Skin Health and Virgin Coconut Oil

In addition to ingesting the coconut oil, I just have to tell you about another exciting way that coconut oil has helped me! I use it on my face and I can't believe how much it has helped. I used to spend hundreds of dollars on face creams. I won't waste my money on those empty promises again. I look ten years younger! Honestly! My pores are smaller, and my skin tone is much more even. I used to have breakouts once in awhile. Not any more thanks to coconut oil. Next March I will be 40 years old and with the help of coconut oil I will not only reach my weight loss/health goal, my face will look younger too! Kelly - Lander, WY

Filipinos are well-known for their youthful appearance and soft, wrinkle-free skin, even though they live in a climate that exposes them to the sun's rays year round. Skin cancer is basically unknown in the Philippines, even with all of their exposure to the tropical sun. Since coconut oil is their main dietary oil, and is also the main ingredient in their skin care products, one must take a closer look at how Virgin Coconut Oil provides skin health.

I wanted to share my experience with virgin coconut oil. I have been using the oil for about two weeks. My skin looks great, no more dryness-I use to have very dry skin. My hair looks great, soft and shiny, no more frizz. And my scalp is no longer dry. Also, my eyelashes have grown longer and thicker! This is a plus I did not expect. I now make an effort to apply a bit of oil with a clean mascara brush each morning/night. Lizmarie (Coconut Diet Forums)

Coconut oil's ability to nourish and heal the skin has been known in the tropics for hundreds of years. Even when the anti-saturated fat campaign waged in the US convinced many even in coconut oil producing countries to switch to polyunsaturated oils, Filipinos and others never stopped using coconut oil on their skin because they knew about its wonderful moisturizing and healing powers for generations. As a saturated fat consisting primarily of medium chain fatty acids (MCTs), it is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Most commercial skin care products in the US today are made from polyunsaturated oils which oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in the skin. There is good evidence that this is not only true for external applications, but also holds true for the oils one consumes. One of the main reasons that we experience so many skin problems in the US  today is a switch in our dietary oil. Our forefathers consumed primarily saturated fats, but most people today consume polyunsaturated fats and trans fatty acids.

Hope for Skin Problems

Virgin Coconut Oil has been reported to help many skin problems as well. Depending on what is causing the skin problem, the coconut oil seems to work in a variety of ways. For example, we have had positive reports from people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin, and there is solid research that shows the MCTs in coconut oil do kill yeast infections (see our article on Candida.)

I started on coconut oil 3 weeks ago. I am a large person, hoping that the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) will speed up my sluggish thyroid. As a large person I have skin folds and I often suffere(d) from fungal/yeast infections that made me very sore. The only remedy that I found in the past that worked was an ingested dose of a proprietary remedy for "Thrush". This was both expensive and only ever a partial solution. After taking the VCO for, as I said, 3 weeks all my skin fold problems have disappeared. It is wonderful to be clear of them and this current very hot humid weather that we have recently had was a real test for this. Liz (Coconut Diet Forums)

You're right Liz, I deal with this same stubborn yeast/fungal thing, especially in the summertime. While waiting for my second order, I've been reading the research reports on the Tropical Traditions website and the archives over and over as if just knowing the information would help me with my own physical problems. But this week, I am a believer from experience!

One of the big problems with skin yeast and fungal infections is that clothing tends to rub absorb or else rub off the expensive medicine after application. This time, I wasn't looking forward to applying the strong liquid prescription to it because the kind I have stings--big time--when it hits the red, angry, sore area of the yeast infection in the skin folds. I had some VCO left in a small jar which I was using for smoothing on after a shower. I took that out and just slathered it on. Instantly the pain was soothed away, and for the moment anyway, that was enough. By the end of the day, I could tell that the coconut oil was doing more than just relieving the soreness--the rash was breaking up a little, and there were some small clear areas where before it was just solid red soreness. I applied the coconut oil twice a day, and in three-four days, the whole area is mostly pink and clearing. And it isn't staining clothing, either!

I am marveling over and over about how this coconut oil is working!!!  I've been poring over the archived information. By the time I finished my first quart of VCO I could tell my hypoglycemic hunger cravings were subsiding, and my taste for coffee and chocolate was changing. Anything more I could say would just be like a lot of exclamation points, and I've been told that isn't very polite! So just "thank you, thank you, Tropical Traditions." Beverly ( in response to Liz in the Coconut Diet Forums)

When my baby boy, David, was 10 weeks old he had a yeast infection on his bottom. Instead of running to the Dr. to get an expensive prescription, I first tried VCO. I was very new to using it so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liberally applied coconut oil at each diaper change (about 6x/day) allowing it to soak in for a few minutes after each application. I was astounded that within 24 hours there was significant improvement. I continue to apply it and within 3 days the yeast infection was completely gone. VCO is awesome!! Vanessa - Gilbert, IA

Most of the research on coconut oil's anti-fungal, ant-bacterial, and anti-viral effects have been done on the monoglycerides  of MCTs produced inside our bodies when we eat the oil. However, the anecdotal evidence we were seeing from our clients suggested the MCTs had similar effects when applied topically on the skin. Consider Tammy's experience with a fungal skin infection:

I am a 35-year-old female who had red lesions on my face for many years. Unbelievably it finally cleared in three months when I applied Coconut Oil topically to my face each day.

I had been going to a dermatologist for 12 years with minimal results. I had lesions, which were red, and resembled acne. Ironically antibiotics made it worse, yet the doctor kept prescribing them for me. I had used six different topicals for acne, which usually ended up hurting my face. The doctor kept saying "give it a chance it will get worse before getting better." I couldn't understand why I had acne since my skin was so dry, itchy and flaky. The retinols were the worst on my skin, followed by the salicylic acid, the glycol's and then the benzyl peroxides.

Frustrated I then became a nutritional purist for five years and still no clearing. I started using natural remedies, homeopathic, herbals and super foods to change my skin condition. I had already eliminated hydrogenated oils from my diet, so I decided to try to incorporate coconut oil into my diet. I really wasn't consistent about eating the coconut oil, but I was faithful about applying it to my face each night. I had nothing to loose by giving it a try. My theory on why it might work was due to the fact that the sebum in the skin breaks down the medium chain triglycerides into smaller fatty acids which have antibacterial and anti-fungal activities.

My dermatologist had tried for 12 years to dry up the sebum and kill the bacteria causing the acne, so I decided to go a different route by using the sebum constructively instead of trying to eliminate it. My face cleared and I was so excited that I [went] to my dermatologist and told her about my success. The doctor belittled the theory, saying that I had just grown out of it. [She said that] most likely my hormones had stabilized and that my face clearing at the same time I used the coconut oil was just a coincidence.

Since I believed in my doctor's medical knowledge, I started to doubt my discovery. So to test my theory, I stopped using the coconut oil on my face, and as well I didn't go out of my way to eat it either. Additionally, I still avoided hydrogenated oils.

Six months later I had a follow up appointment with that dermatologist and my face was as bad as it had always been. The doctor snidely asked if I was still using that coconut oil because "that heavy oil" had clogged up all my pores. I replied that I had stopped using the oil after our last appointment. However, I intended to use the coconut oil again to see if my theory was right. Unexpectedly the doctor offered to order blood-work to check my hormones at the beginning and again at the end of my trial; I agreed to the testing. My blood-work showed most of my hormones as normal with the testosterone as a little high. I used the coconut oil on my face every night faithfully; and in three months at my next appointment my face had cleared again with almost no scarring. The doctor ran the follow up blood-work and surprisingly my testosterone level had increased. Too much testosterone has been proven to increase acne. The doctor was surprised but wasn't ready to rule out other factors. She then wanted to do more testing including allergy testing and skin scrapings. This meant that I would have to stop using the oil for some of the testing. I hated the thought of loosing that great confident feeling and freedom I got from having a clear face, but I agreed to the testing anyway.

The doctor tested for different yeast, fungus, ringworm, bacteria, allergens, and Demodex and Scabies mites. I didn't test positive for any of the allergens either time. When not using the coconut oil, my skin scrapings had increase numbers of Demodex in my sebaceous glands as well as in my hair follicles but there were no Scabies. There were minimal increases in bacteria and the yeast Candidia, but there was a marked increase in the fungus Malassezia Furfur, but not ringworm. This clearly explained why the antibiotics made things worse; I didn't have acne. Any bacteria was secondary, the main culprit was the fungus Malassezia Furfur which caused a condition called Pityrosporum Folliculitis. Using antibiotic reduced the bad as well as the good bacteria allowing the fungus to grow unchallenged. Additionally, although the Demodex mite lives in everyone's skin in small numbers, they multiply greatly in immune deficient host and they thrive on yeast in the body.

Since my experiment was intended to use the excess sebum that is present with acne to combine with the coconut oil to fight the bacteria that causes the acne, I failed to prove my hypothesis because my condition was misdiagnosed as acne and I don't have excess sebum. Hopefully someone reading this with confirmed excess sebum and acne would complete the experiment for me. However though, I do believe my theory was mostly right in that the coconut oil mixes with sebum in the skin which breaks the oil down into the healing fatty acids. In my case it just happened to be the anti-fungal activity of the fatty acids that cleared my skin. By eliminating the yeast, many of the mites starved. As my face healed and the irritation was less, the occurrence bacterial infections decreased.

I truly believe if I stop using coconut oil on my face the fungus will grow out of control and the whole cycle would begin resulting in the lesions I had been plagued with for over a decade. I am now trying to eat coconut oil every day in order to correct the underlying cause that makes me an ideal host for the Malassezia Furfur fungus. Tammy - Salisbury, MD

While Tammy did not have acne, others who did have reported benefits as well.

Yes, coconut oil is great for getting rid of both dry skin and pimples. I have had combination skin for years; but almost immediately, I saw my face free from pimples and free from dry areas. In fact, I had a flaky, itchy patch of skin just below my eyebrow that disappeared and has not returned, since regularly using coconut oil on my face -- which has been just over a month now. I put in on before bed, without first washing my face; then I wash it off in the morning. From what I understand, the medium chain triglycerides break down into the useful antimicrobial free fatty acids because of the affects of bacteria on the skin. So I decided to start using the oil on my unwashed face instead of a newly cleansed face, which would have less bacteria and therefore (I assume) a slower breakdown of the oil into fatty acids. My skin looks great, smooth and healthy. And it's definitely softer than it used to be, too. Melinda

My son really did not want to use it, but his Benzemyacin was really not working very well...and the retin A just brutally destroyed his skin (painfully red and dry and cracked) so he used his neutrogena face wash and then applied the oil, it takes a little while to soak in, but by the next morning his red skin from the retin A was gone, his face was white again...He uses more at night when no one sees him, and less in the morning before he goes to school...when  he gets home from school, he would dab a little just on the spots that are worse...I have used it, and I was afraid at first cause the thought of oil on your face is the opposite of what we are taught about getting rid of pimples. But I just tried it on a few blemishes, and they were gone the next day...it was amazing. I now use it all over my face! My son's acne is under control now, he has some problem areas, but they are slowly getting better. Robin (Coconut Diet Forums)

While not everyone who has tried Virgin Coconut Oil for skin problems has reported success, it is by far the one area where we continue to see the most results. The range of skin problems that have been reported to us as being helped by Virgin Coconut Oil is almost limitless. Here are a few more samples:

Hello! A friend introduced us to Tropical Traditions about six months ago, and I have since been telling everyone I know about it. We have been using the oil in more ways than I had imagined we would! I use it as a facial moisturizer, and I prefer it to the expensive lotion that I have used for years. Several people have even commented on my skin! Probably the most dramatic result we have gotten with the coconut oil is with my 20 month old son. He has had eczema on his legs and arms for a long time, and nothing seemed to help it. I even tried costly lotion just for that purpose and it seemed to make the dry, scaly patches worse! Many people noticed it, and I just didn't know what to do. Well, I began putting the coconut oil on his skin nightly and there has been HUGE improvement!! The big, rough, red patches are gone and there is just the tiniest hint of a rough feeling in places, and only when I slack off and don't use it for a while. We do eat the coconut oil, by the way, and have enjoyed it very much (especially the almond bark recipe on your site-yum) but I wanted you to know how much it had helped us in ways that people may not realize it would. THANK YOU, Louise - South Carolina

I was fortunate to have found the miracle coconut oil. For years I suffered with a skin condition called keratosis polaris (bumpy, itchy skin). I tried many, many treatments and spent hundreds of dollars on creams and cleansers. Nothing worked, until Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil. I have been using the oil for cooking and as a body cream. My skin condition is 100% improved. The products are very inexpensive compared to the cost of most of the useless products I tried in the past. Thank you for this miracle product! Janet - Elizabeth, NJ

Last year I stared noticing embarrassing little red scaly itchy patches of skin on my hands. I tried just about every lotion for dry and sensitive skin on the Wal-Mart shelf, and got very few results. I made an appointment with my doctor and she diagnosed me with psoriasis. She sent me to the pharmacy with a prescription for a psoriasis cream and a lotion and instructed me to use them everyday. The lotion and cream stung so bad, it was worse then the itchy skin I had been dealing with for months. By this time I had big patches on my hands, few on my neck, and on my eyelids. I was getting desperate because people were starting to notice more and more my red flaky skin. While doing some research for a natural solution on line I stumbled across the Tropical Traditions website, and read about all the health benefits of cold pressed coconut oil. I don't see anything specific about helping to alleviate the dry skin of psoriasis, but it did say it was an excellent skin moisturizer so I thought I would give it a try. The day I got it I started adding a little to just about everything I ate. I ended up incorporating about 2-3 Tablespoons a day into my food, and using it as a moisturizer on my psoriasis patches as well as the rest of my body. In no time at all my psoriasis was gone. As an added bonus my splotchy complexion started evening out, my skin has never been softer, and my body temperature rose to the level where I was no longer cold all the time. I am very grateful I found this perfect oil, it has made a huge difference in the way my skin looks and feels. I am now a lifetime customer of Tropical Traditions Cold Pressed Coconut Oil. Ashley - La Cygne, KS

I have been using the coconut oil for 2 weeks, 3 times a day on my elbows and knee since they have psoriasis. It's unbelievable how this has helped my skin and I'm almost there to having normal elbows again!! I have suffered with the "heartbreak of psoriasis" for 40 yrs. and tried numerous products. Of course, nothing helped and it was not natural products, there were always side-effects. It started in high school and I am in my 50's now. Wow!! I've been a Christian for many years and at church today told a friend and she is telling her employer, a dermatologist. Believe me, I will be telling everybody and showing them the proof. What an answer to prayer!!!!!! I'm just overwhelmed!! Ruth - Mesa, AZ

Dear Tropical Traditions, I love your Virgin Coconut Oil!  I started using it on my skin and in my diet after reading about its healing powers. I am a licensed esthetician and have been working with many clients with rosacea.  Nothing was working.  A few of my clients even tried prescription medication and expensive laser treatments.  As an skin care specialist, I am used to using multiple products on my skin and on my clients, yet I transitioned to only using a mild cleanser and virgin coconut oil on my self.  I decided to experiment on my clients.  During a skin care treatment on my client with tenacious rosacea, I applied coconut oil and let it absorb for about 15 minutes.  I could see results instantly.  My client was very pleased and has continued to see more improvement! I look forward to receiving your product so I can have it available to my clients to use everyday. Who would of thought it could be that simple? Leslie Licensed Esthetician

A Healthy Head!

In India, a whole coconut oil industry has survived in recent years among the anti-saturated fat/coconut oil propaganda almost entirely for one application: the conditioning of hair. This is the number one reason why people in India buy coconut oil today, to condition and nurture their hair.

In the short time I have internally consumed and topically applied the Virgin Coconut Oil, I as well as others, have noticed a significant difference in my skin tone, as well as how shinny my hair has become. Recently my husband asked me what I had done differently to my hair because it was so shinny! The skin on my entire body has become softer and more subtle. I know this is a result of the Virgin Coconut Oil because I haven't been using any body lotion. I couldn't be more thrilled! C. Morgan - South Bend, IN

Studies in India have been done on how effective various oils are on treating damaged hair. One study compared mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil because these were the three most commonly used oils in hair treatment products used in India. The aim of this study was to cover different treatments, and the effect of these treatments on various hair types using these three oils, and the number of experiments to be conducted was a very high number and a technique termed as the "Taguchi Design of Experimentation" was used. Their results:

The findings clearly indicate the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to application of both sunflower and mineral oils. Among three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils do not help at all in reducing the protein loss from hair. This difference in results could arise from the composition of each of these oils. Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft. Mineral oil, being a hydrocarbon, has no affinity for proteins and therefore is not able to penetrate and yield better results. In the case of sunflower oil, although it is a triglyceride of linoleic acid, because of its bulky structure due to the presence of double bonds, it does not penetrate the fiber, consequently resulting in no favorable impact on protein loss.¹

Many have also reported wonderful results from dry scalp conditions.

I have three children, 4, 2, and 3 months and they ALL get it on their skin. Along with our skin, we use it for our hair and scalp. My youngest son had very dry scalp (cradle cap) and the coconut oil healed it in two days. It was wonderful! Amy Falls Church, VA

My mom had been suffering for the past 4 months with a very red, dry, peeling scalp. It moved to her neck and hands....the pain was so bad she would sometimes cry. She tried using every dandruff/dry scalp shampoo on the market and would put various substances on her scalp nightly in the hopes of hydrating it. She would even leave these items on her head for days at a time. She tried crisco, baby oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and every dry skin lotion out there but nothing helped...it just got worse. The doctors did not know what it was and were trying to get her to take medicine orally and to experiment with different cremes consisting of steroids. I just happened to be reading up on the coconut oil and suggested that she try it before the using the items that the doctors were tying to give her. After ordering your product, I gave some to her. She messaged the coconut oil into her scalp and left it on overnight. When she woke up the next morning, 95% of the dry skin was gone and almost all of the redness. When my mom told the doctor what had helped, he didn't believe her as her scalp, hands, and forehead were so bad. It  has been over a month now, and you can hardly tell she ever had any skin problems. Praise God!  Michelle - Tucson, AZ

I not surprised, but I had to respond because it has been two days since I used the Virgin Coconut oil, and I am completely astounded. I applied it straight on my scalp and the results are unbelievable. I have tried everything from sulfer 8 to prescription medicine such as grisofluvin. I had this problem for almost a year. I even had to cut my locks off my head which was so hard to do. This product is unreal. Its has only been two days and I have no more dandruff. I use to wake up with dandruff. I hope this isn't some kind of gimmick, because I am so impressed. I went to the doctors on Thursday of this week. He told me to us a shampoo called Ioul T. I went to Rite Aid to see if they had it but they were out. I came home read my Kevin Trudue book and it referred me to your web site. I researched the product and read the testimonies and I am just so happy that my scalp infection is almost gone within two days. I wish I had a before and after shot because I would send you a picture. Thank you so much for this product, and believe me I am going to tell as many people as I can about this amazing product. Paris - Middle River , MD

Sun Protection

One of the most interesting facts about people who live in tropical climates like the Philippines, where the people are constantly exposed to the rays of the sun year round, is that skin cancer is almost unheard of in these places. Here in the US we are constantly warned about the dangers of exposure to the sun, and yet the sun helps our bodies produce much needed nutrients for our skin, such as Vitamin D, which has been shown to prevent cancer.²

Once again we see that coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates can spend so much time in the sun and not suffer from skin cancer. Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Also, when coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively as well, such as Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant nutrient that protects the skin.

I am fair skinned but used VCO as a sunscreen in Florida last summer. My family thought I was crazy. I did not burn although everyone else did (with their toxic sunscreen). One day, I did get a little too much sun, and was a little red, but I put the VCO on it and it was gone by the next day. So try it, and see, just be sensible about the sun, nothing can protect you if you stand in the hot sun for a very long time. Rachel (Coconut Diet Forums)

I just got back from my 7-day trip to Jamaica. I used VCO exclusively as my sunscreen. I had no burns and my tan is even and golden. I am somewhat fair-skinned. Most of my time was spent in the shade, but I spent a good amount of time floating around on the water each day. My husband is even fairer and he did get pink slightly on his shoulders, at which time he applied both sunscreen and VCO to that area (VCO everywhere else). His tan is also pretty dark. People kept commenting on what nice color we were getting, ha ha. Marnie (Coconut Diet Forums)

It should be noted that when reports like this are made in our discussion group, invariably some will try using Virgin Coconut Oil exclusively as a sunscreen and go out and get burned! Some have even reported that sometimes the coconut oil works wonderfully as a sunscreen, while at other times they seem to get burned. It seems that the oils you put into your body are just as important as what you onto your body in regards to sun protection. We have found that if one eats foods loaded with polyunsaturated oils, generally they will burn more in the sun. It is theorized that when one eats foods cooked in polyunsaturated vegetable oils, often with trans fatty acids, that one is putting oxidized lipids into their skin tissue that are causing free radical damage, and more susceptible to burning in the sun. So if you just got done eating some french fries from a fast food restaurant, you may be more susceptible to sun burn!

Under Arm Protection!

Another amazing result many are reporting from Virgin Coconut Oil is using it directly under their arms as a deodorant! Many have theorized that the MCTs in the oil attack the bacteria in sweat that cause the odors.

I have been using straight VCO as an underarm deodorant since last fall. Works wonders. Works just as good as any antiperspirant deodorant I have ever used: you just don't have the fragrance from regular deodorant. I have a job that requires a lot of manual labor and my VCO deodorant has not failed me yet, even when over heated. Abigail (Coconut Diet Forums)

I used some VCO on a paper towel and put under my arms. It is like magic! No smell, no sweat, awesome!!!!!!! I just got back from biking and not a drop of sweat under my arms! Jackie (Coconut Diet Forums)

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References

1. Rele AS, Mohile RB. "Effect of mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil on prevention of hair damage." Journal Cosmetology Science 2003 Mar-Apr;54(2):175-92.

2. Cedric F Garland, "Sun avoidance will increase incidence of cancers overall" British Medical Journal November 22, 2003;327:1228