By now most people would have learned that virgin coconut oil carries the most health properties that provide the best benefits for our health. That’s without a question.
But is it also the best for benefiting our skin?
Not really. Of course, you can definitely choose to use it for skin. But for my case, selecting coconut oil that benefits skin is somewhat different from selecting coconut oil for health benefits. Allow me to elaborate.
I used to pick and use only virgin coconut oil for skin care, until I found out that there is actually another type of coconut oil that can penetrate my skin faster than virgin coconut oil. (I have very dry skin according to my wife who’s a very skin-conscious person.)
I took the opportunity to demonstrate the rate of absorption of two different types of coconut oil with the help of a lady during an invited talk about the health benefits of coconut oil.
I dropped a dab of virgin coconut oil on her skin and asked her to rub it. Very soon her skin absorbed the oil (she got dry skin like me).
Then I dabbed the other type of coconut oil on her skin and she rubbed again. This time round she felt that the oil seeped into her skin a bit faster than virgin coconut oil.
I then told her the one that her skin was able to absorb relatively faster is called RBD coconut oil. And if she needs an oil like that for her dry skin, then she has to choose RBD coconut oil.
What is RBD coconut oil?
Simply put, it is a refined coconut oil that has been deodorized. Why deodorized?
To cater to people who don’t like the natural aroma (to me, it is aromatic) of virgin coconut oil.
The deodorization process has caused the coconut oil to lose some of its nutritional properties, hence making it somewhat thinner than virgin coconut oil.
It still contains antimicrobial compounds though, such as lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid etc just like virgin coconut oil. It’s just that its overall synergistic protection against the germs has slightly discounted.
I said “slightly discounted” because it really has just lost that small amount of nutrients during the deodorization process. Not an amount so significant that you should worry about.
Which is why I use more often this RBD coconut oil on my skin than virgin coconut oil now.
I still consume virgin coconut oil because it provides the best protection for me and gives the best health benefits I need. But I simply love the feeling of RBD coconut oil being smoother on my skin.
I mean, it’s up to you to choose which coconut oil to use for your skin care. There’s no hard and fast rules. No right or wrong. Rather,it’s more like a personal preference and your ultimate experience with it.
For me, the way I choose coconut oil for skin is based on:
1. It must effectively protect my skin against germs that are floating everywhere in the surroundings waiting to launch an attack on me.
2. Because my skin is dry, I need something that my skin can absorb relatively faster. Virgin coconut oil is good, but RBD coconut oil performs better in this aspect.
3. Needless to say, it has to be organic. And it must not clog pores.
So, organic RBD coconut oil fits into the benefits I stated.
Sometimes I will mix virgin coconut oil with RBD coconut oil just for fun. But if you want to have a slight fragrance sitting on your skin, you can try this method to dilute the scent of virgin coconut oil with RBD coconut oil.
Don’t worry, they’re of the same origin so they can mingle very well.
Leave a Reply