88 Coconut Oil Skin Care Recipes

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{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my sweet friend Mindy. Mindy is a whole food lover with a passion for sharing natural and safe alternatives to conventional beauty products. Transitioning to a healthier lifestyle can seem overwhelming. So at her blog, Simple Pure Beauty, she likes to keep things simple by sharing safe, natural beauty product recipes and remedies using very few ingredients. Stop by Mindy’s blog to learn about natural remedies, simple whole food cooking and creating safe, healthy environments for our families.}

I am in love with coconut oil. I cook with it every day and buy it by the gallon. My son is allergic to dairy, so we use coconut oil as a dairy-free alternative to butter. But I’m sure by now you are probably aware of the health benefits of coconut oil in your diet. If not, then you need to check out Jessica’s extensive library of articles all about coconut health here.

However, many are unaware of the advantages to using coconut oil externally. Coconut oil has the be the most versatile ingredient to use in your skin care recipes. It is the perfect base for so many homemade skin care products including lotions, scrubs, salves, masks… But we will get to all of that in a minute..

There are three main types of coconut oil, each being processed a little differently. Any of the three types of coconut oils – fractionated, virgin, and expeller-pressed – can improve your skin’s appearance and over all health. But I want to look a little closer at each one.

If you are new to coconut oil and are wondering about what to buy, Tropical Traditions, is where I get all of my coconut products from. They offer my readers a free book for those who make a purchase from them through any of my links. With that first order, you will receive a free copy of their Virgin Coconut Oil book, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

I also have an entire section of my site dedicated to coconut and coconut health here

Fractionated Coconut Oil

Fractionated coconut oil is coconut oil whose long chain triglycerides have been removed to increase it’s shelf life. This leaves mainly the medium-chain triglycerides (the immune-boosting ones) intact. The coconut oil that remains light and saturated with capric and caprylic acids.

This form of coconut oil is not a complete coconut oil, but it works wonderfully as a carrier oil for essential oil applications. The feathery, non-greasy oil is excellent for deep-tissue massage, as a diaper ointment, as a moisturizing aftershave, eye makeup remover and as an all-over body moisturizer.

Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin coconut oil is an unprocessed oil with its long chain triglycerides intact. Virgin coconut oil has the strongest coconut smell of the three oils. Though virgin coconut oil has the shortest shelf life of the three coconut oils, it offers significant benefits internally and externally.

The medium-chain triglycerides have strong disinfectant and antimicrobial properties. It may seem counter-intuitive to put oil on acne, but coconut oil often clears up skin with regular use.

Virgin coconut oil will be solid at temperatures up to 76 degrees. Virgin coconut oil has been said to prevent premature aging, reduce wrinkles and help small cuts and abrasions heal quickly.

Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil

Expeller-pressed coconut oil is the most highly processed of the three coconut oils. Look for an expeller-pressed oil that has not been processed with any chemical solvents, chemicals, etc. Expeller-pressed coconut oil is a great option for those who don’t like the taste and smell of coconut oil and despite much information on the Web, refined coconut oils are not a “bad” coconut oil to use.

The same capric, caprylic, and lauric acids found in the other coconut oils remain present – making odorless expeller pressed coconut oil a wonderful choice for skin care. Try using expeller pressed coconut oil as a lip balm, to relieve sunburn pain, on cuticles or hang nails, and in sugar/salt scrubs.

Coconut oil is a natural, safe, affordable way to improve your skin’s appearance and health. The recipes below will help you on your way to creating your own personal skin care products. Commit to making and using just one recipe for one month and see the change for yourself.

Now let’s get to all of these awesome Coconut Oil Skin Care Recipes!