The Benefits Of Using Coconut Oil As a Facial Treatment
Coconut oil has been making headlines in the health and beauty industries for the past few years. While some experts tout the numerous benefits of consuming coconut oil, others believe this popular product isn’t as good for your diet as previously thought.
Regardless of the dietary effects of coconut oil, one thing’s for sure: coconut oil offers many benefits for your skin. In fact, coconut oil is one of the most effective all-natural skincare products you can use.
In this article, we’ll outline eight important benefits of using coconut oil as a facial treatment. We’ll also discuss what coconut oil is, how to choose the right type, and an efficient application method. After that, we’ll finish up by showing you the best way to prevent wrinkles and keep your skin looking younger for longer.
What Is Coconut Oil?
As the name suggests, coconut oil is the oil extracted from the coconut fruit. The chemical makeup of coconut oil is predominantly saturated fat with a high percentage of the medium-chain fatty acid known as lauric acid. The best way to get this oil is straight from the fruit itself by mashing the white meat.
But that option is an incredibly difficult one. Coconuts are notoriously hard to open and work with, and they rarely grow in non-tropical climates. The next-best option is refined coconut oil.
If you’re considering using coconut oil as a skincare product, we recommend purchasing a coconut oil that’s 100 percent virgin. This is the term used to indicate that the coconut oil has the least amount of refinement. “Cold pressed” is another good term to look for, because it means that heat (which can alter and break down some of the beneficial fatty acids) hasn’t been applied to the coconut meat.
Now that you know a bit more about coconut oil, let’s investigate its benefits.
The Benefits Of Using Coconut Oil As A Facial Treatment
1) Coconut Oil Moisturizes
Coconut oil is one of the best naturally available moisturizers because the fatty acids in its chemical makeup mix with water on the surface of your skin to form a protective layer (known as the hydrolipidic barrier). This protective layer keeps foreign matter, like dust and dirt, from irritating your skin.
Additionally, coconut oil locks moisture into your skin and keeps it from evaporating into the air around you. That’s good news for your skin because moisture is one of the most important components of a healthy, wrinkle-free complexion.
2) Coconut Oil Gently Removes Grease & Oil
Coconut oil is also a great makeup remover because it cuts grease better than most commercial degreasing products. The difference is that coconut oil does this in a way that’s gentle on your skin. In fact, you’ll often find sodium lauryl sulfate, a coconut-derived cleanser, in baby products. If it’s gentle enough for a baby’s skin, it’s certainly gentle enough for yours.
3) Coconut Oil Deep-Cleans Your Skin
Coconut oil deep cleans by softening and opening pores. This makes exfoliation and washing much easier. The oil also penetrates deep into your skin, where it dissolves hardened oil and wax (sebum). It then brings these substances to the surface, where they can be easily washed off.
This combination of effects makes for a much cleaner, clearer complexion and helps prevent wrinkles from forming over time.
4) Coconut Oil Protects Your Skin From Bacteria
Coconut oil is packed full of lauric acid, which acts as an antibacterial agent. And when bacteria can’t find a place on your skin, it means fewer clogged pores and fewer acne breakouts.
5) Coconut Oil Protects Your Skin From Fungus
In addition to its antibacterial properties, coconut oil exhibits antifungal properties as well. This means that coconut oil can kill fungi—like yeast and ringworm—before they have a chance to cause problems on your skin.
6) Coconut Oil Protects Your Skin From The Sun
It’s not the best protection against the sun’s UV rays, but at an SPF of 4, coconut oil does provide a bit of relief if you forget to apply sunscreen. We don’t recommend relying on coconut oil as your one and only sunscreen, but it can prevent some damage for 45 minutes to an hour.
If you do suffer from a sunburn, apply a bit of coconut oil to the affected areas to reduce inflammation, tightness, and pain.
7) Coconut Oil Helps Repair Collagen
Collagen plays a major role in preventing wrinkles from forming because it provides support to the top layers of skin. Collagen is essentially pushing out from within to keep your skin smooth. But when it begins to break down, your skin can sag inward, crease, and begin to wrinkle.
The fat molecules in coconut oil can penetrate into the deeper layers of skin, attract protein molecules (the building blocks of collagen), and help repair damaged collagen and normalize production. What results is younger-looking, wrinkle-free skin.
8) Coconut Oil Prevents The Signs Of Aging
The signs of aging often appear first on the delicate skin of your face, neck, and chest. From fine lines and discoloration to full-on smile lines, necklines, and crow’s feet, it seems that there is no end to the ways these lines can make you look older than you actually are.
When coconut oil is applied regularly, its moisturizing, cleansing, and reparative effects can keep those signs of aging at bay.
How To Use Coconut Oil As A Facial Treatment
Using coconut oil as a facial treatment couldn’t be easier. That’s because you can substitute coconut oil for your current moisturizer without skipping a beat.
Here’s an easy step-by-step process for incorporating coconut oil into your morning cleansing ritual.
- Wash your hands to remove any dust, dirt, or bacteria.
- Wash your face with lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser.
- When the cleanser has been rinsed off, splash your skin with cool water to close and tighten pores.
- Pat your skin dry with a soft, clean towel.
- Scoop a bit of coconut oil out of the jar with your pointer and middle finger.
- Gently rub the coconut oil all over your face, neck, and chest.
- Wait a few minutes for it to soak into your skin.
- Apply the rest of your makeup accordingly.
Silicone Patches: A Powerful Moisturizing Alternative
As great as coconut oil is at moisturizing, repairing wrinkles, and preventing the signs of aging, there’s an even better, more powerful alternative: medical grade and clinically tested silicone patches.
In fact, silicone patches are the best way to achieve smooth, young-looking, wrinkle-free skin. Doctors and surgeons first used the medical-grade silicone sheets to help heal deep burns and scars. That same technology is now available to you in every one of SiO Beauty’s proprietary medical-grade silicone patches.
SiO Beauty’s skin patches work by creating a microclimate between your skin and the patch each night. That microclimate then traps moisture on and in the surface layers of your skin, where it spends the time you’re asleep reducing the appearance of existing wrinkles and preventing new ones from forming.
As an added bonus, SiO Beauty’s silicone patches are easy to use. Simply remove the patch from its storage shield, apply it to clean, dry skin, and go to sleep. The silicone smoothing patch does the rest.
You can even mix and match SiO Beauty’s silicone patches to target different areas of your face, neck, and chest. Choose from five unique shapes, including:
- Brow.
- Face.
- Eye & Smile.
- Neck.
- Décolleté.
Each of SiO Beauty’s silicone patches is reusable up to 10 times. You can’t get that from a dab of coconut oil! For more about the benefits of using SiO Beauty products, check out these amazing testimonials.