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
Sure thing! Hope the meal was delicious!
[…] As a quick example of how her business blogging efforts have lead to an increase in traffic, a boost in the search results, and an increase in customers, let’s talk a look at the stats from just one of her blog posts, “Why I Don’t Ever Use Coconut Oil on My Face.” […]
Hi,
I’m 21 years old and have very acne-prone skin. My skin has always been oily (shiny in pictures) though dry around my mouth and flakey around the sides of my face (baby hair area). I have had forehead acne that won’t go away no matter what I use. They’re very tiny pimples all over my forehead that look like they’re under my skin. They’re not red or irritating and they’re not noticeable indoors but when I’m outside the little pimples are so horrid and noticeable! The only thing that has helped when I was a teenager was Clearasil ultra face wash with benzoyl peroxide and clearasil vanishing cream which has 10% Benzoyl peroxide (that I applied all over my face). I tried going back to that but my skin flares up. I’ve tried natural products (tea tree oil was a nightmare, honey and apple cider vineager did not work) and burts bees products (which irritated my skin), but feel like I need strong acne products to finally say goodbye to this frustrating breakout. My friend (Hispanic background) has been using coconut oil as a face moisturizer for about a month and her skin looks wonderful! But I’m afraid it might clog my pores. My background consists of Hispanic, German, Irish, and a little Italian and African American ancestry. Please help me decide what products I should use! Thanks!
Emily
What about the idea that oils in general DO NOT hydrate the skin? Our skin needs moisture and the only TRUE form of moisture is WATER! not oil! I love LBRI products because they use ALOE and hylaronic acid to carry WATER to the subcutaneous layer of the skin! They have made a HUGE difference in my skin in just days!
Hey Jess-
I’ve actually been with L’Bri for 16 years and I use their enzyme peel when I do facials- they actually started adding naughty ingredients to their face wash – which is why I only use the enzyme peel now. I love Aloe Vera. But Hyaluronic Acid can’t penetrate the skin from the top down. Our skin is like leather, and oils or aloe generally work better than water.
Good luck!
Leave a comment