Anyone using real coconut oil on face or body? Ok w/cop p?
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free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:10 pm

Hello everyone.

Is anyone using pure virgin coconut oil (like cooking oil) on your face or body? I bought Nutiva or something like that, which is meant for cooking, but have been using it on my face and seem to like it. I don't know if this is the best way to use it, but it feels rich and does not leave too much grease.

I use it on legs too. I never use much of anything on them, but trying to start.

Also I am using copper peptides. Do you think it is ok to put this oil on my face like half hr after using CP's?

thanks and happy day to all.

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:44 pm

I use supermarket food grade coconut oil on my hair, it's much cheaper than purchasing virgin stuff from a health food store! You can use it on your face tho it is comedogenic, but if you don't suffer with clogged pores why not? I wouldn't use it on my body simply because the cat would lick it off again ... Laughing

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:07 pm

Firefox7275 wrote:

I use supermarket food grade coconut oil on my hair, it's much cheaper than purchasing virgin stuff from a health food store! You can use it on your face tho it is comedogenic, but if you don't suffer with clogged pores why not? I wouldn't use it on my body simply because the cat would lick it off again ... Laughing

thanks firefox..lmao re: cat. Too funny. Don't suffer from any skin conditions so i am lucky just trying to work on a little sag and NL lines, darn things, hate em.
thanks again
cat

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:50 pm

My cat likes to sniff everything I eat in case she misses a tasty morsel. Did not expect her to start licking coconut oil out of the tub, luckily I have two so can keep use the unlicked one for cooking. Laughing

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:05 pm

Firefox7275 wrote:

My cat likes to sniff everything I eat in case she misses a tasty morsel. Did not expect her to start licking coconut oil out of the tub, luckily I have two so can keep use the unlicked one for cooking. Laughing

Totally get it. My sister's cat will pounce on anything food like...she can't drop a morsel on floor or cat gets sick. She would probably love the coconut oil....and get softer fur in the process... Laughing

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:59 pm

My friend has super low thyroid function and very dry skin. She get the Trader Joe virgin coconut solids and uses it all over her body. I think it is $US 5.99 and lasts her several months.

free skin care · Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:10 pm

LauraLizzie wrote:

My friend has super low thyroid function and very dry skin. She get the Trader Joe virgin coconut solids and uses it all over her body. I think it is $US 5.99 and lasts her several months.

Thanks Laura -
I actually bought one brand to use for cooking and one for body, one is Trader Joe's...thanks so much. I think I am going to stick with the coconut oil and see how i do... Razz

thanks...
cat

free skin care · Fri Jan 13, 2012 4:54 am

I use it in my hair as a pre-shampoo deep conditioner.

free skin care · Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:17 am

GirlieGirl wrote:

I use it in my hair as a pre-shampoo deep conditioner.

GirlieGirl
That's my next plan, since I have dry thick hair. Heck I may use it for everything, lol, to seal cracks in the house, and my face, lol....
Bad Grin

Does it take forever to get it out of your hair?

free skin care · Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:23 am

I bought some virgin coconut oil, it smells beautiful but is very greasy!

I have been using it on my body, it does sink in nicely, I have also used it on my neck but wasn't game enough to use it on my face!

I couldn't get it in the supermarkets or chemists (I am in Australia) so got it at the health shop but it was $30.00!!

Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:32 am

I use it on my face, and I make my own deodorant with it, with baking soda & constarch (and a drop of lavender), it's the best deodorant, no sweating it's amazing!

free skin care · Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:45 pm

Easy way to get coconut oil out of your hair
http://www.skincaretalk.com/diy-recipes/29625-cheats-coconut-oil-intensive-conditioner.html

free skin care · Fri Jan 13, 2012 2:19 pm

I use it all over my body and hair also. If you use it on your hair you need to wash twice but just a small amount of shampoo on 2nd wash. Really repairs split ends.

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:48 am

gretchen there is no way to repair split ends in hair once they occur. No product can glue back the ripped out cuticle or exploded cortex, although some products can mask the appearance of split ends. But IMO the best solution is cutting them off before they wreck havoc on more length of your hair. Regular dusting of ends ensures that the normal wear and tear that makes split ends inevitable doesn't get so bad that you lose length to breakage.

skincarecat extra virgin coconut oil is what I use as my body moisturizer. I don't use it on my face because cleansing my face with extra virgin olive oil seems to be sufficient enough for my face not to need another moisturizer.

Here's more info on why coconut oil is one of the best moisturizers you could use for your skin: http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 12:58 pm

^^ Sure but coconut oil does greatly reduce whatever damage you already have and does prevent damage on the rest of the cuticle.

This hairdresser explains it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFnVo0t0gVA

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:22 pm

gretchen wrote:

^^ Sure but coconut oil does greatly reduce whatever damage you already have and does prevent damage on the rest of the cuticle.

This hairdresser explains it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFnVo0t0gVA

Coconut oil cannot reduce pre-existing damage; hair is dead and made of protein, coconut oil is composed of fatty acids only.

Your hairdresser is still at cosmetology school and is conveying half truths. She may claim that coconut oil can 'heal' hair but she is using that word interchangeably with hydrate, and the two clearly don't mean the same. Most modern conditioners and styling products are heavy on silicones which do not penetrate hair and block fatty acids and hydrolysed proteins from entering the hair shaft.

A clearer explanation, written by a cosmetic scientist
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/curlchemist-helps-us-understand-oils-and-butters
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/mineral-oil-versus-coconut-oil-which-is-better

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:32 pm

6 months of using coconut oil as a leave-in treatment every other night and I have almost no hair damage. True, I don't flat iron as much as I used but but since using the coconut oil I don't seem to need to as much. At any rate, blow drying is still heat styling and is also damaging. My hair is just overall silkier and smoother. In 6 months I have only cut an inch and a half so most of my hair is also "old" hair.

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:08 pm

gretchen wrote:

^^ Sure but coconut oil does greatly reduce whatever damage you already have and does prevent damage on the rest of the cuticle.

This hairdresser explains it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFnVo0t0gVA

Coconut oil is a great conditioner and will prevent hair from drying--a big cause of breakage--as well as give it a nice shine. It is anti-microbial and so is good for a variety of dermatitis and for preventing or treating dandruff and hair loss. So yes, it'll do what conditioners do (prevent further damage in hair) and because of its small molecules will penetrate strands and prevent protein loss. But like Firefox7275 says, it will not repair already existing damage. Hair keeps being shed so over time your hair's health will improve but that's not because your damage was repaired. The damaged parts either broke off or those strands were shed and then hair that has been pampered by the coconut regimen and thus had damage prevented will then stand out and new growth that has also been shielded from damage will also stand out.

This a little off topic but w/r/t hair strength and hence health, oils or products with ceramides are good to use in your hair care regimen..

free skin care · Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:51 pm

yes, you can apply coconut oil to your skin after CPs no problem.. however, it will intensify their effect. (Oil before CPs dilutes the potency, Oil after CPs pushes it deeper into the skin).

I wish I could use coconut oil... makes my skin itch like crazy!!

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:53 am

I've used virgin coconut oil on my hair for about 20 years. I have long thick hair and I find this works like a leave in conditioner, but is not heavy and provides it with a gorgeous shine. I live is Australia too and purchase mine at the health food store. It lasts about 6 months for 500ml and costs about $10 - 15. It's Like what Moroccan oil does, but this is cheaper.

Quote:

My cat likes to sniff everything I eat in case she misses a tasty morsel. Did not expect her to start licking coconut oil out of the tub, luckily I have two so can keep use the unlicked one for cooking. Laughing

Haha Firefox7275, my cat does this too, he absolutely loves it. He found out how to take the lid off the container and sticks his little paw in there and scoops it out. Every now and again as a special treat(because it's very fatty) I'll rub a little on his fur for him, he just loves it. Very Happy

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:21 pm

erg wrote:

yes, you can apply coconut oil to your skin after CPs no problem.. however, it will intensify their effect. (Oil before CPs dilutes the potency, Oil after CPs pushes it deeper into the skin).

I wish I could use coconut oil... makes my skin itch like crazy!!

thanks, I love it on my face. Did not like it in my hair but I probably used it wrong and with no knowledge of best way to use it because I am lazy and impulsive, both..lol

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:25 pm

skincarecat extra virgin coconut oil is what I use as my body moisturizer. I don't use it on my face because cleansing my face with extra virgin olive oil seems to be sufficient enough for my face not to need another moisturizer.

Here's more info on why coconut oil is one of the best moisturizers you could use for your skin: http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm[/quote]

thanks
thanks for the link and response.
sc cat

free skin care · Wed Jan 25, 2012 7:44 pm

lucretia_zen wrote:

Haha Firefox7275, my cat does this too, he absolutely loves it. He found out how to take the lid off the container and sticks his little paw in there and scoops it out. Every now and again as a special treat(because it's very fatty) I'll rub a little on his fur for him, he just loves it. Very Happy

I wonder if their instinct tells them coconut is saturated fats and therefore healthy? After all they are obligate carnivores evolved to eat meat protein and animal fats, but not the cereals/ grains used to pad out most commercial cat foods.

free skin care · Thu Jan 26, 2012 5:39 am

Nonie aka AD wrote:

Here's more info on why coconut oil is one of the best moisturizers you could use for your skin: http://www.coconut-connections.com/skin_care.htm

Free radicals are in the dermis, is there are evidence coconut oil penetrates that deeply when applied topically? Or that short chain lauric acid is incorporated into cell membranes? Your link says
"The number of antioxidants we have in our tissues is determined to a large extent by the nutrients in our diet. Having anti-oxidants in skin care products is important, too. Dr. Ray Peat, a biochemist who has written about the antioxidant properties of coconut oil, states "It is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that, and that it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities." Virgin Coconut Oil is especially useful in fighting free-radicals, as it is unrefined and hasn't been stripped of any of its natural components through the refining process."

From the research I have done (incomplete, ongoing) it has struck me that the fats that benefit our skin when taken internally are completely different from the lipids that benefit our skin when applied topically. And that the ratio of one lipid to another ins critical.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, esp. omega-3, in our diet are incorporated into cell membranes and have anti-inflammatory properties. Research shows that the diet is deficient other fats are utilised, to the detriment of the function of the cell membranes. Furthermore the skin barrier is comprised largely of long chain saturated fatty acids (primarily stearic and palmitic acids) cholesterol and ceramides, so these are some of the best to apply yet known to be harmful when taken orally! Published research undertaken by Shiseido suggests oleic acid (rich in olive & avocado oils) can cause scaling and abnormal function in keratinocytes, yet these oils are an integral part of the healthy mediterranean diet. The main fatty acid in sebum (~25%!) is squalene which is highly comedogenic, lauric acid is only a very minor component.

I am not suggesting coconut oil is rubbish, but I don't believe it is the perfect skin conditioner that author claims. That article reads to me like someone cherry picking and manipulating information to fit his theory. IMO a key reason coconut oil is effective is simply that it protects skin from the drying effects of soap/ shower gel. Shea butter had much the same effect on my eczema; the touted 'healing properties' were inconsequential. In that case it makes more sense to remove harsh cleansing agents from the routine, or wash dry areas with water only.

free skin care · Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:24 pm

^^ Firefox7275 I haven't done as much research as you on this (Remember I don't like to bother my head with too much info Laughing

) but there's a suggestion that topical antioxidants do help prevent free radicals from the environment from wrecking havoc on skin. Vitamin C as a topical product is already a hit in the anti-aging campaign, so clearly there is some evidence that the idea of topical antioxidants being effective in preventing skin deterioratin is not so far-fetched.

Here are some articles that discuss topical antioxidants and their effect on skin and aging:

http://blog.energeticnutrition.com/2011/07/topical-antioxidants-the-secret-to-younger-healthier-skin/

http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/09/topical-vs-oral-antioxidants-for-sun.html

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tyt_ahJsS4gC&oi=fnd&pg=PA157&dq=antioxidants+used+topically&ots=ZwxMdcOu8q&sig=Bu_GDboBWscsWwzvsb_jhHkPSmU#v=onepage&q&f=false

The link I posted and which prompted your question cites two sources that could probably answer your question. So maybe finding them in a library and taking a gander may give you the answers you seek:

1. Hartman, D. 1986. Free radical theory of aging: role of free radicals in the origination and evolution of life, aging, and disease processes, In: Free Radicals, Aging and Degenerative Diseases, Alan R. Liss, p. 3-50
2. Cross, C.E. et. al. 1987. Oxygen radicals and human diseases. Ann. Intern. Med. 107:526

If you are inclined to read more, here is a scholarly link that may be worth paying for:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0076687900190433

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