Benefits Of Coconut Oil For The Skin

Coconut oil helps to keep the skin smooth and hydrated. It is loaded with natural fats and anti-inflammatory properties and helps you in several ways. You may use coconut oil for skin issues and improve its texture and appearance. It is also a common ingredient used in many natural remedies and commercial skin care products.

Keep reading to learn the benefits of coconut oil and how to use it on the skin.

Know Your Ingredient: Coconut Oil

What Is It?
A tropical, edible oil extracted from raw or dried coconut kernels.

What Are Its Benefits?
It hydrates your skin, improves texture, soothes symptoms of eczema and atopic dermatitis, heals wounds and inflammation, and minimizes UV damage and premature aging.

Who Can Use It?
Anyone except individuals with a nut or coconut allergy, those with oily or acne-prone skin and low immunity, and people undergoing antibiotics medication.

How Often?
You can use it topically as part of your daily skin care routine.

Caution
Coconut oil can cause side effects like redness, irritation, or hives in some individuals. Always do a patch test before topical application and consult your doctor before dietary consumption.

What Is Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil is highly saturated and edible oil extracted from raw or dried coconut kernels. It is 100% fat, and about 80%-90% of it is saturated fat. That is why coconut oil solidifies at low or room temperatures. It is rich in fatty acids like (1):

• Lauric acid (49%)
• Myristic acid (18%)
• Palmitic acid (8%)
• Caprylic acid (8%)
• Capric acid (7%)
• Oleic acid (6%)
• Linoleic acid (2%)
• Stearic acid (2%)

Trivia

Coconut oil is extracted from the milk, flesh, and wick of coconuts through a wet or dry process. A simpler method of making the oil involves boiling the flesh in water on a slow fire.

It also contains trace amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Keep reading to learn about the varieties of coconut oil you can use on your skin!

Types Of Coconut Oil For The Skin

• Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO): It is derived from fresh coconut meat and is minimally processed. Therefore, it retains most nutrients and antioxidants, making it an excellent moisturizer.
• Refined Coconut Oil: It is derived from dried coconut meat, and undergoes bleaching and deodorizing to remove the natural coconut scent and flavor.
• Fractionated Coconut Oil: It is made by separating fats from coconut oil and is popular in cosmetics due to its longer shelf life and lightweight texture.
• Organic Coconut Oil: It is sourced from organically grown coconuts and is free from harmful chemicals and pesticides, ensuring purity and higher quality.
• Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil: It is extracted without heat to preserve its natural properties. This oil is great for soothing the symptoms of skin issues like eczema and psoriasis.

Remember to always choose high-quality, unadulterated coconut oils for optimal skin benefits. Coconut oil offers some amazing skin care benefits. Find out what they are in the next section.

Benefits Of Coconut Oil For The Skin

1. Protects The Skin Barrier

Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties and protects the skin barrier. It may be beneficial in soothing the symptoms of skin disorders like eczema and atopic dermatitis and restore the compromised skin barrier (2).

2. Minimizes UV Damage

UV exposure causes sunburn and premature aging. Topical coconut oil can prevent the damaging effects of UV rays on the skin and blocks 20% of the UV radiation (3), (4).

3. Promotes Wound Healing

A study on rats found that virgin coconut oil promotes collagen development and wound healing. The fatty acids and other components in coconut oil stimulate the fibroblasts (collagen-producing cells) and improve the antioxidant enzyme activities to heal wounds (5).

4. Removes Makeup

Coconut oil can also be used for oil cleansing to remove makeup. It gently dissolves waterproof makeup and cleanses the skin .

5. Moisturizes The Skin

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and myristic acid, which makes it an emollientⁱ  XSubstances used to moisturize the skin because they have the ability to trap moisture and keep the skin smooth and hydrated. that softens and moisturizes the skin. It reduces transepidermal water lossⁱ  XThe water that evaporates through the skin; a method of measuring the skin barrier and identifying healthy and abnormal skin conditions. (TEWL) to improve skin dryness and texture (6).

There are a variety of ways to use coconut oil for your skin. Let’s check them out.

Ways To Use Coconut Oil For Skin

1. Oil Cleanser

Massage your face with a few drops of coconut oil. Wipe it with a damp cotton cloth. Follow up with a facial cleanser to remove the remaining traces of oil and dirt.

2. Facial Scrub

Combine equal parts of coconut oil and brown sugar. Massage your face with this sugar scrub for a minute and wash off with lukewarm water. This sugar scrub exfoliates dead skin cells without damaging the skin. You can use it twice a week.

3. Facial Moisturizer

You can use coconut oil as a facial moisturizer and as a last step of your skin care routine to seal all the goodness of your beauty products. Massage your face with a few drops of virgin coconut oil and wake up with soft and smooth skin. You can even use it as a carrier oil for your favorite essential oils.

Remember: If you have acne-prone or oily skin, avoid using coconut oil.

4. Cuticle Oil

The cuticles protect the nails and keep out bacteria. However, they may dry out and get damaged. Massage them with coconut oil to keep them nourished, hydrated, and healthy.

5. Shaving Gel

If you are shaving your legs or underarms, use coconut oil to lubricate the area to prevent cuts and ingrown hair. Coconut oil provides a perfect slip for a smooth shaving result. Additionally, its skin-soothing qualities keep the skin moisturized and protected.

Trivia

Coconut oil is used as a base ingredient in many soaps. These soaps have a rich lather even in salt and hard waters. They come with all the skin benefits of coconut oil.

Side Effects Of Coconut Oil

If you have a nut allergy or are allergic to coconut oil, applying it may cause:

• Irritation
• Hives
• Itching
• Rashes
• Redness

Coconut oil is comedogenicⁱ  XThe ability of a product or ingredient to cause acne and blackheads by clogging the skin pores. . If you have acne-prone or oily skin, it may aggravate the breakouts. If you have oily skin and are on antibiotics or have low immunity, do not apply coconut oil on the face as it may aggravate bacterial and fungal spread due to its comedogenic nature.

In A Nutshell

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use coconut oil every day on the skin?

It depends on your skin type. You can use coconut oil daily if your skin is not prone to breakouts. However, you should avoid it if you have acne-prone skin (as coconut oil is comedogenic).

Can I use coconut oil on my face every night?

Yes. You can use coconut oil on your face overnight if you have chafed, dry, and flaky skin as it helps improve skin hydration. However, steer clear of it if you have oily skin as it can clog your pores.

Does coconut oil make skin glow?

Yes. Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids that boost your skin’s glow and may also have some anti-aging benefits.

Can coconut oil reduce pimples?

Yes. The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The oil helps kill the microorganisms that may cause pimples and protect the skin from further breakouts.

Does coconut oil tighten skin on the face?

While anecdotal evidence suggests that coconut oil boosts collagen production in the skin that helps tighten it, there are no scientific studies to back this claim.

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

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Can coconut oil help improve acne or aggravate it further? Check out this video for insights into its effectiveness as an acne treatment and more. Check it out to know more.

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Dr. Archna AgrawalMSc (Dietetics)

 

Dr. Archna Agrawal is a licensed naturopathy and yoga practitioner with over 20 years of experience in nutrition and counseling. She is also certified in nutrition, child care, and mind-body medicine and is on a mission to help people attain innate healing capacity without having to depend on anything or on anyone. She has created the Vitality Coaching System, which...more

Monomita ChakrabortyBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Monomita has a graduate degree in mass communication and video production from St. Anthony's College, Shillong, and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the Royal Global University, Guwahati. She is also a certified skincare coach. Her passion for and understanding of all things related to skin, hair, and beauty propelled her to pursue a career in writing....more

Anjali SayeeAssociate Editor

Anjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be healthy. She has taken it upon herself to show...more

Swathi ESenior Beauty & Lifestyle Writer

Swathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over two years of experience in writing on health and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach. She writes on skin care and aims to present well-researched...more