In this article
Baobab oil is the cold-pressed plant oil from the seeds of the African baobab, Adansonia digitata, the tree of the savannah south of the Sahara with the enormous water-storing trunk that stands bare for much of the year. On the label of our baobab oil the ingredient reads Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, cold-pressed and made in Ghana, as a cosmetic oil for hair and skin; there is no second ingredient. It is a golden yellow, medium-thick oil with a faint nutty smell, sold in a 30 ml and a 100 ml bottle with a pipette.
Many people search for 'baobab oil benefits' or search for 'the versatile wonder of baobab oil'. We make no claim about what this oil does in or under the skin, on the scalp or to the hair: the label says nothing about that, and neither do we. What you can check yourself is what the label says, where the oil comes from, how it looks, smells and feels, and how to use it, in what amount. That is what this guide is about.
Baobab oil at a glance
- Label: Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, the only ingredient; cold-pressed; made in Ghana.
- Plant: the African baobab, Adansonia digitata; the oil comes from the seeds inside the fruit, not from the fruit pulp.
- Colour and smell: golden yellow; a faint, slightly nutty smell that is gone once the oil has absorbed.
- Texture: medium-thick, a semi-drying oil; absorbs fairly quickly and leaves little shine.
- Use: face, hair ends, cuticles, dry patches such as elbows and heels, and as the base of a blend; external use only.
- What the label does not say: no content of anything, no shelf life, no certificate; so we name none of those.
- Bottle and storage: 30 ml or 100 ml in dark glass with a pipette; cool, dark and closed, finish within a year.
The tree, the fruit and the seed
The baobab is one of the best-known trees of Africa, and most stories are about the tree itself: a trunk sometimes more than ten metres around, branches that look like roots, an age of hundreds of years. The fruit is less known. It hangs on a long stalk, is about the size of a large mango, and has a hard, woody shell with a velvety, grey-green to brown outside. Break the shell and you find no juicy flesh but dry, white lumps that crumble to powder, and in them the seeds: brown, shiny, kidney-shaped, about the size of a coffee bean.
The white pulp is known elsewhere as baobab powder; the seeds are dried, hulled and pressed, and that gives baobab oil, which is why the label says Seed Oil. The illustration on our label shows exactly that: two fruits, one broken open, with the white pulp and the loose seeds. What those seeds contain, the label does not say, and so we do not say it either.
How the oil looks, smells and feels
Golden yellow and clear. Open the bottle and you smell a faint, slightly nutty note; once the oil is on the skin it is gone, and for anyone who wants an oil without a pronounced smell this one fits. In texture it sits in the middle: thicker than jojoba or grape seed oil, far thinner than castor oil. In the trade it counts as a semi-drying oil, which means it neither vanishes at once nor lies on the skin for long; it absorbs fairly quickly and leaves little shine. You notice that most on the face, the hair ends and the cuticles, which is exactly where it is bought for.
On the face
Two to three drops on lightly damp skin after cleansing, pressed in with the flat of the hand rather than rubbed; after a few minutes the oil has absorbed and little shine remains. If you use a day cream, apply the cream first and the oil after, or mix two drops into the portion of cream in your hand. Because the oil is medium-thick it is easiest in the evening, but under make-up it works too if you give it a few minutes. The first time, use one drop along the jawline and look at the skin the next day.
On the hair ends
In the hair, baobab oil goes on the ends and not on the scalp or the roots, where the hair quickly turns greasy. Rub one or two drops between the palms and smooth them over the last centimetres of dry or towel-dried hair; more is not needed and weighs the ends down. For a hair mask, spread a teaspoon through the lengths, leave it half an hour and wash it out with shampoo, twice if needed. In the hair the oil smells of nothing, which for many people is the reason to choose it over an oil with a smell of its own. Other oils for the hair are in the hair oils collection.
On the cuticles, the hands and dry patches
For the cuticles, take one drop per hand, massage it into the cuticles and rub the rest over the back of the hand, preferably in the evening so the oil has time. For elbows, knees and heels, two to three drops per spot are enough, on skin that is still damp after showering, spread thinly. Here the medium-thick texture is an advantage: the oil stays where you put it for a moment instead of vanishing at once. Wait a few minutes before you put on socks or clothes, because oil that still sits on the skin can mark light fabric.
As the base of a blend
In home-made cosmetics baobab oil is a base oil without a smell of its own: one part baobab oil to one or two parts of another oil or melted butter gives a face oil, body oil or balm in which the baobab oil provides the texture and the other oil the smell or the colour. It mixes without trouble with other oils and butters and does not separate. Because baobab oil keeps well in the bottle, it is usually the other oil that decides how long the blend keeps; mix a small amount at a time in a clean jar, keep it cool and dark and use it within a few months. Do not mix it with water or anything watery without a preservative. Other base oils are in the carrier oils collection.
Baobab oil next to marula, jojoba and sweet almond oil
Anyone looking for a face oil that does not smell of anything and does not keep shining usually ends up with one of these four. Marula oil is the other African oil in the shop, cold-pressed from the kernel of the marula fruit; it is a little thinner and lighter than baobab oil and absorbs faster. Jojoba oil is in fact a liquid wax, scentless, smooth and the longest-keeping; it feels smoother and thinner than baobab oil. Sweet almond oil is the classic massage oil, mild in smell, thinner than baobab oil and cheaper per millilitre; it is the choice for the whole body, where baobab oil is the choice for the small places: face, ends, cuticles.
How much you use and which bottle to choose
A drop from the pipette is about 0.05 ml. Face: two to three drops once a day; three drops is about 0.15 ml, so a 30 ml bottle lasts two hundred applications, more than six months. Hair ends: one or two drops on wash days, and you hardly notice that on the bottle. Cuticles and dry patches: one drop per hand and two to three per spot, so five to ten drops an evening, and then 30 ml lasts two to three months. A blend: one part to one or two parts, so ten to fifteen ml per 30 ml jar, and then 100 ml is the size that fits.
If you use baobab oil for the face, the hair ends or the cuticles, 30 ml is enough for months and the bottle is empty before the oil is old; for an oil used by the drop that is the main argument, and it is the bottle we would start with. If you use it on larger dry patches, for hair masks or as the base of blends, 30 ml is gone in a few weeks and 100 ml is cheaper per millilitre. Both bottles hold the same oil, in dark glass with a pipette. More oil does not give a better result, only skin that feels greasy.
How to store it
Cool, dark and tightly closed, not on a windowsill and preferably not in the bathroom, and finish an opened bottle within a year, because the label gives no shelf life. Baobab oil keeps better than the thin, highly unsaturated seed oils, but it is still a plant oil. If it smells sharp, musty or rancid instead of faint and nutty, do not use it any more.
What to watch out for
External use only: this is a cosmetic oil, so do not swallow it and do not use it in the kitchen, even if you know the pulp of the baobab as a powder from the shop. Apply one drop to the inside of the wrist first and wait a day; if the skin turns red or stings, do not use it. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with lukewarm water. Not on broken skin. The label names one ingredient and no fragrance; whether this batch contains anything a particular person reacts to, we cannot rule out without an analysis certificate, so we promise nothing. Keep out of reach of children. Other single-ingredient oils are in the pure oils collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is baobab oil the same as baobab powder?
No. The powder is the dry white pulp of the fruit; the oil is pressed from the seeds that sit in that pulp. This bottle contains only the oil, and it is a cosmetic oil.
Where does this baobab oil come from?
The label says made in Ghana, and names one ingredient: Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil.
Can I use it on the scalp?
You can, as a mask before washing, but the ends are where most people use it. On the roots it turns the hair greasy quickly.
Which bottle should I start with?
30 ml. Used by the drop, it lasts for months.
