Truth be told, most of us have never heard of Marula oil. It’s a bit surprising, considering that many see marula oil as the “elixir or youth”. In order to understand why many, see it as this special ingredient that works its magic for the skin and hair, let’s take a better look at it.
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What is marula oil?
All-natural, cold pressed and full of nutrients, marula oil is lightweight and fast absorbing into the skin. it calms the skin and brings comfort to all types of skin, reactive and sensitive including.
Harvested from the exotic fruit’s seed kernels of Marula trees, marula oil is indigenous to Madagascar and Southern Africa.
The tasty fruit contains a lot more vitamin C than the famous orange (4 times more). The bark and leaves of marula tree have all sorts of abilities, but the best part about is the marula oil. The marula oil has medicinal benefits and it’s quite popular among South African women and men. It protects the skin and hair from the dry and difficult weather conditions.
Why is marula oil so good for the skin and hair?
The modern scientific research confirms the benefits of Marula oil. Loaded with strong antioxidants, essential fatty acids and nutrients, this oil keeps the outer stressors away from the skin, while sustaining the cellular activity, hydrating and repairing the skin. it also helps reverse photo-damage.
Marula oil comes in various colors that range from a clear pale to a golden-brown, leaving an attractive nutty-sweet fragrance.
Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, marula oil is a versatile tonic that also boosts the collagen production, keeping your skin and hair beautiful and healthy.
Even if its price may be a pet peeve for many, a little goes a long way so you should see it as a wise investment for the long run.
What are the benefits of marula oil for the skin?
Due to its high concentration of fatty acids, vitamin C and many more nutrients good for the skin, marula oil sure brings a lot of good things to the table.
Here are the benefits of marula oil for the skin:
- It protects against environmental damage
Pollution, smoke, UV rays, artificial heating and cooling, wind and cold are outer stressor that damage the skin, leading to premature aging. As a matter of fact, they represent the no.1 cause of skin aging so minimizing their effects on skin is crucial.
The environmental stressors damage the skin as they give free radicals, which lead to chronic skin inflammation at a cellular level. The irritation is going to make the collagen and elastin break down in the skin, resulting in age spots, fine lines and wrinkles. In addition, your skin gets dull, rough and dehydrated.
Only using sunscreen every day isn’t going to be enough for protecting your skin against the outer aggressors and you need to use products that strengthen the protective barrier of the skin.
Marula oil is an amazing choice as it works day and night for keeping the damage of environmental stressors under control. It works during your sleep as well through the natural renewal process of the skin, strengthening the skin from the inside.
But it’s not only the outer aggressors that damage the skin. Fatigue, hormones and emotional stress have also a bad influence on the appearance of your skin and marula oil protects the skin from them too.
- It slows down the aging of the skin
Loaded with omega oils and fatty acids, along with vitamin C and E, marula oil is a valid anti-aging solution. It fights efficiently against the free radical damage and gives your skin a healthy glow. It helps the skin repair and regenerate itself, boosting the collagen production.
- It softens and smooths out the skin
As it’s lightweight and easily absorbed into the skin, marula oil is going to improve the skin complexion. It increases the firmness of the skin, smoothing out the areas of cellulite and minimizing the visibility of pigmentation patches and scars. It softens the skin due to the vitamin C and monounsaturated fatty acids.
Marula oil is going to leave a soft touch feel to the skin instantly, hydrating the skin and reversing the damage that made the skin rough to begin with.
- It keeps acne at bay
Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory, marula oil is going to help when fighting against acne. It reduces the size and visibility of all types of blemishes. In addition, marula also makes the acne scars more difficult to notice too.
- It lessens the appearance of scars and prevents stretch marks
Another great thing that marula oil can do for your skin is that it lowers the visibility of scars and stretch marks, minimizing the risk for their occurrence. This is simply because marula oil is loaded with minerals, fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. It’s easily absorbed into the skin, nourishing it and improving its elasticity, suppleness and firmness.
During your pregnancy or when you’re dealing already with some stretch marks, you can use marula oil for healing and rejuvenating the skin.
- It heals chapped lips
Highly moisturizing, marula oil is great for the dry skin, healing the chapped and dry lips. It penetrates the skin on the lips, eliminating dryness from within. When using marula oil, the lips are going to become soft and pink, with minimal risk for cracking or bleeding.
Put aside the regular lip balm and start using marula oil instead as it’s going to heal the lips, locking in moisture.
- It heals and prevents various skin conditions
the market sure gives us plenty of solutions for various skin conditions, but they are formulated with petroleum, which is a by-product of the oil industry. Even if this kind of products create the impression of moisture, they create in fact a barrier on the skin. this barrier clogs pores and attracts dirt and sweat, blocking the skin from eliminating toxins. In addition, it also keeps out air and moisture, increasing drying of the skin.
the store-bought products also include parabens and phthalates which damage the hormone system. Long story short, staying away from this type of products is the best solution for your skin.
best choices for addressing skin condition such as eczema are going to hydrate the skin and strengthen its barrier function and marula oil is an ingredient like that. It allows your skin the breath and nourishes and the omega-6 fatty acids within reduce the symptoms.
- it works for all skin types
marula oil is safe to use on all skin types, from normal to sensitive and dry as it’s rich in oleic acid. Fast absorbing, marula oil doesn’t clog pores and sooths the skin without leaving a greasy feel to it. It balances the moisture levels and only a drop of it is going to seal in moisture, without leaving any sort of residue. It fights free radicals that may damage your skin.
Is marula oil good for the hair?
Marula oil sinks deep and it doesn’t just penetrate and hydrates, but also gives the minerals the skin needs. It contains zinc, iron, phosphorous, copper and magnesium and they are all great for heathier hair.
Very high in antioxidants, marula oil is able to sustain hair growth and helps the hair follicles not to get thin or die.
Marula oil is also high in omega-9 fatty acids which are important for our healthy. Omega-9 fatty acid, oleic acid boosts the hair growth and strengthens the hair, helping it grow thicker and longer.
But the benefits for the hair don’t stop here as marula oil is also rich in amino acids and vitamin E, which rejuvenate the hair follicle cells.
Marula oil is good for all hair types and protects the hair from the elements, no matter if the stressors are the harsh UVs or the cold winds. The oil creates a protective coating for your strands, keeping the damage of styling elements and outer stressors under control. It nourishes the ends of your hair and your scalp, moisturizing them at the same time. It eliminates frizz and leaves a satin finish on your hair.
Thanks to its thin texture, marula oil is easy to spread throughout the hair, leaving the hair healthy and radiant.
How to use it on the skin?
There are many ways to include marula oil in your daily skin care routine.
You may simply add a drop or two of the oil in your regular moisturizer or cleanser as it’s lightweight and loaded with vitamin C. apply it in a thin layer as a primer 10 minutes before you apply your makeup. You may safely apply it on the chest area and décolletage. Some like mixing 5 drops of it with the body cream, using marula oil for hydrating the skin of the entire body.
If you’re using a product formulated with retin-A or glycolic acid, marula oil is going to help with the irritation and dryness of the skin. you may apply 3-4 drops of marula oil twice a day for soothing the skin and reducing redness.
Able to increase the skin’s elasticity during pregnancy and minimizing the risk for skin tearing, marula oil is essential for reducing stretch marks. 3-4 drops of the oil three times a day are going to make the stretch marks slowly fade away.
How to use marula oil for your hair?
You can use marula oil as a deep conditioning treatment. Add 10 tablespoons of marula oil to 5 tablespoons of argan oil. Mix the ingredients very well and set them aside.
Pour some of your conditioner into a bowl and whip very well. You need to heat the oil mixture in your microwave until very warm, but not too hot that it may burn your skin. whip the mixture once again.
Apply the mixture to your strands, paying extra attention to the ends. Cover your head with a shower cap and let the mixture work for an hour or so. Rinse very well when time is up.
You only need 1 drop of marula oil for normal hair, whereas 2-3 drops are going to be enough for coarse hair. if your hair is very coarse, you should use 4-6 drops, working from the ends and towards the roots.
Marula oil works also as a pre-shampoo treatment. Don’ hesitate to use in on clean damp hair before you style or blow dry your hair.
In case you’re struggling with some scalp condition, massaging it to your scalp is going to alleviate the symptoms.
