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Are you using coconut oil as a moisturizer? Please read this!

Valerie Jaquith

There’s a lot to unpack here .. so sit back, relax, and grab a cup of tea …

Do you think it’s odd …

The number one search term on my entire website every month of every year is something like this:

“is coconut oil making my skin dry?”

“coconut oil dry skin”

“coconut oil itchy skin”

“are oils making my skin dry and flaky, or making my dry skin worse?”

Something is going on - and you’re here looking for answers.

I hope I can shed some light on this mystery because it warrants further study.

IN THIS ARTICLE:

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY MOISTURE: do oils provide moisture or hydration?

STRONG SKIN: What is an impaired lipid barrier (aka moisture barrier and Acid Mantle)

SKIN TYPE AND INFORMED CHOICES: Water Dry or Oil Dry. This matters a lot.

WHO MIGHT GET GOOD RESULTS using pure oils instead of lotion or cream?

FOOD SENSITIVITIES AND SKIN ISSUES: We go even deeper! Could coconut oil be a factor in acne?

COCONUT OIL = 4 on the pore-clogging charts!

SOMETHING BETTER? If not coconut oil, then what?

COCONUT OIL IS A DRY OIL. Knowledge of the chemistry of oils is not only of vital importance, it will help you make better choices.

I am absolutely thrilled when I speak to someone who’s using coconut oil as a moisturizer with good results!

The question is …. ARE YOU?

Let me clear up two things right off the bat:

1. Coconut oil can not prevent or treat Acne.

Coconut oil has been studied for its antimicrobial properties and shown to possess some ability to reduce the proliferation of acne-causing bacteria. However, our skin’s moisture barrier (our Acid Mantle and first line of defense against acne-causing bacteria), once impaired, is easily penetrated by the bugs that cause acne. The ability of coconut oil to control the spread and growth of these bad bugs is simply not enough. To make matters worse, using it on your skin can make your acne worse!

2. No seed oil or seed butter can moisturize your skin.

More and more, we see the virtues of coconut as a moisturizer extolled on the internet.

So, it’s no surprise that many people seeking healthier, more natural skincare alternatives are ditching conventional products and reaching instead for pure, virgin coconut oil to relieve skin tightness, itch, flakes, and scales and combat acne.

Not only do most people find my blog searching for answers to the mystery of coconut oil and their skin issues, I receive direct questions about it all the time. In fact, the number one complaint from the majority of women I hear from (and not just those using coconut as a moisturizer) is the feeling of persistent parched, tight skin showing signs of premature aging. Those who have turned to using pure coconut oil as a moisturizer? They seem to be suffering the worst!

Who doesn’t get good results using “just oils” to moisturize?

First, here is a short list of people who report getting good results with coconut oil in both the short and long term:

If you have an oily skin type that does not break out, and you live in a year-round humid climate (i.e., tropical and subtropical places), you might be among the lucky ones who can use coconut oil and get good results. Not a long list, is it?

And here is the list of those who DO NOT:

  • Most everyone reports they’re battling the feeling that their skin is persistently parched, tight, and dehydrated.

  • Those living in hot and dry or cold and dry climates.

  • Mostly women.

  • Most people over 40.

  • Women reaching or past menopause.

  • Anyone suffering from inflammatory conditions such as eczema.

  • Anyone suffering from melasma and seborrheic dermatitis.

  • People with acne.

  • Those who have a dry skin type (they don’t produce a normal amount of skin oils - note that this is not very common (more on this later).

  • Those prone to clogged pores.

  • Those who break out AND report parched, dehydrated skin.

  • Those with chronic or acute damage to the skin’s moisture barrier, aka the skin’s Acid mantle.

If the answer is YES to at least some of these:

You might have resorted to using more coconut oil as a stand-alone “moisturizer,” … yet the problem became worse.

Even if the short-term results seemed promising, you most likely experienced a worsening of whatever condition you are trying to heal.

If you have an inflammatory skin condition, such as acne, coconut oil used on your face is likely to lead to the formation of new bumps, clogged pores, and comedones. Those with melasma or seborrheic dermatitis will likely see a worsening of the condition.

Those with sensitive, reactive skin (eczema and rosacea) will fare just as badly.

Those with skin that is dehydrated, meaning lacking moisture at the surface, will feel persistently parched, tight, rough, and dull. This condition can eventually lead to xerosis. Xerosis is excessively dry skin. This condition will increase premature aging and make flaky, tired, dull, aging skin much more vulnerable to sun damage AND penetration by bad bacteria and fungus. This might happen right away or sometime after starting the use of coconut oil as a moisturizer, making it harder to pinpoint the root cause of the problem.

And this is where our story really begins …

To support healthy, happy, resilient skin, we must reconcile our lifestyle needs with the needs of our skin.

If you’re experiencing the symptoms of an impaired skin barrier, your skin might even be so angry that it lashes out with histamine reactions (allergic reactions).

You might’ve even had to resort to repeated applications of steroid creams to calm your irritated, unhappy skin.

The bottom line is that without a change in your routine and product choice, relying on steroid creams, in the long run, often leads to further skin damage.

What’s your skin type?

“Dry skin” or “Dehydrated skin”?

Notice I don’t say “dry skin” very often?

That’s because we commonly confuse the term “OIL-DRY SKIN” with “WATER-DRY SKIN (aka “DEHYDRATED SKIN”), and this can lead us to make the wrong product choices and continue doing things that make the problem worse.

“DRY SKIN” means “OIL DRY” but not necessarily “WATER DRY.” While these two conditions often go hand in hand, it is vital to distinguish them so that we can make more informed choices.

There are 3 skin types. They refer to the amount of skin oils our body produces and the number of skin oil-producing pores we possess.

There are three skin types: normal, dry, and oily. Understanding how our skin works is the starting point, and it will help you understand what your skin needs to be happy.

NORMAL SKIN: Most of us have normal skin. We produce the “normal amount” of skin oils and possess the normal amount of oil-producing pores throughout our entire bodies. This is why we call it “normal skin.” The feeling of being parched and dehydrated occurs on the face, hands, and lower legs, but NOT the torso and back.

DRY SKIN: A Dry Skin type has fewer oil-producing pores over the entire body. You may experience parched, flakey skin on your torso and back, as well as your face, hands, and legs.

OILY SKIN: Those who produce too much oil and have an overabundance of oil-producing pores over their entire body would be considered an Oily Skin Type. You probably will notice excess skin oils on your chest and back.

Those with normal skin (just about everyone) tend to experience the feeling of “dryness” or “water dry” on faces, hands, arms, and legs, but less often on the torso and back.

It’s surprisingly easy to strip away natural skin oils and Natural Moisture Factors, making it impossible for the skin to maintain adequate dermal hydration because water deeper in the layers of skin can easily evaporate which skin oils to seal it in, and this is what leads to the feeling of parched, tight, “dry skin.”

For the vast majority of people, our routines, habits, and product choices are at the root of most of our skin problems, including the feeling of parched, tight, dull, dehydrated, and itchy skin.

Most people bathe and wash often, and while our lifestyles require this, human skin is not well adapted to being rinsed and washed.

We humans ran around on the planet for a very, very, very long time, rarely coming into contact with water, let alone washing with soap and bathing all the time. The more often and more thoroughly we wash our skin, the more we strip away natural skin compounds. Repeated, frequent bathing removes Native (or Natural) Moisture Factors (called NMF) - these are water-soluble compounds that are abundant in healthy, plump skin. It also strips away native oils, sebum, sweat, and dead skin cells, which our skin needs to perform its many functions - including maintaining skin hydration!

The bottom line here is that our skin requires a balance of OIL and WATER to be happy. When it becomes dehydrated AT THE SURFACE, without adequate WATER, no amount of OIL applied to the surface is going to provide the healing and relief it needs.

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Note: Certain medications and treatments, such as chemotherapy, can cause major dry skin issues, but this is beyond the scope of this discussion.

Dig in Deeper: What do we mean by “SKIN HYDRATION”

Dermal water: Dermal water is the moisture naturally present in the skin. It is the source of what makes it feel plump and hydrated. Our skin stays hydrated from the inside out. This moisture is held in by the Acid Mantle, a lipid (oil) barrier.

The Acid Mantle is a unique feature of human skin. It’s a biofilm created by the skin organ itself. The Acid Mantle (aka Moisture Barrier) performs many important biological functions.

One of the primary functions is to reduce the rate of evaporation of dermal water from the surface of our skin. If the Acid Mantle becomes weak and thin, it is less able to hold in that dermal moisture.

It also becomes vulnerable to infiltration by bad bugs, like those that cause acne.

It is very easy to impair the Acid Mantle! It’s just a thin, bio-lipid layer on the surface of your skin, after all.

Understanding how the body creates the Acid Mantle and how our modern lifestyles are fundamentally out of sync with the needs of our skin is vital to understanding how to make product and routine choices that support healthy, happy, plump, resilient skin and resolve the feeling of parched skin.

Does oil hydrate? Does oil contain moisture?

This discussion really can not proceed until we appreciate that a drop of oil (or seed butter like mango, shea, or cocoa butter) contains not one molecule of water - so they can not, will not, and will not hydrate anything.

MOISTURE = HYDRATION = WATER. PERIOD.

When we say MOISTURE or HYDRATION, we are talking about WATER. In skincare, water can be distilled water (the most common type), aloe juice, flower water, or hydrosol water.

A molecule of oil has not one drop of moisture. So, if your skin is parched and dehydrated at the surface, no amount of oils can offer long-term relief and will probably make it worse over time if you keep up the practice, even if you apply them to damp skin.

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If you are trying to resolve your “dry” feeling skin, and before delving into more of the specifics of coconut oil in skincare, you might want to consider reading my blog post Are seed oils moisturizing? A cautionary tale. Here, I go into detail on this topic and help you determine if you’re “WATER DRY” or “OIL DRY” since the treatment choices are surprisingly different.

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How DO seed oils and butters benefit our skin?

Every seed or nut from any plant can be cracked open and an oil extracted - they all have different fatty acid compositions and will impact our skin in different ways.

There are literally thousands of oils to choose from today.

So, YES, most of us benefit from including the RIGHT oils, oil blends, and seed butters, into our skincare routine for the following reasons …

#1 They seal in dermal moisture (they can act much like the oils naturally present in our skin. In fact, one of the main things that naturally occurring skin oils do is to hold in moisture.

#2 They help the skin stay soft and supple so it can RETAIN moisture already present in the skin

#3 They help soften the skin and can help preserve skin texture and suppleness, playing an important role in healthy aging and maintaining long-term skin hydration.

#4 Oils and butters are composed of compounds that can be incorporated into the skin cells! Directly nourishing and feeding the skin cell provides fatty acids, which can be transported across the waterproof lipid membrane that surrounds the cell.

How to apply seed oils and butters to reap their benefits?

  • In all circumstances, when the goal is to reduce the feeling of being parched and dehydrated, it’s unwise to apply oils to dry skin without some moisture.

  • If you experience mild parched dry skin, usually following bathing or washing your face, but it isn’t persistently dry (meaning you don’t feel you need more moisture during the day), then you might get good/adequate results with just a facial oil applied to damp skin. I like this approach for young ladies and men who do not have acne issues and are not experiencing persistently parched skin.

    • First, add some moisture. You can splash your face with warm water and then pat dry, leaving some water on your skin. A better choice is to spritz generously with pure, steam-distilled hydrosol water to restore the skin’s optimal, slightly acidic pH. You can also use your toner; I strongly suggest that it be 100% free of drying alcohol.

    • On your damp skin: gently press or massage 2-4 drops of oil, then let it air dry. If you feel parched shortly after it has time to soak in and dry), then you can try doing these same steps again. If this doesn’t provide the relief you seek, please consider the approach unlined next.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Oils CAN cause irritation! They are comparatively large molecules that can irritate your skin, especially in those who report sensitivities or inflammatory skin issues (eczema, rosacea, acne). If you ever experience tingling or itch from an oil (or anything at all) - that’s irritation! Rinse it right off with warm water, then a cold compress to calm the irritation caused.

So you’ve tried these steps and STILL not getting the results you want? Keep reading …

Now the discussion turns to what your skin is REALLY craving … MOISTURE, a little oil, and lots of natural moisture factors.

The fastest and most effective way to heal and relieve chronic and acute tight, parched, dehydrated skin is with a well formulated, moisture rich, lotion or cream.

WHY?

Lotions and creams provide water AND oil together.

It is what your parched skin is really craving.

One of the best things about creams and lotions? We can formulate these with additional compounds such as hyaluronic acid, glycerine, and Natural Moisture Factors (NMF) not provided by seed oils and butters.

For faces, I’ve created Dew Drops and Rain Drops.

Dew Drops is a light, effervescent lotion super-saturated with water-soluble ingredients in a base of aloe juice and loaded with Natural Moisture Factors, including hyaluronic acid and infused glycerite. Dew Drops absorbs super fast to a matte finish with very little emolliency. I apply Dew Drops to damp skin in the morning, then mineral sunscreen.

Rain Drops is my go-to at the end of the day after I remove my sunscreen and wash my face. It’s rich and creamy and more emollient than Dew Drops. Also, aloe juice is based on ample NMF. Rain Drops, plus a few drops of one of my facial oils applied to damp skin, is my go-to for deep conditioning and restoration at night.

For body care, I reach for my All Over Lotion and All Over Buttercream—both are based on aloe juice (why use water when there’s aloe juice?). My Bliss Salve is another option for hands, elbows, and knees. And for those with mild to severe dry skin eczema (on hand or body), my Forest Force Pine Pitch Salve gets real results.

  • Lotions and creams, since they are water-based (or aloe juice/gel, hydrosol), will absorb much faster, better, and deeper than oils alone due to molecular size. Oils are rather large molecules compared to water, making them much harder to penetrate. There is an alchemy associated with lotions and creams; the sum is greater than the whole. Oils absorb better and deeper when bound up with water.

  • Natural lotions will have ample water-soluble ingredients and just a bit of oil. Lotions absorb faster than creams, providing quicker hydration and a light feel.

  • For faces, I prefer Dew Drops lotion in the morning - I don’t want to be too emollient before I apply my sunscreen. My skin is not persistently parched, so I use my Rain Drops cream in the evening when I have more time to let it soak in, and I don’t mind being a little more emollient.

  • Natural creams are thicker and richer, tending to include oils and sometimes seed butters. Creams absorb a bit slower and seal in moisture longer; they are more emollient than lotion. My Buttercream is great for dry spots like hands, elbows, and knees, and Rain Drops is great for faces at night and in the morning for those with more persistent parched skin.

  • FOR ADDITIONAL MOISTURE: Apply your lotion or cream to damp skin for MORE MOISTURE. For faces, spritz generously 4-5 times with hydrosol water, then apply your lotion or cream, lightly massage, then let it all soak in. For bodies, try a light lotion with a few pumps of body oil (optional). I blend this together in my hands, then applied to every inch at the end of the shower after I dry off. I try to leave some moisture on my skin before I rub in the lotion/oil blend. Then apply Buttercream to the elbow and knees (optional).

Choosing your skincare oils … a lot to consider

I have a library full of books describing the vast world of seed oils and butters, what to expect from them, and what they offer for the skin. One of my favorite books is one you might find very useful, too: Power of the Seed – by Susan M Parker

I suggest “facial oils” formulated by a trusted maker of fresh skincare! Freshness is so vital in our skincare in general, and oils in particular. Many of the oils that are great choices for skin care are susceptible to quick oxidation, and this spells bad news! Free radicals are formed during oxidation, and that can mean real damage over time, and disease. Are large, popular brands able to provide you with super fresh skin care oils? Is there a “made by” and “use by date” on the bottle? If not, perhaps consider another. (My 2 pure facial oils blends are Alpenfleur with CoQ10 and Rosepetal + Rosehip with Vitamin C. I craft in tiny batches, infusing them with both fresh wild plants I collect, and each bottle has a made-by and use-by date to ensure freshness).

Always choose organic, cold-pressed, raw, unrefined oils. Purchase small bottles for skin care—most cooking oils are modified and refined to some extent. Use them up quickly and try different ones over time for variety.

Meanwhile, here is a short description of 2 favorite skin care oils you’ll love for all skin types … Consider saving your coconut oil for removing eye makeup and cooking. You’ll get better results this way, and you can stop wondering if it’s the coconut oil making things worse over time.

SWEET ALMOND OIL: for face and body

Sweet Virgin Organic Almond Oil - Ancient cultures revered this emollient nut oil for treating dry skin conditions. It has been used to improve complexion and skin tone and treat skin problems for thousands of years, including psoriasis and eczema, and to reduce scarring. It smoothes and rejuvenates skin and absorbs quickly with a golden hue and subtle, nutty aroma. It has a long shelf life and is rich in many vitamins and minerals. Easy to find in the skincare aisle just about anywhere, this is one of my favorites, not the trendiest, but one of the best, most affordable, and most effective oils with a low comedogenic rating of 2. 

OLIVE OIL SQUALANE: for faces

 

One of my absolute favorite luxury facial oils! Some of you will know something about Squalane. Recently studied for its almost miraculous "healthy-aging" and skin-softening properties, Squalane is one of the lipids found in Olive Oil. Our skin produces its own version of this vital oil, but over time, produces less and less of it. It finds its way into many high-end skin care products and can be very pricey, depending on the brand. I include a generous amount of this silky oil in my facial oil blends, Alpenfleur and Rose+Rose.

Squalane is renowned for its ability to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It soaks in fast and leaves almost no residue! It is very resistant to rancidity and gets a comedogenic rating of 0. It is scentless and clear. It can be extracted from olives and shark liver oil. So, if you purchase some yourself, make sure it says “pure olive oil squalane.” I included only pure Olive Oil Squalane in my products. 

Delving deeper … the chemistry of coconut oil, acne and food sensitivities.

FOOD SENSITIVES - COULD COCONUT OIL BE A FACTOR IN ACNE?

To start, let's look at food sensitivities. Yes, coconut oil is a healthy traditional food, yet very few people know that it can negatively impact our skin from the inside. 

Overexposure to novel foods after childhood can cause food sensitivities, which often manifest in skin issues. A full-blown allergy to coconut and coconut oil is, in fact, rare, but overexposure to novel foods after childhood can cause “sensitivities” (different from allergies), which often manifest in skin issues.

The vast majority of Americans over 20 did not grow up consuming coconuts and coconut oil from a very early age! Coconut oil was deemed unhealthy due to its high saturated fat content. During the tragic decades when saturated fat was falsely demonized as a killer, we were told to avoid it, so we did! Now that this false doctrine has been dismantled, we are returning to cooking and eating coconut oil again.

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Unless you grew up eating coconuts at an early age or come from an ethnicity that historically consumed lots of them, you might have developed a sensitivity to this food! 

If you suspect you are sensitive to it, I suggest eliminating coconut oil from your diet and skin care products for a period of time to see what results you get.

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COCONUT IS A PORE CLOGGER - IT’S RATED 4!

WHAT IS COMEDOGENIC OR ACNEGENIC?  Comedogenic (or the more popular term acnegenic) refers to the likelihood an ingredient will cause acne. An ingredient with a lower number is considered less comedogenic.

The technical term for acne is Comedo. Comedo is formed from dead skin cells and skin oils (sebum).   If the comedo is closed at the skin's surface, it's a "whitehead" When it's open at the skin's surface, and you can see the plugged follicle darkened by melanin buildup, it's a blackhead. If there is no opening at the surface, it's a "closed Comedone.  

IS NON-COMEDOGENIC A VALID CLAIM? There is no way, no how, any skincare manufacture can verify that their product is not going to cause acne. No independent organization, nor the FDA, verifies “non-comedogenic” claims and no tests exist which can objectively determine this. Any company can claim the term “non-comedogenic” or “won’t clog pores” on its label, but there is no oversight body that will independently verify this.   

For those who have acneic skin, get clogged pores, blemishes and outbreaks, or maybe your skin feels parched but you still get outbreaks, it’s important to consider the pore clogging potential of your skin care, and possibly even when consumed as well.

On most Comedogenic (clog poring) Rating Charts, Coconut oil is among the ingredients that get the highest ratings—a whopping "4"! Everyone is unique and will have different reactions to different things, and the way that ingredients are tested has been called into question.

Comedogenic Rating Charts are just a starting point in determining YOUR tolerance to an ingredient:

0 - An oil that is very, VERY unlikely to cause, contribute to, or make clogged pores worse.

1 – A slight chance that this oil will cause, contribute to, or make clogged pores worse.

2 - For most people this oil will not cause, contribute to, or make clogged pores worse. HOWEVER, those who DO tend to develop clogged pores might find this oil to cause, contribute to, or make clogged pores worse over time.

3 – A lot of people will break out using this oil, but some will not. If you tend to get clogged pores and outbreaks, this oil will most likely cause, contribute to, or make clogged pores worse over time.

4 - The majority of people will break out using this oil.

5 - Basically a guarantee of breaking out. Very, very, VERY few people can tolerate oils with a rating of 5.

THE CHEMISTRY OF COCONUT OIL: the fatty acid composition of coconut oil …

why does it matter?

Every seed can be cracked open and oil extracted. Oils are primarily comprised of fatty acids. Each seed produces an oil with a fatty acid composition that is different from any other seed oil. Fatty acids (FAs) impact things like skin feel and astringency. There are dozens of different FAs—you might be surprised to learn that they can have very different impacts on our skin!

Some FAs are considered extremely "dry" or “astringent”, these oils absorb quickly and leave little residue after soaking in. While others are considered extremely emollient - thick, sticky, or perhaps greasy feeling - such as vitamin E. Most oils are somewhere in between.

Coconut oil falls on one side of this spectrum - the primary fatty acid in Coconut oil is Lauric Acid. The chemistry of lauric acid makes it one of the driest, most astringent fatty acids we know of.

Experienced soapmakers can tell us why this matters - a lot! A soap made from 100% coconut oil soap produces a really hard, long lasting bar of soap. Once which lathers up big and bubbly, and cleans extremely well - quickly and efficiently stripping away oils and removing greasy residue.

A bar or liquid soap made with only 100% coconut oil makes the best stain remover. We can also craft a safe, natural laundry detergent with it, and use it to get pots and pans clean quick. *** But I do not recommend this soap for bath and body soap, and never for faces. This topic is brought up over and over again in my soap making groups, the majority of us experienced makers believe strongly that the commercial liquid castiles are all made from mostly coconut oil because it is very cheap. The consensus of us experts is that if the label says it is made with other oils too, due to their harshness and drying effect on the skin, they must be predominantly coconut.

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The same qualities which make coconut oil soap great for household chores makes it NOT so nice for your skin!

100% Coconut oil soap, or even soap with over 60%, if used regularly, can do real damage to the acid mantle, leading to chronically dehydrated, parch tight, scaly, itchy skin.

Pure Coconut oil, applied topically, over time can cause the same issues.

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RELEVANT PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH: