stars like Salma Hayek and Taylor Swift). The free-trade argan oil products make hair bouncy and shiny.
Aveda Green Science Firming Face Cream - Aveda is always on the ball with using botanical ingredients to beautify the skin. This cream mixes argan oil with a cocktail of other skin-restoring peptides from natural sources to hydrate skin and smooth fine lines. Aveda also helps fund literacy programs for the all-female co-ops that supply the oil.
Do you have a favorite argan oil product? Tell me about it!