Coconut oil dries out skin?

I so know what you mean! If you're even a little bit crunchy, you've heard about the rage of using coconut oil to moisturize your skin. Of course I've tried it too and had the same effects you had. My skin looked and felt drier than it did before and the same thing even happened to my hair as well. I have since gathered that coconut oil is a pretty OK moisturizer for people who naturally have normal to even slightly oily skin, but that it's no good for folks with very dry skin. Not only that, but if you tend to get blackheads anyway, you may get more on coconut oil.

I have since switched to some Israeli moisturizer I came across at the mall that contains dead sea ingredients. My skin is looking much better now.

Hi,

I myself don't have this experience, but that could well be because I have never used coconut oil as a moisturizer. I did use it in cooking though, does that count? Myself, I also really don't like to put chemical stuff on my face so I have used different things over the years. I look around for what is the best, cheapest option available at that moment. I have have used jojoba oil, argan oil, almond oil, and at the moment I am using prickly pear oil, which was on special offer on some website. I must admit my favorites are argan and prickly pear oil. The oil is absorbed right away after you apply it and they make your skin feel pretty nice. I do admit I usually look for the bargains and then buy several bottles at once. But anyway, perhaps you would like to have a go at any of those?

Right, the thing about coconut oil is it is different in nature to many other oils (something about lauric acid) and that it sinks deep into the skin. That means that yes, it does moisturize your skin pretty well for a fact, but because it's reaching the deeper layers, you may think it's not working or even drying your skin out. You don't need to quit using coconut oil, but you do need something else for the outer layers of the skin as well. Shea butter does a really good job of sealing the moisture in your skin. Hope that helps.

i dont think so i believe it moisturizes......

I think I agree with you, for what it's worth. If it is so good at moisturizing the inner layers of the skin, then why was my skin still so dry after using it for weeks? I admit my skin is pretty problematic and I need higher end products to deal with skin damage, but everyone rants and raves about this coconut oil so I thought, let's see what it does. The answer is worse than nothing. No, not a fan.

After trying coconut oil as a moisturizer (because, duh, everyone is worshiping it at the moment) and having less than satisfactory results, I looked into this. I found an article that explained it well. Coconut can clog the pores and make someone who is prone to acne break out. It also dries the skin in some people. It's like when you have oily skin and you use oil stripping products, the skin reacts by producing even more oil. Only coconut oil does the opposite. It is very oily and your skin thinks you don't need any more oil and stops making as much. The result? Dry skin. I don't use it any more now.

Looks like I'll be the lone dissenter here! What's with the coconut oil hating???

My combination skin is well served by coconut oil, leaving the oily areas moisturized but not super oily at all, and the dry areas well taken care of. The dry areas require a bit of massaging before it really sinks in, but then it does work well. I love the way coconut oil leaves my skin feeling silky smooth and I don't need a makeup primer after applying it because it does well as a makeup base also. It's not just good for the face either but also for those dry patches you get on the knees and elbows and on the heels.

I have literally no idea why others aren't happy with it.

Coconut oil doesn't dry my skin out either, as long as I mix it in with other ingredients like yoyoba oil, olive oil, aloe vera, and essential oils of my choosing. I do whip the coconut oil because that makes it easier to spread it on the skin and gives it a lighter, more moussy feel.

So my advice is to stay away from using coconut oil as a lone ingredient and to move onto mixing it in with other things. You will love it as part of a mixture. That is the beauty of do it yourself skin care, you get to experiment with what you like and don't like and after a while you will come up with your own unique mixture that is right for you.

I have been using coconut oil for all kinds of things for a while now and I really like it. To moisturize my skin, I put some coconut oil on my hands and rub them together for a while to heat the oil up. Then, I simply apply it everywhere I want, and it helps bust those dry patches excellently. I do put some more oil on the drier places though. I just have some dry bits here and there and that is all, but some people say coconut oil is excellent for people with eczema, psoriasis, etc, those really tricky skin conditions. I don't understand how it could dry the skin out at all. It is an oil after all.

I thought of this thread when I read an article written by one of those primal foods people, who are very fond of coconut oil anyways. I really dunno whether it dries the skin out, but the gal who wrote that article said she was convinced it made her skin break out in acne. She'd stocked up on shampoo, moisturizer, cleanser, everything containing coconut oil and also used it to cook all the time, right? And then she went all pimply. For some reason, she figured out that it was the coconut oil what made her break out and then she stopped using it. Get this, she said her skin went right back to normal. And that was one of those people that swears by this stuff. Pretty interesting, you know? And what can we learn? Everything has its downsides, I guess.

Hi,

I started using coconut oil as a body lotion a week ago. I was expecting great results for the dryer patches of my skin like the elbows and knees especially, but now I have been using it I must say I do not like the feel of this oil at all. My skin is visibly dryer in those areas where I have used it and feels tight, like it is being contracted by something. It is not at all what I was expecting to experience. Should I dilute it with another lighter oil perhaps, or is coconut oil just not right for my skin???

Would like to hear your thoughts.

You're not the only one! I started using coconut oil because I had heard it was a good anti-wrinkle cream and natural products appeal to me. I have been at it for about two months now. I have to say, it is true that my skin looks younger and, if you like, has plumped up a bit. The skin around my cheeks is a lot drier though. Like, once I take my makeup off, you can actually see little flaky bits that also feel rough to the touch, somewhat like sand paper. I did some research before starting coconut oil and got the organic extra virgin version, which everyone says is the best possible option. Now, because I am happy about what it is doing for my wrinkles, I am not about to stop using it. I am not sure that the oil actually dries my skin out. I have the feeling it is more that it just isn't moisturizing enough. So I am thinking I will get another oil, perhaps Argan oil, to use on the drier areas of my skin and then I will still use the coconut oil after applying that one. I'll let you know how that goes.

Hi, have you looked into Dr. Organic's virgin coconut oil skin care range, perhaps? Since I have been using it, I wake up with clear and soft skin that visibly looks better. I am very happy with it. The ingredients are all organic of course, and it doesn't dry my skin out one bit. Could that be because there are other ingredients in it too? It has avocado oil, shea butter, grape seed oil, pomegranate oil, lemon peel oil, and many, many, many more. Of course it's free of chemicals and preservatives so that could be another reason it does not dry the skin out. Highly recommended!!!

Help!!!

Hoping for natural solutions for skin care for my sensitive skin, I got coconut oil. Because so many people recommend this and say it is the best thing ever for dry skin, I was absolutely not expecting any drying. But after three days of using it now, my skin is so dry, has developed some pimple like spots that are not actually pimples but more like little wounds, and I feel something is pulling on my skin!!! Then I found this thread. How do I restore my skin as soon as possible? Please give me tips. I will, of course, stop using coconut oil now.