The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Skin Issues
Posted by Toni (Las Vegas, NV) on 04/03/2008
★★★★★
To those of you who have had problems with using coconut oil on the face resulting in breakouts, redness, whiteheads etc. If you wish to try Coconut oil on the face use only a very, very thin layer. I'm talking a teeny, tiny amount. You could also try coconut soap instead to clean the face. There are many good natural brands online from which to choose.
Skin Issues
Posted by Russell (Toronto, Canada) on 04/02/2008
★★★★★
Used many oils including virgin coconut oil in many of my skin care cosmetic formulations. But thats history. My problem has always been cystic acne. In my late forties and it is without a doubt extrmely debilitating. Large cysts would form on my face and it would take weeks for them to subside leaving a purple mark for many months. After My business mail order business went down the toilet due to 9/11. Nobody trusted the mail. I realized I had a klo of virgin coconut oil left in my refridgerater. Literally stumbled on the idea that VCO would help acne. Skeptical about putting straight oil on oily acne skin. I gave it a shot because one of my best sellers of my cosmetic formulations was an oil based, black head removal cream containg organic jojoba oil, actually it is a remarkable oil for rducing large pores. Bottom line is that cysts or leasins would be reduced within 48 to 72 hours. I was stunned to say the least. For two years I have had almost totaly relief from a lifetime problem. I have just started taking it internally since I realized I have had candida, probably for 35 plus years because of the massive amounts of tetracycline, minocin etc. (unconscionably destructive acne anitibiotics) It truly does smooth and soften the skin. My face looks like the moon, from acne scarring, although my wife says I exaggerate but It makes me look younger for sure and for certain. Don't use refined or fractionated coconut oil on your face it must be unrefined virgin oil. It really is miraculous. Cheers all.
Skin Issues
Posted by John Smith (Battle Creek, Michigan) on 03/10/2008
★★★★★
I see a lot of people still preaching sun avoidance. If you will only think about it, you will realize nothing could be more unnatural than avoiding the sun. The most important thing is to moisturize with a good plant based oil. I use EVOO, and though it takes considerably longer than more popular oils to absorb, once absorbed it does a much better job healing. Conventional wisdom says there is no such thing as a protective base tan. Reality shows there is.You do need to build up slowly, but a half hour a day of full body exposure is really quite minimal, and will pay benefits in terms of natural Vitamin D production. Don't hide from the sun, you will make yourself sick. Use moderation, and moisturize, and you will be much happier and healthier.
Skin Issues
Posted by Jennifer (Mesquite, Texas) on 03/08/2008
★★★★★
I LOVE virgin unrefined coconut oil as a daily moisturizer! I can see a huge difference in my skin on my face as well as everywhere else on my body. Here's a great place to find it cheap, and yes, it is virgin unrefined organic. Soaperschoice.com. You have to buy 7 lbs at a at a time, but it costs only $3.88 a pound! I use it for cooking and find it to be a wonderful taste in vegetables! Even my kids like it!. It clears up acne, diaper rash, and dandruf. Here's my natural beauty regimine: My face and body wash is a natural coconut oil based castile soap mixed with baking soda as a natural exfolient. The soap I use is planet brand dish soap. Innexpensive and completely natural ans safe for the environment. I also use the soap as a shampoo. (They have a great website. Go visit it.) I use hydrogen peroxide 3% as a facial toner. then I use the Coconut oil as my daily moisturizer for face and body. I use only a light dusting of mineral makeup, if any at all. I brush my teeth with hydrogen peroxide 3% and a baking soda sea salt mix. This has been the best stuff for my teeth I've ever used! My teeth feel increadibly clean My complexion has improved 100% since using the oil. I have had roseca type spots on my cheeks which have greatly diminished over the past 2 weeks since I started using the oil. I can see fine lines on my face disappearing! I usually only wash my face in the morning then apply the oil. At night, I just put more oil all over my face before going to bed. My skin is naturally normal-dry, so this might be too much for someone with oily complexion. Experiment for yourself. Remember, anytime you need natural products like this, dont pay retail. There are plenty of candle and soap supply places that carry this stuff in bulk for great prices, and are available to the public....including essential oils. Do your homework and start making your own natural homemade beauty products!There are thousands of recipes all over the web. It's not hard. Thanks to earthclinic for being here on the web and for everyone who posts their stories! God bless each one of you, and feel free to email me with any questions.
Replied by Mimi00429
(Los Angeles, Ca, Usa)
01/04/2011
Skin Issues
Posted by Amelia (Adelaide, Australia) on 01/23/2008
★★★★★
Hi, i was on the phone to my mother last night and she has always been one to test and try every anti-aging, wrinkle reducing cream on the planet and never had any success. However when calling me up she kept ranting on about this miracle coconut oil and how she read about it in one of her anti-ageing books. She remarked that while she was watching tv my younger sister kept looking over at her, but my mum just ignored this, then she noticed that my sister was staring at her the next day. Eventually my sister asked "what are you using on your face?" to which my mum replied "nothing..." My sister then asked well have you got makeup or bronzer on..and again mum said "no". She told my sister that she had been swallowing 3 teaspoons a day of organic coconut oil. My sister couldnt stop remarking how young my mum looked, with all her wrinkles reduced by over 50%. Well now my sister who is only 16 is addicted to the stuff. Coconut oil really is a mircale.
Skin Issues
Posted by Rachel (Pittsburgh, PA) on 08/21/2007
★★★★★
Coconut oil used as a daliy and nightly moisturizer instead of chemical riden synthetics healed my dry, acne-prone skin!
Skin Issues
Posted by Dan (Arizona) on 08/07/2007
★★★★★
I first read about using virgin coconut oil (VCO) from _______'s book "_________..." I was quite skeptical, but thought this is something I could experiment with. The promises were great, and I had little to lose. Having been very skeptical, I am reporting only what I know to be a true, reproducible result of using coconut oil.
I began using it about 4 months ago. Beginning with about six teaspoons per day, I immediately noticed an improvement in my skin. I had less acne and my skin became smoother. There was also less oil on my skin and scalp. Since the age of 16, and I'm 38 now, I've had a problem with EXTREME oiliness of the skin and hair loss. The oiliness was also associated with itching and scalp irritation, crusts developing around the corners of my nose and in the skinfolds of my ears, including flaky ear wax. Other symptoms I had, whether or not related to my skin problem, were body odor, bad breath, weight gain and an extremely high appetite. Most likely it all was due to a Candida Ablicans infestation.
The VCO tempers most of these symptoms quite a lot. I'm sure VCO is directly responsible for lowering my scalp irritation, lessening scalp itching, reducing acne, eliminating the crusty, flaky skin anywhere and everywhere it accumulated and making my skin much smoother. Blackheads were a big problem for me, and they seem to be reduced somewhat. What hair I do have on the top of my head is thicker and more lustrous.
VCO does seem to somewhat temper my extremely high appetite.
In addition to VCO, I do have about 400mcg of Selenium per day. Selenium seems to completely eliminate body odor, almost completely arrests the falling out of my hair and helps lessen the extreme amount of oil accumulation on my scalp and skin.
I should mention that nearly all of these symptoms went away when I was on a very low carbohydrate diet and without the use of coconut oil or selenium. Again, this shows that mine is probably a Candida (Yeast) related condition.
Back to the Coconut oil. Here are things associated with VCO that I have not experienced: I've not noticed any weight loss, nor increased metabolism. It does not seem to help my sleep patterns. I have not concluded whether it improves my bathroom regularity. My digestion has always been impressively great, so there's nothing to improve along these lines.. Sometimes I do experience a higher energy level than I'm used to while using VCO. Historically, I'm a pretty low energy person. VCO may change that, but it remains to be seen.
Rest assured that taking VCO orally does improve the skin and it happens right away. In my opinion, VCO may fight Yeast infections and Candida related problems. Best of luck.
Skin Issues
Posted by Ray (Charleston, SC) on 07/23/2007
★★★★★
I started taking Virgin Coconut Oil a few months ago at a rate of 2 to 3 tablespoons a day and applying it lightly to the face, arms, and legs I noticed skin tone improved and my skin that was always dry to the point where it itched if I didn't apply lotion right after a bath (and I don't use strong soaps that help to dry out the skin, I use the one advertised as 1/4 cleansing cream) was gone. I didn't notice the weight loss but I did have the small white headed pimples on my face and a few on my chest as some others have had. I think this is cleansing effect. It two made me worry about applying it, but I continued (I only apply at night before bedtime)and the white headed pimples left after about 4 to 7 days. I ran out of coconut oil and actually waited for more for about a month (UPS said the oil spilled, so they ordered another one). I started applying again and the white heads were there the next morning after my first night's application, this time in a smaller amount and instead of 4 to 7 days before clearing it cleared in 2 days. This time I also noticed my bodyfat has dropped. I hope I won't run out of Virgin Coconut Oil again.
Skin Issues
Posted by Gevena (Trotwood, Ohio) on 07/16/2007
★☆☆☆☆
Coconut Oil I used organic cold pressed coconut oil and it made my skin worse than it already was.Within 3 days after using it on my skin and drinking the recommended amount I woke up in the middle of the night on fire,it was so bad on my face I had to use cortisone cream (prescription)just to calm down the rash on my face!It may work wonders for others but in my case, it just made a bad situation worse.
Replied by Theresa
(Ireland)
02/22/2015
Skin Issues
Posted by Holly (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) on 06/30/2007
★★★★★
I just love coconut oil! It's simply my every moisturizer! I used it as a hair oil and face moisturizer for a while now, but when I moved closer to the beach a few months back I noticed my skin always seemed dry..so I tried using it all over my body! WOW! its been 2 months now and each day that has passed I noticed I use less and less oil..it curing my dry skin! This stuff is the things dreams are made of! I love, love, love, it. Try it, tell you family and friends there is nothing naturally better for your skin, it affortable (a little goes a long way) and so multi fuctional as coconut oit!
Skin Issues
Posted by C.J. (Rossford, Ohio) on 06/26/2007
★★★★★
I developed adult acne at age 18 despite dry skin. Recently, I was told to take zinc for my acne, but was already taking 200% and didn't want to risk overdosing, so I thought I'd crush a tablet and make it into a mask with coconut oil. Coconut oil sounded really good to me as it would moisturize and fight acne at the same time. Using this mask daily has made my acne much less red and started the healing process on my lingering acne scars. The zinc promotes healing and the coconut oil is supposed to have antibiotic properties. I crush one zinc tablet and add the contents of one coconut oil capsule to make a mask. Leave it on for 20-60 minutes. The longer the better, in my experience. Rinse it off with water and a mild soap. Follow up with a balancing toner.
Skin Issues
Posted by Renee (El Dorado, Kansas) on 06/21/2007
★★★★★
Dry Skin and Virgin Coconut Oil: I purchased a jar of this a few days ago and am totally hooked. From the first application (topically) my skin let me know it was finally happy. I've not had supple skin since before puberty but I know I will all the rest of my days. Also using it on my hair for a few hours before shampoo'ng. Even the damaged part (ends) of my hair have shown improvement.
Skin Issues
Posted by J (Arlington, United States) on 06/12/2007
★★★★★
What is the difference between Organic Coconut Oil and Virgin (or extra virgin) Coconut Oil? I use the Organic Coconut Oil for removing my makeup at night. I was told that it cleaned out your pores. It does make my 60 year old complex very soft. I do get compliments on my complexion due to no wrinkles. [EC: We suspect there is no difference, merely a marketing ploy.]
Skin Issues
Posted by Nicole (Newcastle, Australia) on 06/07/2007
★★★★★
I came across the comment about massaging your feet at night with coconut oil and decided to give it a try, while also using the coconut oil nightly on my face. I noticed straight away on the first morning after doing this that the coconut oil had dried and shrunk the few blemishes I had on my face. It had also left my skin feeling lovely and smooth. The dark circles under my eyes hadn't disappeared but I felt that they were a bit lighter. After the second night of this routine the circles seemed lighter again. On the third evening I was too tired to bother with massaging the oil into my feet, so I just used it on my face- the next morning when I woke up and looked in the mirror those dark circles had almost completely disappeared! Thank you so much for this wonderful site. It's already been more helpful than years worth of expensive creams,lotions and potions filled with nasty chemicals :-) [EC: Nicole is referring to our latest Fountain of Youth remedy, using coconut oil to massage the feet and calves.]
Skin Issues
Posted by Maureen (Embrun, Canada) on 05/30/2007
★★★★★
I am trying acv and it has helped my digestion so much. Only been on a week so will keep you updated. Also virgin cocoanut oil has sofentned my sun damaged skin. No wrinkles when I wake up.No greasy skin as the oil sbsorbs into your skin.