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Why I don't ever use coconut oil on my face.


Why Listen To Me?

Since I am an esthetician I talk to women all the time about their skin. I hear many complaints about what is wrong with their skin and what they want to do to make it look better. I have lots of women tell me that they use coconut oil on their face and they've been using it for years.

So while I do recommend using oil on the face, I definitely do NOT recommend using coconut oil on the face anymore.

What Changed? 

Yes, I used to recommend it all the time! I thought it was the greatest thing ever, it has natural sunscreen and it has so many benefits! However, I noticed that in many of my skincare classes, women of European descent (their ancestors came from Europe) would have bad reactions (rashes to redness) from using coconut oil.

I Decided to Research It

I did lots of research after that. I read in a few books that recommend never using coconut oil on the face. In fact, David Wolfe author of "Eating for Beauty" said to not  put it on the nose or the forehead because it can clog pores! And if there was one thing I didn't want, it was clogged pores.

So one day I was actually reading "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Weston A. Price, I had my epiphany about coconut oil. Weston Price was a Canadian dentist who researched the diets of indigenous people all over the world. He found that the people who only ate food native to their region with and didn't eat refined sugars didn't experience any tooth decay.  

I applied this theory to skincare products. Coconuts didn't grow native to where my ancestors lived, or to where I lived now. So maybe coconut oil wasn't the best option for me? It seemed to do really well for people whose ancestry was from around the equator, but just not for anyone that had European ancestry.

I did more research and found that coconut oil has a larger molecular structure, and people that live around the equator tend to have darker, thicker skin, and that can more easily handle and absorb coconut oil.  That's why my skin couldn't handle it!  

What Oils Are Better?

I also looked at what oils grow naturally in European areas, and I've found that many people of European descent do really well with sweet almond, olive, and apricot.

My skin does really well with Jojoba oil that grows in the U.S. which is where I live. That's why we use it in all of our serum products! 

But I Still Use Coconut Oil... Sometimes

It's not that coconut oil is bad, I will sometimes use it as a sunscreen on my arms & legs in the summer. Or I'll sometimes use products that have coconut oil and my skin does well.  But as an "everyday" face oil, I've found that Jojoba works wonders! And I don't have to set it on a window sill to warm it up if it gets cold.

What's even worse is fractionated coconut oil (which makes it stay as a liquid) which is refined oil, should never be used on the skin.

I get a lot of surprised looks when I tell light-skinned women to not use coconut oil on their face! In fact, many argue with me. But try it for yourself! See if another oil works better on your skin.

Also, experiment with oils to see which one your skin does best with!

Also, try our Salis Salt Scrub Face wash! It's in the Shop section. The scrub has Jojoba in it, which again, seems to be very beneficial to my skin - amazed at the vast difference from using coconut and other oils. Check it out!

Have a question? Ask below!

 

189 comments

Natalie

I have been massaging coconut oil in my scalp and hair to try and help with moisture and regrowth. Do you recommend doing this, not doing this, or massing scalp and hair with a different kind of oil? Thanks

tribal

Have been using coconut oil for ages, and its great – no skin rash reactions, just the opposite. Also, when mixed with tea tree oil works as an awesome cure for infections. There may be a small percentage out their that have a reaction to coconut oil, but its not a reason to write it off – Darwin will deal with those people.

Jennifer

I’ve been using coconut oil on my 10 year old for lip licking dermatitis. Any suggestions for kids?

susan

53 years old here …. had acne rosacea once hitting puberty that only stopped once i hit menopause at mid forties . I’ve had 30-40 years of research to learn that much of this is hormonal and systemic …but can be helped by diet and what you DONT put on your face ( chemicals ) . Here’s what i know – milk products aggravate skin conditions – instead try goat milk cheese and yogurt . Stay away from soy . Drink lots of good mineral water , not tap water . mild natural soap or gel without chemicals …. tone with apple cider vinegar solution . Calm angry skin with pure Rosewater spray or Evian water ( make your own spray bottle ). athe makeup foundation that never upset my skin was very pure – Prescriptives foundation … all formulas for oily skin , oil free ETC. now only found online and lauded by tons of women with problem skin . Now that i am older with less estrogen my skin dried out – skip the expensive beauty cream miracles in a jar and apply only pure oils around the eyes and and the above lip areas. pure Rosehip Seed oil is fantastic . your skin needs it . find it online. i like coconut oil but a friend told me it made her face puffy and i had been having that problem too but didn’t realize it was from that coconut oil !!!! jojoba and almond oil are also good . internally kill any yeast overgrowth causing angry skin by taking capryllic acid capsules , black walnut , cats claw , worm wood , and high dose probiotics from yogurt strains ) all found online or in health food stores . And DRINK your cloudy Apple cider vinegar in pure mineral water from sun up to sun down . Turmeric capsules and fresh ginger to cut down the inflammation….skip sunscreen with paba and instead shade your face in harsh conditions .. Vitamin D3 with K2 is beneficial along with the usual others: A B c E : Ashwanghanda to balance hormones at any age

Tika

good info! thanks!

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