Though many health organizations avoid consuming excess coconut oil because of its high saturated fats, topical application of coconut oil has fascinating benefits for skin. While we use pricey creams to soothe our skin, people in tropical regions use this edible oil to save their skin from harmful sun rays.
Its application is not confined to skin and hair you can also apply it around eyes to cure eye diseases. When applied topically, coconut oil penetrates through skin pores and hydrates it from outside, thus relieving from itching.
So, what’s making this simple inexpensive natural edible oil so beneficial than our processed expensive sun creams?
Nutritional Profile of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is rich in saturated fatty acid; it covers about 85% of fat in coconut oil. Anyway it’s not the same saturated fat found in animals. According to WHFOODS saturated fatty acid in food is broken into 3 group’s short chain, medium chain and long chain, and saturated fat in coconut oil belong to medium chain. It’s filled with microbial and antiviral properties.
Capric, caprylic and lauric acid found in coconut oil helps to boost energy levels before work out. Thus these fatty acids are used to lose weight and when you lose weight it pays way for a clear and healthy skin by removing stretch marks and wrinkles.
Vitamin E in coconut oil has antioxidant properties which help to fight free radicals and soothe skin. 100 grams of coconut oil has about 0.1 mg of vitamin E.
Proteins in coconut oil works for rejuvenating skin and maintaining a healthy skin.
Now let’s dwell into uses of coconut oil for skin.
Benefits of Coconut oil on Face, Dry Skin and Oily Skin
1. Natural moisturizer
Though research on benefits of coconut oil are preliminary, when applied on skin it acts as a moisturizer. Skin, when loses its moisture gets exposed to bacteria and it’s important to moisturize externally else chronic skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis and itching may develop.
2. Treat dry and hard skin with coconut oil
With coconut oil you can soften your skin, take few drops of coconut oil in your palm and rub on your face and hands once or twice. Softened skin is healthy skin. Also applying it on feet makes hard cracked feet smooth, anyway this is not going to wipe cracks but it can easy absorption of cracks creams when applied.
3. Use coconut oil to shed dead cells
Coconut oil is the best remedy to scrape dead skin cells off the body. Dead cells clog the skin pores and bacteria jumps on these dead cells to spread infection resulting in lesions. Mix coconut oil with sugar and use it as an exfoliator.
4. Remove your costly chemical ingredient makeup
Coconut oil is an excellent makeup remover with no side effects. Are you worried about makeup removal chemicals? With home available coconut oil you can now remove makeup.
5. Coconut oil can treat acne, eczema and other skin diseases
Though there are no scientific research proving about coconut oil treating acne and eczema, many users got benefited by using coconut oil regularly. As mentioned above, coconut oil removes dead skin cells and irritated skin, thus treating chronic skin diseases as well.
6. Get rid of annoying Head Lice with coconut and olive oil
According to WebMD, research says spray consisting of coconut oil and olive oil can used to treat head lice.
7. Treats itching
Topical application of this edible oil helps to get rid of itching.
8. Natural Home deodorant
Coconut oil can be used as inexpensive home deodorant. When added with other ingredients like shea butter coconut oil can be used to control body odor. (Related post: Herbal remedies for body odor)
9. Treat Yeast with Coconut Oil
Because of anti bacterial and anti fungal properties of coconut oil you can treat skin yeast and vaginal yeast.
10. Great for cooking
A research carried out in India confirms that eating coconut oil will not develop heart attack. Cooking with coconut oil is great to get benefited with medium chain fatty acids.
11. Soften your dry cuticles with few drops of coconut oil
Cuticles are soft skin parts surrounding your nail. Dry cuticles leaves gap between nail plate and nail bed and bacteria may invade to trigger infection. Take few drops of coconut oil and apply it on hands and cuticles.
12. Soothe savage sniffles
Either it’s because of allergy or you’ve running nose, apply a bit of coconut oil inside nostrils to soothe sniffles.
13. Soothe razor burns
It’s common to experience burn after shave. Yes we’ve creams advertised over media but why not try a remedy which is few seconds away from you. All you need is drop a bit of coconut oil on shaved area.
14. Wrinkles and eye bags
Nutrients in coconut oil help to reduce wrinkles and eye bags if you apply it around eyes and on wrinkles.
15. Coconut oil for sunburns
Soothe minor sunburns with topical application of coconut oil. (Also read: Home Remedies for Minor Burns)
Few more uses of coconut oil are listed below
16. Prevents stretch marks
17. Can be used has a sunscreen lotion with SPF 4
18. Treats cradle cap in babies
19. Lauric acid in coconut oil boost metabolism
20. Topical application enhance faster healing of injuries
21. Treats nail fungal infection
22. Excellent remedy to fade varicose veins
23. Treats cellulite when applied regularly
24. An excellent baby lotion
25. Mix coconut oil with shea butter for body balm
Note: To steal the benefits of coconut oil we prefer virgin coconut oil. Refined oil is produced from dried copra or kernel.
Did we miss any important benefit of coconut oil for skin? Share your views in comments.
