Marula oil is an African beauty secret for amazing skin. It has been hailed by the Ovambo women in northern Namibia for hundreds of years. These women use it as a skin care product to maintain glowing and youthful skin.
This precious oil is extracted from the nuts found inside the sweet marula fruits found on marula trees. These trees are native to the African regions of Botswana, Malawai, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Below, let’s look at the ingredient profile, followed by the amazing beauty benefits of marula oil!
Marula Oil Profile
♥ Scientific Name:
Sclerocarya birrea
♥ Other Names:
Marula oil is also called sclerocarya birrea oil.
♥ Origin:
Marula oil was used by the Ovambo women of Northern Namibia for centuries.
♥ Color and Smell:
The oil has yellowish brown color. It has a light pleasantly nutty smell.
♥ Texture:
Marula oil has a rich silky texture that easily penetrates into skin.
♥ Shelf Life:
Marula oil is very stable due to its high antioxidant content. It’s 10 times more stable than olive oil and has a shelf life of 2 years.
♥ Comedogenic Rating:
4
Properties of Marula Oil
Marula oil is very rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals! Check some of them out below:
- Alpha-linolenic acid
- Arachidonic acid
- Flavonoids
- Oleic acid
- Palmitic acid
- Saturated fatty acids
- Stearic acid
- Sterols
- Tocopherols
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
10 Beauty Benefits of Marula Oil
1. Anti-Aging Secret
Did you know that marula oil contains 60% more antioxidants than other popular beauty oils? It’s even more anti-oxidant rich than argan oil, which is a rare natural beauty product loved for its anti-aging properties! Use marula oil in place of your night cream or mix up a powerful anti-aging blend as follows:
In a 2 oz amber glass dropper bottle, pour in 1 tbsp of marula oil and 1 tbsp of prickly pear oil using a small funnel. Now add 7 drops of carrot seed essential oil and 5 drops of geranium essential oil. Cap the bottle and shake well to combine everything together. Massage just 2-3 drops on your face and neck before bed.
The above anti-aging blend is safe to use for those with oily and acne prone skin!
2. Increases Collagen Production
Marula oil has 8 times more vitamin C than oranges! With its high level of antioxidants and high vitamin C content, marula oil boosts collagen production. Collagen is a protein structure that binds our skin, bones and whole body together. Collagen is necessary for smooth, soft and youthful skin. Aging people usually have sagging skin, which is caused by loss of collagen. Applying marula oil consistently helps increase collagen production needed for youthful skin.
3. Baby Oil
Native Namibian women use marula oil as a baby massage oil. They gently massage their babies precious skin using this oil to keep it moisturized and healthy. Yup! Marula oil is gentle enough to use on soft baby’s skin. Replace your store-bought baby oil (that contains a slew of unnecessary chemicals, by the way) with pure marula oil!
4. For Massage
Marula oil has a nice silky consistency that makes it perfect as a massage oil. As mentioned above, Namibian women use marual oil as a baby massage oil. To make a therapeutic massage oil for adults, do as follows:
Pour 1 oz of marula oil in an 4 amber glass dropper bottle using a small funnel. Next pour in 1 oz of jojoba oil. Add 5 drops of lavender oil and 5 drops of peppermint oil. Massage yourself, have a partner massage you or give a massage by applying this massage blend and gently kneading and squeezing the muscles for a soothing and relaxing effect.
5. Superior Moisturizer
Marula oil has a high oleic acid content. Oleic acid is an omega 9 fatty acid that sinks much deeper into the skin than most other oils or moisturizers. It also contains palmitic acid and other fatty acids that provide intense moisturization and long lasting hydration of skin. Use marula oil as a moisturizer for your face, neck, hands, legs and general body.
6. Makeup Primer
Yes! You can actually use marula oil as a natural makeup primer! Forget about those chemical-laden and expensive primers out there in the market! When you have marula oil in your midst, with its satiny texture, what more could you want?! Lightly dab a few drops all over your face then apply makeup for a matte finish with a bit of natural glow!
7. Dry Skin Treatment
If your skin is dry and damaged, use marula oil. It has a nice texture that feels great on dry skin plus offers deep and long-term moisturization to skin. You can mix even make a nice body butter with marula oil, like so:
Gently melt ¼ cup of shea butter and ¼ cup of coconut oil in a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat, let it cool down a while then add 1 tbsp of marula oil. Now place the oils in the refrigerator for around 15 minutes of freezer for 10 minutes so that they can cool off and partially solidify. This enable easy whipping. When the time is up, get it out of the refrigerator and whip using a hand mixer for about 5-7 minutes to get a nice light and whipped body butter!
8. Sensitive Skin Soother
Sensitive skin from razor burns, shaving, hyperpigmentation, rashes, sunburn and more can be soothed using marula oil! Gently apply a suitable amount to the affect skin to soothe it.
9. Boost your Skin Care Products
Add just a few drops of marula oil to your body lotion, face cream, anti-aging cream. Facial cleanser or liquid foundation to boost their skin care benefits! You know marula oil is filled to the brim with antioxidants which protect skin from free radical damage and premature aging – so there’s so much to gain when you add it to your products!
10. Hair Moisturizer
Get beautiful locks of hair using marula oil! It is perfect for moisturizing dry and frizzy hair because it’s rich in fatty acids. It’s also immensely useful for hair that’s dehydrated and damaged by the sun and heat tools. You can use a few drops straight onto your hair, apply on damp hair or even mix a few drops in your shampoo or hair cream.
Where to Buy Marula Oil
Always look for 100% pure quality marula oil without additives. My recommended brand is Slice of Nature’s 100% pure Marula Oil that comes in a 4 oz bottle.
