The Return: My Oils Are Back (and My Skin Is Blooming Again)
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My Marula oil arrived.
I immediately slathered it on my face. And I swear, it felt like my face was blooming - just drinking it in, desperate for what it had been missing. You can feel the difference when your skin has been waiting for something. This wasn't just moisture. This was reunion.
What Happened Without It
I've been on a skincare regime since I was about 12, starting with pimples in Africa, where the dryness and heat make moisturizer non-negotiable. You learn early there that your skin needs care.
But my routine for the last couple of years has been specifically this:
Night: Wash face (gentle scrub), toner, Marula oil, Primer+ from Invicible Skincare, night moisturizer
Day: Rinse face, toner, Marula oil, Primer+, day moisturizer
But without the Marula oil these past two months? I've been running the routine incomplete. And slowly, unmistakably, my skin started going drier and drier. It felt pebbly. Rougher. Like it was gradually giving up its smoothness.
I tried compensating - using more Primer+ and moisturizer to make up for the missing oil - but it didn't keep up. Something essential was gone.
Why I Waited for THIS Oil
It took a while to get my Marula oil shipped because I import it from Namibia. I contemplated buying some online - there are plenty of Marula oil products out there - but I decided to wait.
Because I know mine is pure. No additives, no chemicals. The oil bins are cleaned every single day. I know because I watched them do it.
I don't know what they add to the other products, but I'm not willing to find out on my face.
The Full Routine (and Why It All Matters)
You might ask - as Dr. Minas of Invicible Skincare did - why not just use the oil OR the Primer+? Why both?
Here's the thing: the Primer+ started as a scar cream and works as a dark spot improver. It's helped my age spots and freckles in ways I didn't expect. No more major dark freckles. And I love the smoothness it gives my skin.
But here's what's interesting: I feel like the Primer+ keeps my oils IN my skin. I know it makes no sense, but that's what it feels like. When I use the Marula oil first, I use very little Primer+ and moisturizer after - they all complement each other.
- Marula oil: All the good natural stuff my skin is craving
- Primer+: Vitamin C and other actives for the age spots and texture
- Moisturizer (Doterra essential oil blend): Holds it all in
I use Doterra for both day and night moisturizers because they feel moist without being sticky. Some very expensive moisturizers I've tried feel too heavy and sticky, especially in Houston humidity. They just sit on top of my skin instead of absorbing, then melt off in the heat.
During the two months without Marula oil, I was using more Primer+ and moisturizer to compensate, and it just... didn't work. The routine needs all its parts.
It's Not Just My Face
I'm also using the Marula oil for my scalp and hair. In the interim, I've been using some bio hair oil, but I don't like the sticky feeling. (Are we back to sticky again? Apparently that's my enemy.)
But with my Marula oil? It's light. It shines my hair. And I feel like it helps my scalp with the itchiness too. My hair has definitely been drier since I stopped using it.
My hair is old as well - it needs tender loving care just like my skin does.
What I'm Noticing Already
It's been days, not weeks, and my skin already feels smoother. Softer. Like it's remembering what it's supposed to feel like.
I'm going to document this journey forward - how my skin feels as the weeks go on, whether the pebbly texture completely disappears, how long it takes to get back to where I was before I stopped.
Because this is the experiment: What happens when you stop caring for aging skin, and what happens when you start again?
Right now? I'm just so happy. I have my oils back. I'm on the right path again for my skin and hair.
And my face is blooming.
What's in your skincare routine? Have you found something that your skin just NEEDS? I'd love to hear what works for you.
