To use Marula Face Oil, warm two to four drops between your palms and press them into clean, slightly damp skin as the last step of your routine, or over your serum. Press rather than rub, start at the center of the face and work outward, and give it a minute to settle. It works morning or night, and most people with dry skin reach for it at night first.
That covers the basics. Below is the complete version: what the oil is, how to apply it, where it sits in a routine, and how to tell if you are using the right amount.
What Marula Face Oil is
Our Marula Face Oil is 100% pure marula seed oil, pressed from the kernel inside the stone of a southern African fruit, Sclerocarya birrea. There is no added fragrance and nothing else in the bottle. It is rich in oleic acid, with a little linoleic acid and natural vitamin E, and for an oil of that kind it is surprisingly light. It sinks in within moments and leaves no film.
On skin it feels velvety and cushiony. It helps skin hold moisture and leaves a plush, quietly luminous finish. It suits dry, dehydrated and mature skin especially well, and it is the oil we suggest for skin that feels tight.
How to apply it
1. Start with clean, slightly damp skin
Cleanse, then do not dry off completely. A trace of water on the surface helps the oil spread further and go on thinner. If you use a toner or mist, apply the oil while it is still fresh on the skin. Marula seals in the water that is already there; it does not replace it.
2. Measure into your palm
Take two to four drops into one palm rather than tipping the bottle toward your face. Start with two. You can always add one more.
3. Warm it
Press your palms together and hold them for a few seconds. The drops turn glossy and soft and spread into a thin, even layer across both hands. Cold oil tends to go on in streaks, which is how a face ends up shiny in one place and dry in another.
4. Press, do not rub
Lay your palms flat on your cheeks and press, then lift. Move to the forehead, the chin and the jaw, working outward from the center. Use your fingertips for the sides of the nose. Sweep what is left on your hands down the sides of the neck.
5. Give it a minute
The oil sinks in quickly. Wait about a minute before the next step, a pillow or a collar. If your face still looks wet after that, you used more than you needed: take one drop fewer tomorrow, and blot gently with a clean tissue today rather than adding anything on top.
Where it sits among your other products
The rule for layering is simple: thinnest to thickest, water before oil. Marula is an oil, so it goes after anything watery.
- Cleanser
- Toner or mist, if you use one
- Serum
- Marula Face Oil
- Sunscreen, in the morning
If you also use a moisturizer, you have two choices. Press the oil over the moisturizer as the final step, or mix a drop or two into the moisturizer in your palm and apply them together. Both work. The second is a good way to start if you are new to face oils.
Morning or night
At night, marula does its most obvious work. Press it over your serum as the last step and nothing needs to go on top. It helps keep the evening's moisture in, and skin looks soft and rested in the morning.
In the morning, use a lighter hand, two drops rather than three or four, after your serum and before sunscreen. Give it a minute to settle so sunscreen and makeup go on smoothly.
Daily use is fine. If your skin is combination or tends to feel oily, start with evenings only and add the morning once you know how your skin likes it. If it is very dry, morning and night is a good rhythm, especially in winter.
Storing it
Keep the bottle capped and out of direct sun, somewhere cool rather than on a sunny windowsill. Marula is a naturally stable oil, but every plant oil keeps best away from heat and light.
Questions about applying marula oil
How many drops of Marula Face Oil should I use?
Two to four drops for the face. Start with two, especially in the morning, and add a drop if your skin still feels tight after a minute.
Should my skin be wet or dry when I apply it?
Slightly damp. Apply it right after cleansing, or after a toner or mist, while there is still a little moisture on the surface. The oil spreads further and helps hold that water in.
Can I wear it under sunscreen?
Yes. Use two drops after your serum, give it a minute to sink in, then apply sunscreen as your last morning step.
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