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 Sonam (New York, Ny) on 04/12/2015
★★★★★
So for anyone who's a seasoned VCO user, you already know how powerful its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties are.
I have eczema (I've had it since I was a baby), and I recently had a flare-up after consuming too much dairy and gluten for a period of 2+ months. I started using coconut oil on my eczema patches, and I had the same experience as you -- my skin got worse (a lot worse, actually, because it literally looked like it was peeling and getting even more inflamed than before). But the main thing to realize is that this is SUPPOSED to happen when you use a natural substance like VCO. It works by drawing out toxins through your elimination organs, and for a lot of people - especially those with prior skin abnormalities - the way those toxins come out is through the skin. Hence the temporary worsening of symptoms. My skin got way worse for a little over a week, as my skin condition was pretty severe, so the healing took longer than it would for most people. But once that week passed, it was clear as day. No redness, no dryness, no itching. I noticed it recently started to get worse again, but that's because I've been lenient with my diet over the past 2 weeks, so I plan to get back on my strict dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free meal plan.
Anyway, the main point is that yes, it's normal, and even encouraged, for your condition to get worse before it gets better, as this is a sign that deeper internal cleansing is occurring. Good luck!
Skin Issues
Posted by Vic (Niagara Falls, Ontario. Canada) on 01/22/2013
★★★★★
I have been using organic virgin coconut oil for quite a while now and must say... wowwww... I aIso use it for cooking, and applying it on my lips and face and have noticed the great changes.. I eat from the jar around 3-4 teaspoons a day and love it not to mention the great favor it adds to tea. I can only say anyone that is having problems with it especially in their bowel movements must be using a cheap imitation brand. I have tried both the jar brand and also by the bulk at bulk barn in canada. It's also a little cheaper at around $8.75 per kilo or 2.5 pounds.. I will be using it for ever now and everyone I talk to loves it in cooking with their foods and also in their salads by melting it down in a pan.
Skin Issues
Posted by Joyce (Dallas, Tx) on 01/20/2011
★★★★★
I suffered from Seborheic Dermatitis for twelve years. I tried ACV, Coconut Oil, Borax etc. They helped relieve, but not cure it or make it go away. When I stopped the above treatments, I would get some flare ups. Finally, I read about the Master Cleanse aka lemonade diet. I did it with the intention to shed some pounds, but after the eleven days on the cleanse, I noticed my Seb Dermatitis had disappeared. I had a flare up about five months after I first did the Cleanse, so I did went ahead and did the Clenase again. Seb Dermatitis is gone and I do not suffer from it at all... My only explanation for this is the Master Cleanse and getting some toxins out of my system. So, good luck!
Skin Issues
Posted by Merryanne (Orange City, Florida, Usa) on 11/13/2010 113 posts
★★★★★
Hey Cathy, I don't know why some say not to put it on your face. I clean my face with 1/2 strength acv, I use cotton pads soked in it and rub my face really briskly all over, and don't forget your nose, then rinse with warm water, let dry, then take a pea size piece of Virgin Coconut Oil and melt it in my palm. Rub my hands together and put it on my face, neck, hairline, behind my ears, and take Q-tip and clean my ears, etc, etc get the picture- and if my hair is dry after that I rub both hand over my hair. All on one pea size vco, I eat 2 or 3 Tablespoons a day on my food, I am 63 and have no wrinkles- other women my age hate me :)
Skin Issues
Posted by Cat (Austin, Tx) on 05/10/2010
★★★★★
Grandmother Guffys Method for forever soft, clean, ageless skin.
My grandmother Guffys skin was as soft and smooth as a babys butt till the day she died at 94. One day, when I was a younger woman constantly on the go, she noticed how dry and ashy my skin was and elected to tell me about her method of bathing. It was the only thing she said she did to keep her body clean and soft. First, she never took long baths (and NO, she did not smell). She said bathing dried out skin. Second, she never used hot water on her skin. Third, she never needed lotions. I listened; yet, despite the evidence before me, I did not take her advise. Hot showers were invigorating, I exclaimed. Who ever heard of not bathing, I secretly thought. Why do not the young listen! For years now I have suffered with extremely dry and itchy skin. FINALLY! I recalled my grandmother Guffys bathing method for clean, itch-less, soft, ageless skin. Here it is:
1) Massage 2-3 tablespoons of (antibacterial, anti-fungal) coconut oil over your entire dry, naked body, but not your face. Be sure to include your private areas and feet - get utterly greasy with it! Let it soak 5 minutes.
2) Take a clean, white, DRY bath cloth, folded in fours and scrub your entire body. When one side of the cloth gets cruddy, refold to a clean side of the same cloth. Don't forget private areas.
3) Shower/rinse in very lukewarm to cold water and ONLY wash your private areas with diluted baking soda and water or an organic non-soap or as I sometimes do, diluted ACV.
3) Get out of the shower and barely pat dry.
Believe! This works! People who touch my skin always exclaim at how soft it is AND my husband who has scratched my back many a time has taken to gently rubbing my arms a lot. Just try it! It is not real expensive or hard to do and results are quick. If you are allergic to coconut oil, switch to a light olive oil or sesame oil. Soon you will do as I did - throw away all your bathing soaps and bottles.
Skin Issues
Posted by Sia (NYC, NY) on 03/07/2009
★★★★★
I have heard coconut oil works well for some ppls acne but avocado oil is great for acne and overall nourishig your face. It an antibacterial, natural sunscreen and helps in the collagen process. Organic extra virgin cold pressed olive oil is also great for skin, been using it for over a year now although, I am 31 and ppl think I am 23. Will try the coconut oil for my slight cellulite though, thanks.
Skin Issues
Posted by Shannon (New Glarus, WI) on 03/04/2009
★★★★★
After reading miraculous things about coconut oil a couple of years ao, I gave it a try. I read suggestions for what sounded like huge dosages, but instead I just started using it instead of butter on toast, and for cooking, and in hot cereal and baking--just to taste, like any other food. Other times I use olive oil, and I take fish oil sometimes. I like coconut oil a lot, and feel good with it, but my most interesting observation is that these past two winters have been the first in a long time when I've needed no hand lotion, and even doing lots of dishes doesn't dry my hands like it used to. And in general I notice that my skin seems much softer and smoother. But I can't imagine eating it straight off the spoon, or in the quantities some people talk about... Maybe some of the bad reactions are just *overdoses*, from eating more fat at once than the body's able to digest?
Skin Issues
Posted by Ed (London, Hornsey) on 03/04/2009
★★★★★
At 24 I had my first experience of seborrheic dermatitis, and had it for about 2 years. I can honestly remember one girl commenting 'it looks like his nose is turning green', to be honest I couldn't care less what she said, but there were times when i felt so low I didn't want to leave the house. I might have been exaggerating, but my nose was going from small red marks, to be inflamed burn marks, to a yellow gewy substance which would eventually harden.
I tried so many things. At first the steroid cream I used did the job in the short term. But it was no long term cure I was comfortable with. If I stopped using it it was back in a week. Maybe less. So I stopped using that pretty early. I also used aveeno yeast cream, aloe vera (from a bottle and from a plant), going on a yeast free and sugar free diet (to be honest this lasted about a month and a half, and don't think I went completely all out. But tried to cut the main stuff out), and garlic- none of these things worked.
Funnily enough, when I went to the states, it practically seemed to go on its own.
Then I decided to use coconut oil. externally (100% coconut oil- the brand is pukka). I applied it about once every day, not very much was needed as it is a very oily product. Actually I started by using this and taking it internally, eating crushed coconut from a jar with a spoon. but now I just apply it externally. I've been doing this for about 4 to 5 months now, and it is already feeling like a miracle cure, so I hope it carries on like this! I only had one major flare up since, whereas before I was getting one every other week. I hope I'm not speaking to soon, but it's really helped my confidence, and probably changed my life for the better. And something so simple! Just gotta thank the people on this website (and this website for this).
Of course a downside could be seen as it coming back if I stop using it. But who knows, it might even go for good!
Skin Issues
Posted by Candy (Hobe Sound, FL) on 01/24/2009
★★★★★
I have been using Organic Coconut Oil for 2 years now as a "skin lotion". When I started using it I was 43 and already using a top product for anti-aging. The product had worked some to reduce wrinkles but in just a couple of days the CO worked so much better. now at almost 45 I have very little wrinkles. I use just a little bit on my fingers and spread so thin that no one can tell that I use an oil on my face. My 17 year old daughter uses it also.
I started using the CO for other things and one of the best is on a canker sores. It does not hurt unless you rub it too hard. I had no pain all day and did not have to put more on until bed time. I put a dab of CO on a Q-tip and applied it to the sore.
Skin Issues
Posted by Melanie (Brownsburg, Indiana) on 09/05/2008
★★★★★
i discovered coconut oil about 4 yrs ago and was using it for seborhea, and for dry patches of skin. I rubbed it into my cuticles each night, and on day 6, i realized the wart that had been on my finger for a few years was totally GONE! It had to be the oil, because i was not using a wart remover. Also, i have found that coconut oil helps heal my seborhea patches quickly, whereas medicines did not.
Skin Issues
Posted by Ione (Sacramento, CA) on 08/13/2008
★★★★★
According to D'Adamo and the "Eat Right 4 Your Type" diet, just about no one should eat coconut oil. I'm a fan of that diet, but I also know that one size does not fit all. Some of the things ER4YT says I can tolerate, in truth, I cannot (wine, sulfa drugs, etc). As a Type A, non-secretor, it says that I can tolerate coconut milk. But not coconut oil? It doesn't make all that much sense to me. I started taking it for thyroid help, but I love what it has been doing for my skin. I haven't had any side effects so far. I don't understand how anyone can lose weight taking this tho. At 120 calories in 1 tbls, if you take it 4 times a day, you are adding 480 calories.
Skin Issues
Posted by Che (Roxas City, Philippines) on 07/26/2008
★★★★★
My skin suffered the tear and wear of using numerous brands of different brands of cosmetics til the combination of these different chemicals being used on these cosmetics, resulted to facial skin damages. Wrinkles, and the worst which made me embarrassed everytime when people got surprised to see the black spots on my face which i knew from prolong used of differrent chemicals. I have tried numerous products to get rid of it. Some will give me an effect of two weeks but afterward the damaged on my face becomes worst. My face dont seem to response to any cosmetic, the more cosmetics i used the worst it becomes so, i thought of experimenting on natural remedies.I have started making my own formula when i came across this site which made my research more valid. Every night, as i watched tv i massage VCO on my legs and arms it made my skin so soft @ flawless. When i wear skirt, people thought i have stockings on my legs.
For my face, 3x a week, i combined
1 tsp of molasses or
honey
1/4 tsp of ACV [APPLE CIDER VINEGAR]
1/2 tsp of VCO [VIRGIN COCONUT OIL]
1 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of oats
Make to a paste, splash face with warm water and gently massage the paste on your face. Let it stay 10-20minutes. Rinse it with warm water.
Then i toned my face with ACV, Hydrogen peroxide and water and moisturize my face with alternating VCO and grapeseed oil. Amazing it gradually whitened my face naturally, wrinkles free with less expenses. I am 49 yr old grandma with 3 grandchildren mistaken as more years younger than my age. Thanks to this site, it made me more creative combining the natural resources that are abundant in our country Philippines. By the way, i make my own VCO and sell to my friends also. I use VCO externally and internally as it is the cleanest and the cheapest oil on earth. I enjoy the benefit of a monolaurin found in VCO the same benefit found in a mothers milk. I rarely got sick as VCO is a natural antibiotic, that can get rid of viral @ bacterial lepid coated illnesses.Thanks to this heaven sent site and to the people who openly shares thier beneficial testimonies. God Bless Us All as we continue to spread and share the good news. Email me @ let me know how this works with you.
Skin Issues
Posted by Lazaro (Laredo, Texas, US) on 06/13/2008
★★★★★
I have been using coconut oil for about an year now, and I love it! I rarely drink it, however, I use it as a lotion instead of the store brand. My skin looks and feels great. Since it is a bit oily, I started to put it on my face. Mostly around my eyes and forehead. My younger sister commented once that I don't have any wrinkles and she has. She wanted to know my secret. I told her of course. I further told her that if you cannot drink the store brand lotions, why is she putting it on her skin? Coconut oil can be eaten. I also use it to moisten my lips. And on a couple occasions for hemorrodes- I know I misspelled that.
Skin Issues
Posted by Crystal (Ohio) on 05/02/2008
★★★★★
I started taking extra virgin coconut oil in order to asisst in losing weight-it has not done that but I do notice a massive difference in my complexion. I have had acne since highschool-since taking EVCO, I do not break out anymore. for a month my skin has been clear! Crazy but true.
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.
