Coconut oil is good for skin, but is it also good for oily skin on your face? Will applying coconut oil make your already oily face even oilier and more acne-prone?
Our body is a very sophisticated entity. We have millions of microscopic sensors all over our body, inside and outside.
When our skin goes dry, our body knows it and it will produce sebum to moisturize it. Once it detects that the skin is moisturized, it’ll automatically reduce the secretion of sebum. Or even stop the production altogether, depending on how moisturized your skin has become.
Unlike other plant-based skin oils, coconut oil carries compounds that can mimic sebum. These compounds are called MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides). Our sebum contains them too.
When you apply coconut oil to your face, your body will sense that. This triggers a reduction in sebum production.
However, the overall sebum-reduction effect of coconut oil on oily skin may require a few days or so for your body to learn, adapt and adjust accordingly.
Which means, your first application of coconut oil to your skin may make your face even oilier. But stay on. Your face will get less greasier as your body makes the appropriate adjustment.
Of course, you might even begin to notice a very mild decrease in sebum at your initial application. That’s a good sign showing that your body is responding to the effect of coconut oil on your skin.
How to Use Coconut Oil to Reduce Your Oily Face
Of course, you don’t simply pour coconut oil over your already oily skin. That will make your face super “shiny”. Here are the 3 steps that show you how you should apply coconut oil to reduce your oily skin.
Step 1 – Wash your face thoroughly to remove the excess oil, dirt and soft plugs that clog the pores. This will help your skin to absorb coconut oil better. Any makeup on your face? If yes, use liquefied coconut oil to remove the makeup before facial wash. Coconut oil is a good makeup remover.
Step 2 – Apply a thin layer of coconut oil to your face. No need too much. Just a dab and spread it evenly to cover your entire face. Our skin saturates easily, so a dab is good enough.
Step 3 – Wash your face twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. If you decide to leave coconut oil on your face overnight, put a towel over your pillow to prevent the oil from smearing your pillow.
Yes, it’s just that simple. Your face should get less oily over time. Once your skin oil reduces, your skin will become less acne-prone. Which is why some acne sufferers use coconut oil to treat acne and find it quite useful.
A reminder though. You should use coconut oil for skin in such a way that it works hand in hand with your natural self-producing sebum. Coconut oil should not replace your sebum as a moisturizer.
I’ve come across some people getting so obsessed with applying coconut oil to their oily skin until their skin becomes excessively dry without coconut oil. It may seem good at first because your skin is not oily anymore. But you’ll have to keep relying on coconut oil to moisturize your skin.
That’s an over reliance on coconut oil as a moisturizer for oily skin.
Bottom line, coconut oil is good for oily skin on your face, no doubt. But use it wisely.
Last but not least, eat more fruits and vegetables. These superfoods will complement the use of coconut oil on your skin and naturally help reduce the sebum on your face.
Am using coconut oil for my oily face but it seems not to b work wat shld i do
I personally use Jojoba oil. Some people use coconut, but we all have different face types, so you need to see what works for you!
Hi Edith, if coconut oil does not help with your oily face, then the problem may lie with your liver. When our liver gets overloaded, it won’t be able to timely deactivate androgens that stimulate secretion of sebum (skin oil).
So, you might want to look into how you can improve your lifestyle such that you won’t burden your liver with too much artificial stuff from refined food, toxins from stress and others. In the meantime, you can try switching to Jojoba oil, which Carly is using and see if it helps.
Hi, I started using coconut oil every evening on my body. Now, I’ m no sure if it’s a good idea if by doing so my body will stop sebum production and it will have a negative effect in my skin. Can you help me if I’m understanding this correctly?
Hi Veronica, you’re good to continue with your routine as long as you don’t go overboard, which I think you didn’t. For those who have caused their skin to become super dry I believe they’ve used coconut oil to the point that has gone beyond what we can usually imagine.
To give you some ideas on the “normal way” of using coconut oil on skin, I apply coconut oil to my skin before bedtime every night. Daytime, I just let my sebum do the moisturizing work. In exceptionally hot weather I will dab two or three layers of coconut oil on particularly my forearms (I usually wear short-sleeved) to help prevent sunburn. That’s how I use coconut oil topically.
Keep in mind that coconut oil is to help make our skin better by working with our sebum, not to replace our sebum.
Good morning
Witch coconut oil will help for very dry eczema skin
i did try a lot off creams .
Regards Trudy
Eczema is usually a sign of something much deeper going on in the body – issues with liver/kidneys. Could also be allergic reaction to products. I would suggest using straight jojoba oil and nothing else.
Hi Trudy, try using organic virgin coconut oil.