coconut oil for the skin?

[Bagalamukhi]

I want to throw out all my unhealthy creams and makeup, and I'm wondering what to use instead. I guess coconut oil is a good choose?
Does anyone use coconut oil on the skin, and how do you like it?
Does it take a long time to absorb in the skin, so I don't have to wait 20 min before getting dressed? Is it also good for the face?

If you have any other good tips for natural products, please tell me :)

[Amii]

Raw honey!!

Apply it like a facemask and leave for 30 mins (it drips a bit...) and then rinse off with warm water. It'll leave your skin sooo soft and corrects a dry/oily contrast :)

Also if you want a face scrub, I mix a bit of honey with crystal sugar - works awesome!

[deberaw]

I do use coconut oil on my skin...at night though....after washing, I just gob it on and rub it on my face and neck...doesn't seem to take too long to sink in...never and oily pillow...my skin loves it! I'd like to find something for during the day.....

[margoss]

I love it and my DD loves it too! She cleans her face in it now too. I do not like it on my hair..makes it very oily.

[Jstmee46]

Love It.. First I put my Wheat grass juice and pulp on my face for about 30 min , rinse of and drench my face and body with it..
jstmee

[DebB]

I'm the odd girl out with coconut oil on my face. I've got dry skin, we live in the desert and it actually dries out my skin.

I love using it on my body though. I even brush my teeth with it and use it for oil pulling. I jut can't use it on my face... wish I could though. *Ü*

[LisaCorine]

I use it after showering in the mornings. I rinse my face with spring water and smooth on the coconut oil! It absorbs quickly and my face loves it. I also spread it down my neck and across my upper chest and shoulders. I swear it has reduced sun damage!!! I had to go back to commercial skin care products during the drier winter months but it is sufficient for most months out of the year. I have started using it at night as well and I also take 2 Tbsp of coconut oil a day internally! Good Stuff!!! ;)

[somelikeitraw]

I like to rub it in all over after an invigorating dry skin brushing. For my face, I found it to be too oily so what I do now is apply it to my face about ten minutes before I wash my face with very warm water, no soap. That does the trick. Face is nice and soft and doesn't break out from too much oil. I also like to add it to my green smoothies.

[~liz~]

In the mornings, after a shower, I put some on my face and let it sit for a couple of minutes then *gently* wipe it off with my towel. It leaves no residue anywhere and my skin looks great with a nice glow!
I have no time to fuss in the morning and this really does the trick.

Hope that helps!

[nadien alexandra]

i love coconut oil!

I dry brush my skin before a shower, massage oil into my face, wash it off at the end of my shower, and then apply the tiniest bit after the shower to my face, just to keep it moisturized but not oily. (tie your hair back because it'll make your hair oily). and then i use it to moisturize my entire body.
I used to have bad acne, really uneven skin, eczema, and my skin has never looked better.

[RawKnitster]

I envy you all! Coconut oil is not a good choice for me. Any amount on my face (even if I wash it off quickly) is bad, BAD, BAD.

Don't use it around the eyes. This is from the edible goddess:

"Need an EYE Cream? Melt any amount of raw cacao butter on LOW heat (my preferred method is by a water bath or in a dehydrator) and once melted, mix with organic rose hip seed oil in a ratio of 4:1 (this is an estimate – experiment to see for yourself what texture / softness you prefer). Do not use coconut oil under your eyes due to absorption issues – use cacao butter instead. FYI: under the eyes is the only area you should not use coconut oil; use it everywhere else on your face or body."

[Bagalamukhi]

I don't understand why it's not good under they eyes. Absorption issues?

[cara4art]

I use it as my only body treatment, unless I'm really dry on elbows or something in which case I use my homemade combo of shea butter and coconut oil. The trick to using oils in general on the skin is to apply them while the skin is still damp, otherwise the oil just sits there and doesn't absorb that well. Having damp skin will insure that the oil seals in moisture, which is basically what people did before commercial moisturizers came into general use - they used oils. But back to the coconut oil in particular - I also use it for my oil pulling, and my teeth did get brighter. I also love the fact that for large areas of the skin, I am putting something on it that is edible and no danger of toxic stuff absorbing into my bloodstream, as with a lot of commercial products. Coconut oil works great as a pre-wash conditioner/curl-reviver for my color-treated naturally-curly hair. It's one of the very few oils that actually absorbs into the hair shaft, giving it some nutrition and conditioning. All in all, great stuff!

[Factoid]

cara4art: Do you know any other oils that penetrate the hair shaft?

[christinajade]

I use coconut oil on my whole body including face every day. While I'm still in the shower, after shutting the water off, I put in all over and then towel off. This way you don't have to worry about getting oil stains everywhere!:D Now I end up having to use something thicker like an all natural cream on my elbows knees and feet. I also have an organic face cream that I use.

[lovenlife]

Didnt get to read all the replies.. coconut oil is my best friend. I use it on everything! I eat it, put it on my skin, brush teeth with it, oil pull with it, feed it to the cat, put it in smoothies..on n on....endless

[Nymue]

I'm the odd girl out with coconut oil on my face. I've got dry skin, we live in the desert and it actually dries out my skin.

I love using it on my body though. I even brush my teeth with it and use it for oil pulling. I jut can't use it on my face... wish I could though. *Ü*

It's not just you Deb! I have oily skin and live in humid South Florida, and coconut oil dries out my skin too. It's really too bad because I love the stuff, and it did help to make my skin clear when I was using it. But inevitably, after a couple of days, it makes my skin really dry! :(

I'd recommend jojoba oil as an alternative.

[LisaCorine]

Can someone please tell me why it should not be used around the eyes? I find it absorbs just fine. Is there some other reason???

Thank you!

[christinajade]

I've been using it on my whole face including my eyes for over 2 years. I also use it as a eye makeup remover. No issues.

[blaqberry]

I use raw coconut oil E-V-E-R-Y-where on my body...no probs at all. Good stuff.

[LisaCorine]

Thanks Ladies!

[k8sl8]

I found that if I used it undereye - I ended up with BAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! even worse than 'usual'. As in literally water-filled pouches... It must have something to do with the fact that the skin undereye is completely different from the rest of your face; much more delicate.

Perhaps if you have good tone there already the coconut oil may not be a problem, but anyone with saggy/baggy/crepey in that area, i would stay away from it.

[ShelShel]

I am a huge lover of coconut oil! I use it on my face every night. :D

[xPIXIEx]

Is there anything coconut oil doesn't do? :)

I use it on my face, as a shaving cream, toothpaste and massage my feet with it at night then cover with socks.

[CosimaMoon]

I want to throw out all my unhealthy creams and makeup, and I'm wondering what to use instead. I guess coconut oil is a good choose?
Does anyone use coconut oil on the skin, and how do you like it?
Does it take a long time to absorb in the skin, so I don't have to wait 20 min before getting dressed? Is it also good for the face?

If you have any other good tips for natural products, please tell me :)

I think some of the other posters wrote this, but I personally LOVE coconut oil for the skin. I only wear it at night though, since it is oil. I just rub it on my face and arms before I go to bed, and when I wake up my skin is always glowing, and if I've had any acne or marks or anything like that, they're always much less noticeable after wearing the oil. Coconut oil is also a good deodorant.

As for during the day, I just wear a light, natural lotion--Aubrey Organics is my favorite brand. All of their ingredients are completely natural (I've found most natural brands still have chemicals, but Aubrey doesn't), and they're also vegan with no animal testing. Their bar soaps are really good too, they have a soap/lotion called Rose Mosqueta, and it smells really good and makes your skin soft.

Hope that helps!

[CosimaMoon]

I found that if I used it undereye - I ended up with BAGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! even worse than 'usual'. As in literally water-filled pouches... It must have something to do with the fact that the skin undereye is completely different from the rest of your face; much more delicate.

Perhaps if you have good tone there already the coconut oil may not be a problem, but anyone with saggy/baggy/crepey in that area, i would stay away from it.

Seriously? That's odd because, even though I'm young, I've suffered from undereye bags for YEARS, and I wear coconut oil under my eyes and it's actually helped a TON in diminishing their appearance. I don't understand why it would make bags worse for some people. :/

[Bagalamukhi]

Thanks for all your replies :) I only use coconut oil now, ALL over my body. I massage it in after showering, before I dry myself, and after I dry carefully. it's a really fast way, and my skin is super smooth now. I had some eczema on my arms for a looong time, which after one week disappeared completely. I also use it in the evening, and after sunbathing, and for oil pulling, when I remember. And of course I also eat it. I simple LOVE it, and recommend it to everyone

[LisaCorine]

I feel as though my "bags" have been worse so maybe it IS the coconut oil!

It might be worth trying something else to see...any suggestions?

[k8sl8]

Seriously? That's odd because, even though I'm young, I've suffered from undereye bags for YEARS, and I wear coconut oil under my eyes and it's actually helped a TON in diminishing their appearance. I don't understand why it would make bags worse for some people. :/

LOL. Just like everything else: different strokes for different folks. There are very few things I've found that I can use near my eyes. I'm just supersensitive!!!!! glad it works for you.

[sidrah]

I use it at night, so I don't know how quickly it absorbs. Never oil ont he pillow, though. I also use it on my hair at night beofre I go to bed. Not a lot, but enough so it makes the hair shiny and sinks in. The next day I wash well to mkae sure it is all out, but I don't have to use conditioner if use cocount oil. I also use it on my feet. It is great, with a squeeze of lemon. Just put socks on before you go to bed! Takes the place of the vaseline/lemon I used to microwave and use on my feet.

[Raw Angel Mom]

I also use raw coconut oil on my face and skin. I noticed with raw food, i only need this for the winter. Raw coconut is so healing. You can also use olive oil and even add celtic sea salt.

Congratulations for throwing the chemical.

[Factoid]

^ what does the raw celtic salt do? Is it drying or for something else?

Which coconut oil does everyone get? I have an organic one for cooking but thinking although would be best to always use the top grade stuff, a conventional coconut oil would be okay for using topically.
Of course organic is better for the environment so might just stick w that..

[Shels]

Which coconut oil does everyone get?

Artisana. :)

[CosimaMoon]

Artisana. :)

I like that brand. The Vitamin Shoppe brand is actually pretty good too.