Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

AMAZING, HOLY GRAIL, JESUS IS REAL, MADE ME BELIEVE IN MIRACLES need I say more? I have dry skin and this shizz right here is like a prayer answered, coconut oil does everything, not only can you eat it because of the health benefits, you can rub it all over your body day and night every day without feeling the guilt of parabens and chemicals, you can use it to make your own organic toothpaste, you can use it to make a hair mask, you can even use it on furniture. I first noticed the miracle of coconut oil when I used a body wash with it as an ingredient, all of a sudden after one shower my cuticles looked shinier and my nails seemed to gleam, strange, I thought. I used this every single day for years, a little goes a long way, the cheapest one in a glass bottle I could find is at Trader Joe's for around $6 I figured why buy anything too pricey since I'm using it as a lotion. Did I mention that coconut oil also smells somewhat like toasted marshmallows? It always smells like summer to me, I love it!

For reference, I am in my mid 40's with fair, dry, sensitive skin that only breaks out once a month (wink wink). I have one wrinkle on my forehead and the beginnings of crow's feet around my eyes.

This is my second go round with trying this method, and this time my skin fared much better. The difference being in the type of coconut oil I used. The first time I tried it, I used just whatever coconut oil we had on hand in the house that I used in my candy making recipes. Coconut oil is coconut oil, right? WRONG. That stuff broke me out horribly, and my skin is super dry and thirsty. I thought people who used coconut oil were just downright nuts or had skin that could tolerate sand paper. That was 2 years ago.

A few weeks ago, it was about time to reorder my DHC cleansing oil (HG product for me), and when I went to reorder it I noticed the price had increased yet again. It was in the spirit of trying to be budget conscious that I decided to give coconut oil a second chance. This time, however, I used cold pressed, extra virgin, organic coconut oil instead of "whatever's the cheapest." I can honestly say I understand the hype now. My skin is MUCH more hydrated, smoother in texture, and the monthly gifts that I usually receive were actually lessened when I started using this. Not sure if it's the anti-bacterial properties in coconut oil or if it's because my skin was breaking out due to lack of proper hydration; whatever the reason, I'll happily take the results.

As for *how* I use this, I use it the same way I use DHC cleansing oil: I apply it to dry skin with dry hands (emulsify it in your hands first) and then remove with warm water on a soft cloth (I use Norwex facial cloths, love love love 'em). Through trial and error, I learned that for makeup removal (yes, I wear a full face with layers of primer and sealer all over the place plus heavy duty mascara) I need a blob about a dime to nickel size in diameter. Anything larger will be too hard to remove and leave too much residue on my face. Less is more is the idea here, so I try to use just enough to break up the makeup on my face and cut through the mascara with about 20 seconds of rubbing it around. Removal is harder than with DHC. I have to wipe my face more times to make sure all of the makeup and oil is removed. However, once removed, my face is amazingly soft and smooth (not oily), like it's already had good quality serum and moisturizer applied.

After I remove my makeup at night, I apply HA (I use Hada Labo HA) and allow it to absorb. I follow that with Estee Lauder ANR, then I apply about a pea-sized to dime sized amount of coconut oil on my face and neck. Depending on my mood (haha), I will sometimes put a layer of Clinique Repairwear cream on top of the coconut oil. I rub any excess oil into my hands and cuticles.

If my face suddenly breaks out in cystic acne, I will certainly change my review, but for right now I am pretty pleased to have found not only a cheaper substitute but IMO a superior replacement for my DHC cleansing oil. I'm hoping the trend continues, as my skin and my wallet both appreciate it.

Tried it on my face as all over makeup remover but broke me out....then i use it for eye makeup remover which is okay but takes long time to get waterproof mascara to break off.......good thing is that it doesn't burn and bother my eyes after like most eye makeup remover does....and it find it much more gentle to be rubbing this around my eyes because it's a bit cushiony.

Tried it as all over hair mask and luv it!!!!!!!!!!!! Just put this all over my hair including scalp.....leave it on for a while and then wash it off but make sure to shampoo twice.......cause first time i only shampoo once and alot of the oil stayed on my hair and i was not good the day after......when done right, my hair is noticeably more shinny and less frizzy...and okay to put heat on it without frying your hair....will continue to do the mask once or twice a week!!!

This review is for use on your skin, and it's a big NO from me! I was trying to make the move to more natural skincare products and after reading a good review about the coconut oil cleansing method, I decided to try it for myself. I simply applied the oil to my face and then wiped it off with a hot wash cloth. It does get full marks for removing makeup and left my skin lightly moisturised. However, after a couple of days I started to see spots appearing on my face. I stopped using it immediately and my skin cleared up. I think this oil is too much for your face and blocks pores, if you suffer from acne or oily skin I would definitely think twice before using this on your face.

If you have normal Asian hair and sensitive skin, I recommend saving the extra virgin coconut oil for desserts (for example, coconut oil plus melted chocolate on a frozen banana hardens into a chocolate shell which is delicious; and it's also good for vegan style vanilla cupcakes and as as the fat in a yogurt cake).

When I tried a small amount as a hair conditioner, my hair became a greasy mess and it took many washings to get it out. A final rinse with apple cider vinegar finally did it, but my hair was a limp lifeless mess for a few days afterwards. It's comedogenic, and I did have some irritation on my scalp -- even though I did try not to get it on the scalp. Since, I am prone to hives and milia, I didn't want to risk it near my face. While I think it's great that some people have had great results using it as a make up remover, any rich moisturizing ingredient could cause milia on or near the lashes.

Even as a body moisturizer or in place of shaving cream, I recommend doing a patch test.

My go-to brand is Carrington Farms Pure Cold Pressed 100% Organic Extra Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil . It's pretty cheap at WalMart (maybe $7-$8 for a 12fl oz size.) It'll take me years to go through that sized container. I've had it for around a year now and not even halfway through it.

When I'm in between moisturizers I use this as skincare.. under my eyes mostly but all over my face as needed. If you use this stuff on your skin I urge to you use organic, extra virgin, and UNREFINED coconut oil. Refined coconut oil works just fine for cooking, but if you're going to put it on your face or body it's better to go with the purest version available. Coconut oil will either work well for your skin, or your skin will hate it. It doesn't clog my pores so I love the moisture it provides and the soft feeling of my skin the day after I use it.

I've put this on my body before too and it works great. The thing I love about coconut oil is that mine is generally more solid than liquid (I don't like keeping it in the fridge because it turns rock solid, so leaving it out sometimes even in an air conditioned room it tends to get quite thinned out from the Texas summer heat.) But I like that I can usually apply it as a lotion-consistency and that it melts down into an oil when it comes into contact with body heat. Just use sparingly, and give yourself a few minutes to let it completely absorb before putting on clothes or laying on your sheets, and you should be fine.

If you are interested in oil pulling, coconut oil works best for that purpose for me. Swishing coconut oil around in my mouth for 10-20 minutes in the morning, then spitting it out in the trash and brushing my teeth as usual, really helps keep my teeth cleaner and whiter. There are supposed to be plenty of other health benefits to oil pulling as well, but I do it purely for dental hygiene purposes and am happy with the results.

There are plenty of other uses for this stuff... one of the more unorthodox that I've seen is how my boyfriend uses it. He has stretched ears and at night he takes out his plugs and moisturizes all around his ears with coconut oil. The only problem is if he gets it too far up behind his ears he starts breaking out behind them! He is one of the many people that are clog-prone when it comes to coconut oil. But if he strictly puts it on the gauged out parts of his ears only then it works really well to hydrate the area.

Holy cow - nothing has made me break out like coconut oil used as an oil cleanser to remove makeup (I double cleanse but even the foaming cleanser didn't help).

It caused these huge cystic pimples. I stopped using and I stopped breaking out.

I suffered from some selective amnesia and had forgotten I had broken out and used it again and a couple of days later, I'm erupting again in pimples. I'm a 49 year old woman and my principle issues are one of dehydration and age spots, NOT pimples usually.

P.s. Smells great, dirt cheap and is so so as a body moisturizer so if you have to use that gallon size you purchased from Costco, you could pour it into your bath tub as a substitute for baby oil!

Coconut oil is the cure for everything lol, mine however - super dry skin in winter (both face and body) and preventative pregnancy stretch marks.

Coconut-oil is my savior when my skin is extremely sensitive. Can't live without it. A good replacer for Lush's "UltraBland".

OMG....VCO made my acne become worst.....i tried use it for oil cleasing. I guess Olive oil is much better than VCO. VCO can very good for my hair and body except face. So every woman with acne, be careful !