Coconut Oil in Skin Care

Coconut oil is one of the most talked-about ingredients.

Many eager beauty bloggers advise to apply coconut oil to face, body, hair and even teeth, cook with it and add it to a variety of healthy foods. We shall not talk about coconut oil nutrition value here, only about skin care.

Coconut oil is an interesting and beneficial cosmetic ingredient.

It contains a unique blend of fatty acids, mostly saturated. High fatty acids content allows coconut oil to form a nutritious layer on the skin surface which helps retain moisture, maintain water balance and compensate for the lipid deficiency (which one can be born with or develop later in life). One of coconut oil’s acids, lauric acid, has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Scientific research confirms the benefits of coconut oil, for example children prone to atopic reactions respond to coconut oil just as well as to commonly used mineral oil-based products. Coconut oil is also good for dry skin, body care, hand and feet creams — basically, in all situations when the skin needs a protective film, under which it can recover and restore its natural protective barrier.

In some cases coconut oil is not necessary and even harmful.

The most important thing to know is this: never use coconut oil to care for oily skin, normal skin prone to oiliness, and especially for acne prone skin. Never apply coconut oil after any kind of pimples removal, including popping and squeezing. Coconut oil layer on the skin creates perfect conditions for the growth of bacteria causing skin inflammation. Under the layer of oil, the skin’s sebum accumulates and oxidises blocking, along with dead skin cells, the mouths of sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Covered with almost impenetrable oil film, the skin’s own sebum has no chance to vacate the mouths of sebaceous glands, practically guaranteeing quick and severe acne breakout. Unfortunately, the natural skin care trend and certain hype surrounding coconut oil led to quite a few teenagers attempting to treat their occasional pimple or two with coconut oil and ending up with serious acne.