Sea buckthorn oil: morning or evening?

In the evening, and the reason is more down-to-earth than one might think. Sea buckthorn oil is intensely orange: applied neat in the morning, it visibly stains the skin and everything it touches. Add to that its richness in light-sensitive compounds. The real question remains, the one you ask yourself once the bottle is bought: what changes, and when? This page answers in days, weeks, and months.

What sea buckthorn oil contains

Sea buckthorn berries yield two different oils, and confusion is common. Pulp oil, dark orange, is very rich in carotenoids and omega-7. Seed oil, lighter in color, is rich in omega-3 and omega-6.

Omega-7—palmitoleic acid—is the unique characteristic of sea buckthorn. Few vegetable oils contain as much, and it's a fatty acid that the skin produces itself.

The berries are also rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, which explains the antioxidant properties attributed to this concentrated oil.

Its color comes from carotenoids. This is good news for its qualities and bad news for its use: the more orange sea buckthorn oil is, the richer it is, and the more it stains.

Sea buckthorn berries are among the richest in vitamin C in the plant kingdom—much more than oranges pound for pound. However, this vitamin remains in the juice: the oil concentrates carotenoids and vitamin E.

Using sea buckthorn oil on the face therefore means using a source of vitamin E and carotenoids, not vitamin C. The confusion is common and harmless, but it's good to know what you're applying.

Sea buckthorn in the first few days: comfort

What is first noticed, within three to five days, is skin comfort. Tight skin stops feeling tight, and feelings of discomfort become less frequent.

On very dry skin, the effect is clear from the first week. This is where sea buckthorn oil acts the fastest.

Two to three drops are enough, diluted in a more neutral oil if the color bothers you. A ratio of one drop of sea buckthorn to four of another vegetable oil remains very effective and no longer stains.

Sea buckthorn after a few weeks: skin texture

Between two and six weeks, skin texture refines and complexion becomes more even. These effects require regular application, every evening.

This is also the period when tolerance can be assessed. Sea buckthorn oil is well tolerated by most skin types, including combination skin, provided small quantities are used.

On reactive skin, a few weeks of use are enough to tell. If redness appears, it is generally not the sea buckthorn itself but the concentration at which you are using it.

The following months: what requires patience

For scars and marks, allow three months of daily applications before judging. Skin cells renew slowly, and no oil changes this rhythm.

The skin regeneration attributed to sea buckthorn occurs over this long period. Available studies, moreover, cover durations of several months.

For wrinkles, honesty dictates saying that the effectiveness is modest. Sea buckthorn oil provides comfort, suppleness, and a brighter complexion; it doesn't fill anything.

Why sea buckthorn oil is not suitable for morning use

First, the color. A pure morning application leaves a visible orange tint on light skin, and significant dilution is needed to avoid it.

Next, light sensitivity. Carotenoids degrade in the sun, and oil applied in the morning loses some of what makes it beneficial.

A commercial cream containing sea buckthorn does not pose this problem: the concentration is low, and the formula is stabilized. These treatments can be used morning or evening interchangeably.

How to use sea buckthorn oil

On the face, two diluted drops, in the evening, on slightly damp skin. Apply by pressing, never by rubbing.

On dry body areas, pure sea buckthorn oil is suitable, as the color poses less of a problem there. Elbows, hands, and heels particularly benefit.

As a treatment rather than continuously: six weeks of use, then a break. This concentrated oil performs best over defined periods.

On the face, the effect is judged after a few weeks of regular applications. A commercial cream enriched with sea buckthorn is more suitable if you're looking for simplicity: the concentration is lower, and the product doesn't stain.

Sea buckthorn eye contour treatments also exist. Their benefit lies in the richness of fatty compounds in this very delicate area, where a rich oil provides comfort.

How to choose and store it

The first thing to check is which oil it is: Hippophae rhamnoides fruit oil for the pulp, Hippophae rhamnoides seed oil for the seeds. These are not the same products.

Cold-pressed, in a tinted glass bottle, and with a distinct color for the pulp oil. A pale sea buckthorn oil has been cut or refined.

It can be stored for six to twelve months after opening, in a cool place away from light. Its richness in vitamin E partially protects it, but does not make it completely stable.

Oil from fully ripened berries gives a more distinct color and a more pronounced odor. This is not a defect: an odorless sea buckthorn oil has lost something along the way.

For facial care, prefer small bottles. A rich, concentrated oil is used in small quantities, and a large bottle will age before it's finished.

What not to expect from it

It does not protect from the sun, despite its carotenoid content. No vegetable oil filters UV rays.

For existing acne or dermatosis, it is not a medical treatment. It supports skin comfort, and anything beyond that requires medical advice.

And the oil applied to the skin has nothing to do with the sea buckthorn juice that is drunk. These are two distinct uses of the same berry.

The color, a real obstacle during the day

Sea buckthorn is too pigmented to be worn under makeup or before going out: this is the practical reason to reserve it for bedtime, even before considering the issue of oxidation. A nourishing facial oil does not have this constraint and fills the niche left open by sea buckthorn.