Proper Use of Coconut Oil for Face/Skin

[futureboy]

Hey folks, I'm about half way through "The Coconut Oil Miracle" (referred in David Wolfe's Eating for Beauty). Coconut oil does seem to have some miraculous properties, and I want to try using it on my face. (eating is straight enough: a spoonful in the morning and a spoonful in my smoothies)

Some questions come to mind though and I wanted to ask others who might have tried this before:

1) What type do you buy? I bought some virgin organic coconut oil from Whole Foods yesterday, and it's the same jar I am eating spoonfuls from. Is that OK? (it's kind of cool, like the way that Zohan guy used Hummus in that movie for everything) Or am I supposed to get a different type of coconut oil to put on my face?

2) Do I put it on AFTER a hot shower? Before? People were talking about steaming and damp cloths. How much do I apply to my face? Do I wash it off or just let it sink in? Do I use it with other facial products? (I would imagine not -- the natural use is most likely the most optimal, and I doubt something engineered in the last 30 years will complement millions of years of evolution)

3) Are there any how-to pages describing all of this? I finished the chapter in the book on the benefits of using it as a topical solution, but I did not see any specifics on the details: brands to buy, things to avoid, how to apply, etc. To top it off, I'm a guy, so I don't know much about this space.

[LivingRawGirl]

Hi futureboy, glad to hear you are interested, you will love it!!! Check this link http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ for more info. I've been doing it for a few years now and people always comment on my skin. Good luck!

Almost forgot- yes you can use the same that you are eating. I recently bought a 54 oz. jar and just use it for everything (hair, face, sunning, eating, etc.) just be careful about not contaminating it.

[sprouts2go]

Hi futureboy, glad to hear you are interested, you will love it!!! Check this link http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ for more info. I've been doing it for a few years now and people always comment on my skin. Good luck!

Almost forgot- yes you can use the same that you are eating. I recently bought a 54 oz. jar and just use it for everything (hair, face, sunning, eating, etc.) just be careful about not contaminating it.

Do you use Castor oil? I use Garden Of Edens Extra Virgin Coconut oil for athletes foot and take to have my massage done. I have one jar for cooking and one for the body. I have not tried cleaning my face with it. I use a bar of olive oil soap for my face.

[LivingRawGirl]

used castor oil, but only once a week. It seems to dry my skin, but my pores seem even smaller when I use it, so I stick to once a week.

[futureboy]

Cool, first night of coconut oil use went well. I showered, dried off, then applied some directly to my face. It was very oily obviously so I washed it out but I think I definitely used too much. :) It still smelled great.

Lesson learned from tonight: keep it away from your eyes. I put some on my eyelids and while it didn't sting, it was a bother the rest of the night. I think I'll grab another jar and keep that in the bathroom explicitly for topical use as suggested.

I also brushed my teeth with it and only it -- no baking soda yet. My teeth felt great and smelled fantastic afterward, but I have no idea of the effect of using it.

So day 1 of coconut oil use has gone well. I threw it into a shake that had probably too many greens and the coconut taste was able to counter the intense green flavor.

Intel indicates that coconut oil actually increases metabolism for around 24 hours after consumption (source: The Coconut Oil Miracle), but I'll have to wait another week or two before I notice anything. I was raw for 30 days last month but only lost 10 lbs (historically I have lost 1 lb/day until I bottom out around 180-185, but right now I'm holding at 205). And this was with regular intense exercise (CrossFit!). I'm hoping that the coconut oil will kickstart my metabolism and get me back into a fat-burning, detoxifying mode.

[RawHeaven]

Cool, first night of coconut oil use went well. I showered, dried off, then applied some directly to my face. It was very oily obviously so I washed it out but I think I definitely used too much. :) It still smelled great..

Hi futureboy. Did you steam it out of your pores with a very hot washcloth? If you wipe, it's not the same thing and more oil will remain. I'm glad you're giving it a go. I've been oil cleansing with coconut oil for a year now and I love it. You eventually get the hang of what amount to use for your skin. I combine it with just a little bit of castor.

Oh the other thing to keep in mind is we've been programmend to think that our skin should be bone dry after washing the face. And then we apply tons of moisturizer to make up for it! lol. The facial skin actually should have a little bit of an oily sheen or film after washing. It might be that it worked just fine for you. It takes awhile to get used to the feeling.

[futureboy]

Good point, nope I didn't use a hot washcloth afterward, just tried washing it a few times. Maybe I'll keep a jar in the shower, apply it while I'm in there, then wash it out under the water and let the steam drain a lot more? I saw someone post that they did this.

It's all good though, applying something that's derived straight from a plant doesn't scare me. When I was into a more bodybuilding mode a few years ago we'd use Nair to get rid of chest hair and apply all sorts of topical creams to the face... with crazy chemical names I can't pronounce. Using something with ingredients = coconut is much preferred.

Now I just need to find the right brands, as I've been reading that the label organic doesn't really mean as much in this space. Nutiva has a promising advertisement. Anyone have a particular brand that's the best? I also ordered a jar from sunfood.com, which is raw organic.

I do like smelling like coconuts and I'm one of those who really enjoys a straight spoonful from the jar -- some find the taste nauseating, I find it delicious! I can imagine how awesome it would taste on/in various other foods.

[RawHeaven]

It's all good though, applying something that's derived straight from a plant doesn't scare me.

Yes, I use the coconut oil as a moisturizer too at times. I think I was projecting there a little. I used to have combination skin oily forehead/chin, very dry cheeks/face. And I learned how to overwash it to account for the oilyness which was from my diet. Anyhow, that's another benefit of using coconut oil - my skin is clear and normal now. Both from eating raw foods and no longer using harsh chemicals to wash and moisturize.

[futureboy]

Ugg I just read a counter-argument that coconut oil is in fact bad. I think his facts might be wrong, I'm under the impression most health organizations later recanted that they were incorrect about the coconut oil scare in the 1980s and that it was all related to the fears of saturated fats in general.

http://www.exsalus.com/Site/H_I_2:_C...or_Hazard.html

Not sure who's right anymore, but I am on day 3 of coconut oil use and I figure another 27 days won't kill me of direct ingest.

In general, as I mentioned above, I'm OK with most edible plant products even if they have scary terms like "saturated fat". Avocados are "fat" and fruits are loaded with "sugar" as people will say, but that's a very broad use of those terms. Besides, the China Study itself showed that high loads of animal protein are incredibly dangerous, while high loads of plant protein are perfectly safe. If humans are in fact originally herbivores, we should be fine eating almost anything derived directly from a plant, but of course the rawest form is ideal.

[Springtime]

Ugg I just read a counter-argument that coconut oil is in fact bad. I think his facts might be wrong, I'm under the impression most health organizations later recanted that they were incorrect about the coconut oil scare in the 1980s and that it was all related to the fears of saturated fats in general.

http://www.exsalus.com/Site/H_I_2:_C...or_Hazard.html

Not sure who's right anymore, but I am on day 3 of coconut oil use and I figure another 27 days won't kill me of direct ingest.

In general, as I mentioned above, I'm OK with most edible plant products even if they have scary terms like "saturated fat". Avocados are "fat" and fruits are loaded with "sugar" as people will say, but that's a very broad use of those terms. Besides, the China Study itself showed that high loads of animal protein are incredibly dangerous, while high loads of plant protein are perfectly safe. If humans are in fact originally herbivores, we should be fine eating almost anything derived directly from a plant, but of course the rawest form is ideal.

There are different types of saturated fats. The text is lacking information.

Also, a lot of scientists are questioning wheather saturated fats are the cause of disease. They claim that since we're basically made out of saturated fats ourselves, how could it be dangerous?
Well, i don't know. Have to mention that these are the same people who claim that the Low-carb High-fat diet (atkins-ish: eat animals and animals only) is the cure for everything.

[LivingRawGirl]

I have been using coconut butter/ oil both internally and externally for several years and have seen only positive results in conjunction with a raw diet. I have completely turned my health around and look like a new person. I know many others who have done the same. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, especially on the web, just relax, look at the natural beauty around you and then do what you think is right.

[cara4art]

Most of my use of extra-virgin coconut oil is for my skin, other than the occasional tsp. or so I might put into a smoothie(haven't gotten into raw desserts yet that require it though).
Anyhow, the extra-virgin coconut oil is the best. don't confuse this with the $7-a jar Spectrum regular coconut oil, which I used to use until I got turned on to the extra-virgin which is distributed by a number of companies like Nutiva, Garden of Life, Tropical Traditions, etc, a ton of them in fact. I have found the trick to using any oil successfully as a moisturizer is to apply while the skin is very damp, so it seals in the moisture. If you apply it when the skin is bone dry, it will not soak in as well to do its work. I use straight coconut oil on my body and gave up any commercial lotions or even health food store lotions because nothing comes close for me. For my face, I make my own shea butter-coconut oil combo that has some vegetable glycerin in it, as well as a bit of lavender essential oil - perfect for somewhat sensitive skin. Again, for facial use when using oils, applying to damp face works a whole lot better. I have no experience with the oil cleansing method as my skin is not that oily any more. It seems that people with oily skins benefit from this though.

[Thomas3344]

Hi,
I can only share my opinion and experience. I used the extra virgin coconut oil by nutiva on my face. I was using it once daily since I have very dry skin. perhaps i was using it too often, however, my experience was my face became red and developed a slight rash.
I have for the last 6 or 7 months been using a dry brush that is designed for the face and have had good success with that and on occasion use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil with success.
Probably lots of variables in everyone situation coupled with perhaps we all respond a bit different to individual products based on our own body chemistry.
As for the mixed results, I hear you loud and clear and have mixed results on so many topics. I think part of the key is educated yourself, get feed back from others on forums such as this( I ask questions and receive good feedback from many people on these forums),decide what you believe to be true and listen to how your own body responds to things.
Again this is just one persons opinion and experience.

[Sunboy]

Been using coconut oil (raw, cold-pressed, extra virgin) in my smoothies every day for 3 weeks with zero problems, and feel great. If that helps.

[RaeVynn]

I've been using coconut oil for years... both in cooking, back when I cooked, and now in raw food, and also topically.
It is the best thing for sunshine overexposure! If I end up looking like a lobster, just rub some coconut oil over it, and in the morning, it is mostly gone.

I just take a bit on my fingers, and rub it into my face for moisturizer.

[Note for grownups: coconut oil works really well as a 'personal' lubricant. Who wants scary chemicals THERE?]