A Crash Course For Your Skin: Coconut Oil
We all use coconut oil for cooking, baking, and all those new healthy ingredients substitutes but did you know its benefits go far beyond just consuming it?
Words, Claudio Caldeira
Photography, Chris Leverani
We all use coconut oil for cooking, baking, and all those new healthy ingredients substitutes but did you know its benefits go far beyond just consuming it? Coconut oil is great for you both inside and out and can help you in many other ways you never knew about.
Coconut Oil may seem to you like one of the biggest myths, still to be busted. But after reading numerous blogs, articles and reviews that have tried and tested coconut oil, we can definitely say it is one of natures finest skin, hair and health remedies.
Allow us to highlight a few skin benefits, hacks and uses of coconut oil.
1. Moisturized Skin
Okay, an obvious one, we know. But it is the most important benefit especially now going into the fall/winter season. It is crucial to not let your skin dry out. Skin that lacks moisture ages extremely quick. Coconut oil offers amazing anti-aging properties as it contains antioxidants Vitamin A & E. Your epidermis also absorbs all the amazing natural oil. It is super rich in fatty acids making it an amazing body moisturizer.
Guys tend to neglect their skin way more than women do. Not without reason though. Most men don’t particularly enjoy lathering up with sweet-scented body butter, and would definitely not want to do it more than once daily. For this reason, we suggest using coconut oil instead. It absorbs into the skin very quickly and it keeps the skin moisturized longer.
If you suffer from psoriasis (as well as eczema), coconut oil is great because it helps the skin to hold moisture for longer. One of many triggers that can cause psoriasis include dry skin, and what better way to avoid it then a good old’ spoonful of coconut oil in your bathtub. Coconut oil is a safe natural remedy for autoimmune skin disease. It will relieve the itchy, dry and scaly skin in an instant.
2. Ingrown Hair & Acne
There is nothing men dread more than the bumps that appear one day after a clean shave. Breakouts in general, are very common especially for those with oily skin.
I know what you’re thinking. Why would anyone want to apply coconut oil then? Well, strangely enough, although oily (coconut) can effectively help prevent acne. Skin can overproduce sebum which is often a result of poor skin hydration. Extra sebum can cause acne but using coconut oil after washing your face, leaving on for 15 minutes and then washing off with warm water can help the skin reduce the sebum.
In a recent Teen Vogue article, we’re urged to think of acne as an infection inside the pores, just like an infected wound. We have already mentioned that coconut oil fights bacteria and can prevent infections due to the lauric acid found in it. We have also seen that coconut oil is great for treating inflammation. So all in all, using coconut oil for acne is a good idea.
3. Power To The Beard
Coconut oil does not only keep your beard softer, shinier and more healthy-looking, it can also make your beard grow faster. Studies have shown that coconut oil stimulates hair growth. So if you want a beard like Gandalf, we suggest dipping your beard generously in some coconut oil.
4. Wound Healing
Coconut oil improves the activity of antioxidant enzymes, it stimulates the ability of collagen (a protein abundant in the skin) to repair skin tissue and it accelerates re-epithelialization (the growth of epithelial cells over damaged skin). This study shows that coconut oil can even help heal burn wounds very quickly.
5. It’s an amazing exfoliator
Exfoliating the skin helps to get rid of dead skin cells. It also unclogs pores. Especially for guys, exfoliation is not to be neglected and can be the very thing that helps you get rid of acne and ingrown hair. Mix your coconut oil with some sugar and use it as a scrub while you shower. Use this few times a week. This is a great way to fight dry skin this winter. Check out this nifty recipe by Bustle.
6. It’s a great shaving cream alternative
No really, we’re not making this stuff up as we go. Coconut oil is a great alternative to shaving cream. Sure, it doesn’t lather, but we promise that it has the same effect if not better as it doesn’t dry out skin at all.
7. There are no artificial chemicals
More and more people are moving away from products overloaded with chemicals and fake fragrances and turning to natural ingredients for a more safe and natural skincare regime. One of the most natural products being pure unrefined coconut oil. The coconut is GMO-free and the oil does not require any additives or preservatives as it is over 85% saturated oil.
Coconut oil is free of alcohol and other chemicals that may dry out the skin. It is inexpensive and according to this Glamour article, Dr. Yannis Alexandrides says that it is also antimicrobial, making it ideal for killing off any surface bacteria that gathers on the surface of the skin during the day and for that reason it will prevent ingrown hair and acne greatly.