Naked Bear Mongongo Oil
0.5 fl oz
$34.00
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Naked Bear Mongongo Oil
$34.00
A desert oil that behaves like nothing else. Mongongo Oil — also called manketti — is pressed from the kernels of a tree that grows in the Kalahari sands, and it is pure mongongo kernel oil — no carrier, no filler, no blend. What's in the bottle is what came off the press.
Himba and San communities have used mongongo on skin and hair for centuries, in some of the harshest sun and wind anywhere. The oil is unusually high in eleostearic acid, a fatty acid that reacts to light by forming a thin protective film on the surface of skin and hair. It is not a sunscreen and we won't pretend otherwise — but it is why mongongo has always been the oil people reached for before a day outside.
WHAT IT'S LIKE
Amber and medium-bodied, with a nutty smell. It sinks in steadily and leaves a soft, sealed finish rather than a greasy one.
BEST FOR
Skin and hair that take a beating from sun, wind, dry air, or salt water. Coarse and curly hair. Rough patches on elbows, knees, and heels.
HOW TO USE
A few drops smoothed over damp skin after a shower, or worked through damp hair from mid-length to ends. For scalp, massage a little in before you wash.
WHAT'S IN IT
Schinziophyton Rautanenii (Mongongo) Kernel Oil. That's the whole list.
Contains tree nut oil. Patch test before first use. Not a sunscreen. Keep away from eyes. For external use only.
One ingredient
Ximenia seed oil, undiluted. No carrier, no fragrance, no added vitamin E.
Genuinely rare
Ximenynic acid, a long-chain fatty acid found in almost no other plant oil.
Wild-harvested
Hand-gathered from wild trees, under Namibia's benefit-sharing arrangements.
Why you haven't seen it before
There simply isn't much of it.
Most oils on a shelf come from plantations. Ximenia doesn't. There are no ximenia farms, no predictable yield, and no way to scale the harvest beyond what the wild trees give in a given year.
That's the whole reason it stays obscure while argan and marula went global. It isn't a marketing angle — it's a supply constraint, and it's why we bottle it in half ounces rather than pretending otherwise.
Ximenia is oleic-rich, which makes it one of the richer oils we sell. Most people are fine with it, but if your skin runs oily or breaks out easily, a linoleic-rich oil suits better — Kalahari Melon Seed Oil or Prickly Pear.
Faintly nutty, close to almond. That’s the seed itself; nothing is added. It fades within a minute or two on skin.
Ximenia is a fruit-seed oil, not a true tree nut, despite the almond-like smell. It contains no nut, soy, sesame, or coconut. As with any new oil, patch test first.
Yes, and it’s one of the better ones for it. A drop or two through the ends of damp hair, or a few drops massaged into the scalp before you wash.
Skin feels softer the same night. Anything you’d actually see — texture, the look of dryness — takes a few weeks of steady use.
Around 18 to 24 months sealed, about 12 once opened. It’s far steadier than our omega-3-rich oils. Keep it capped and out of direct sun; if it ever smells sharp or crayon-like rather than faintly nutty, it’s past it.
Both. Light enough for the face, rich enough to be worth it on elbows, shins, and hands.
What's in it
Ximenia Americana Seed Oil.
One ingredient, undiluted — the same oil whether you buy it here or in the Namibia Collection. Patch test before first use. Keep away from eyes. For external use only.
If it's not for you
We offer a 30-day return window for all unused products.
Simply contact us and we'll process your return.