There is no such thing as one size fits all skin care. While coconut oil is safe and has no reported reactions or allergenic effects, it’s best to test coconut oil on a small area of your skin prior to using any new coconut oil skin care protocols.
How will you know if coconut oil is not right for your skin?
Typically, people experience one of two reactions.
First, if you experience an increase in comedogenic acne, you should stop using coconut oil on your skin. Comedogenic acne is typically smaller is size, appears in multiples, and will have a rash-like appearance. While comedogenic acne can appear anywhere, it most commonly occurs on the forehead, checks, and chin.
Liquid coconut oil is a better option for people who are prone to comedogenic acne because the fatty acids with a higher melting point are removed.
Second, if your skin becomes more dry or flaky with the use of coconut oil, you’ll want to stop using coconut oil until you can further assess the underlying cause of your dryness. Coconut oil is not a drying ingredient, however – it can be drying for people who suffer from dehydrated skin.
Dehydrated skin is skin that lacks water, even in the presence of sufficient oil. Because of coconut oil’s molecular weight and shape, it penetrates deeply into skin, which may create the feeling of dryness on the surface of the skin. To improve this, I recommend mixing coconut oil with shea butter, which has humectant and emollient properties. Check out this whipped body butter recipe for reference.
While other oils or can absolutely be helpful, the most effective treatment for dehydrated skin is to drink sufficient water, and balance your water intake with appropriate levels of electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. To do this, you can add a pinch of unprocessed sea salt to the water you drink, which will give your cells the minerals they need to absorb water appropriately.
If coconut oil isn’t right for your skin, rest assured – there are plenty of other oils you can use. I recommend first trying out sweet almond oil or jojoba oil, as they are both great for all skin types.
It’s important to note, if you have a reaction to coconut oil on your face, you may still be able to use coconut oil on your hair or body. If that’s the case, try using jojoba oil or sweet almond oil for face cleansing, or this DIY facial moisturizer.
