How to Use Argan Oil on Your Face: Order and Drops
How to apply argan: on damp skin or dry, before or after cream, morning or evening, and how many drops an oilier or a drier face needs.
An American dermatologist tells some people never to put moisturiser on the centre of the face. For them it comes as a revelation: the nose probably never needs moisturiser at all.
The nose, it seems, looks after itself. The cheeks are another matter.
Argan oil goes on by the same logic. A face is not the same all over, so the drops do not go on evenly either. The whole face needs one to three drops, slightly damp skin and the right order.
On damp skin
The best moment for argan is straight after washing. Pat your face with a towel and leave it slightly damp. If you shower in the evening, that is the easiest moment of the day: your face is clean and damp without any extra step.
Dermatologists give the same advice for every moisturising product: put it on while the skin is still damp, because the skin then keeps the water it has just been given. That is exactly what an oil does. It lays a thin film over the skin that holds the moisture in.
On a damp face a single drop travels further and spreads more easily, and the skin is softer afterwards.
If your face is already dry, wet it with water and pat it lightly with a towel. Then apply the drops.
Before or after cream
Cream first, argan last.
A cream is a blend of water and oil, and it brings water to the skin. Argan oil goes over it and keeps that water there. A serum, if you use one, goes on before the cream. Argan is the last step of your care; in the morning only sunscreen follows it.
If your skin does not ask for a cream after washing, argan on a slightly damp face can be your only step. If you are still choosing a cream, our guide on how to choose a face cream will help.
Morning and evening
You can use argan every day, in the morning, in the evening or both. The order differs by one step.
Morning
- Wash your face and pat it so that it stays slightly damp.
- Apply your cream, if you use one.
- Apply one to three drops of argan.
- Once the oil has sunk in, apply sunscreen. It is the last step of your care; make-up, if you wear it, goes on top.
Evening
- Wash your face and leave it slightly damp.
- Apply your cream, if you use one.
- Apply the argan as the final step. After that, the only thing left is sleep.
Drops in the palm
I put argan on every morning. Three drops go in the middle of my palm. I press a finger of the other hand into them and spread the oil over my face with upward movements. Whatever is left on my hand I brush through my beard, then run through my hair.
Around the eyes, use your ring finger. It is the weakest, so it does not pull on the delicate skin.
Oily and combination skin
Combination skin is two faces in one. The cheeks often want care, while the forehead, nose and chin, the so-called T-zone, usually have enough oil of their own.
So do not spread the drops evenly. Put them on the cheeks and any spots that feel tight, and give the T-zone only a light touch of a finger, or skip it.
For oilier skin one drop is enough; a dry face may want three. The amount depends on what your skin is asking for, and that can change from one day to the next.
How to tell it is enough
The right amount shows itself quickly. Argan sinks in within moments, and your face is left soft to the touch, with a gentle, natural glow.
Start with one drop. Put it on and wait a minute. If your skin still feels tight, add another.
If your face is still shining a few minutes later as though you had only just put it on, that was one drop more than your skin needed. Tomorrow, use one fewer.
Common questions
Can I mix argan into my cream?
Apply argan as its own layer, over the cream. That way you know exactly how many drops are on your face.
Do I need to rinse it off?
No. Argan stays on your face and sinks in, so in the morning you wear it all day, and in the evening you sleep in it.
And hair?
Hair has its own amount and its own method, set out in how to use argan oil on hair.
Which argan oil
This method needs an oil that spreads easily and sinks in quickly.
Our 100% argan oil is unrefined and cold-pressed from unroasted kernels, with one ingredient on the label: Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil. It is pale gold, and it softens and smooths the skin and gives it a natural glow.
It is made by women in the collectives we work with, in the Souss-Massa region. How argan used to be made, and how to recognise a good oil, is in our complete guide to argan oil.
At our shop in Sarajevo City Center we can show you the method in person, with one drop in your palm.
The nose, as ever, looks after itself.