The majority seems to bias against refined coconut oil and consider it a bad product for skin care.
Well, just because they call it “refined coconut oil” doesn’t mean it’s bad for your skin. It could be good for your skin depending on the quality of coconut oil you use.
For example, the coconut oil I’m using for my skin right now is of a pretty good quality. It’s organic RBD (refined, bleached and deodorized) coconut oil. I want the best for my skin so I will pay a few bucks more for the organic one.
How good is that refined coconut oil for my skin?
As compared to using virgin coconut oil on skin, this refined coconut oil feels lighter. Because of that, my skin absorbs it relatively faster.
On top of that, this coconut oil bears whatever benefits for skin that virgin coconut oil has, except for its odor.
For instance, its antimicrobial properties can help to fight and keep off harmful germs on my skin. Its 90% saturated fats protect my skin against free radicals and hence, oxidative stress. It also has about 60% medium-chain fatty acids that help to boost the metabolism of my skin cells.
So, refined coconut oil is not at all bad for skin. You can also use refined coconut oil for acne treatment too. Again, it all boils down to the quality you use.
Which Refined Coconut Oil is Good for Skin?
Different companies produce different quality of refined coconut oil.
Some refined coconut oils may be just RB – refined and bleached. It means that they’re refined but they still bear some delicate coconut odor.
I’ve had a taste of putting such coconut oil on my skin before. It sucked! Well, maybe the brand I was using was simply bad.
I couldn’t have possibly tried out all brands of refined coconut oil topically. You’ll have to go through trial and error (like I used to) before you’ll find the coconut oil that is truly good for your skin.
So, how to choose a good refined coconut oil for your skin?
Go to some online stores like Amazon or Walmart. Type in “organic refined coconut oil”. Read the reviews. Good? Make payment and wait for it to come to you.
Or you can go to any nearby stores that sell refined coconut oil. Its color is light yellow.
(Just a note for you, you can use all edible refined coconut oils topically.)
Once you grab hold of it, open it and smell, and apply a dab to your skin.
Whether the refined coconut oil you use bears the odor or not, most important thing is you’re happy with its absorption into your skin and feel good with the texture it leaves on your skin. Not forgetting that its protection for your skin against harmful germs.
I use organic fractionated coconut oil as both a carrier for my essential oils and as a face and skin moisturizer.
I would be interested in your pros and cons on this.
Hi Patti, fractionated coconut oil has long been used as a carrier oil and it works great. Because it’s very light and thin, it seeps much faster than RBD coconut oil. I’m using fractionated coconut oil as well besides RBD coconut oil. I use them interchangeably.
When it comes to using fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil or as a direct application to skin, it has more pros than cons. The only cons for organic fractionated coconut oil I can think of is its price and composition.
It's not easy to certify fractionated coconut oil as organic. Which explains why it is hard to buy organic fractionated coconut oil offline. And if you manage to get it, it would probably cost a few bucks more than the non-organic ones.
As for its composition, most brands hold only caprylic and capric acids, unlike RBD coconut oil that carries a wider range of fatty acids such as lauric acid and others which can protect your skin better.
It would be easier for you to understand the pros and cons when comparing fractionated coconut oil against virgin coconut oil.
Hi, could you recommend a specific organic RBD oil brand ?
Maybe Soon Chai (the author) can recommend one?
Hi Mercedes, I use Nutiva organic RBD coconut oil.