Coconut Oil

Broke me out even more. Depends on the type of skin you have......

Coconut oil has done nothing but make my acne WORSE. I used coconut oil as my makeupn remover, thinking it would be a great alternative for virgin olive oil (which is very expensive in my country). It tooks months of cystic acne before I realized that it was the coconut oil causing it. So naturally I stopped. I've been under acne treatment for almost two months now, and my skin has been gettig clearer. But then two weeks after I started using a new bb cream, my cystic acne started coming back! I even began getting cystic acne on my forehead, which has been clear for months! When I checked, one of the ingredients of the bb cream was, you guessed it, COCONUT OIL. The bb cream was not cheap, so of course I'm bummed that now I have to toss it because of one ingredient. For all the rave reviews of coconut oil here, acne prone people BEWARE still. Many, many sites state that coconut oil is HIGHLY comedogenic. A rating of 4! So while it might work wonders on some, acne prone people should still be careful before using this.

First I want to say that I love coconut oil as a multipurpose product. I'll never be without a jar in my house. I use it as a pre-shampoo hair mask, for shaving my legs, moisturizing my elbows and knees when they're extra dry, and for DIY body scrubs. There are a million uses for it and I love it for that. However, that being said, I will rate it accordingly for facial care as I only feel that is fair. It's rated a 4 out of 5 on a comedogenic scale and I am adding myself to the list of many who have broken out from it. Less than a week of using it nighly caused papules and pustules around the areas I tend to break out (my cheeks). It also seems to take longer to absorb on the face than it does on the rest of my body. I honestly don't recommend giving it a shot because it is the rare acne-prone individual who has good luck with it, but if you do try it, proceed with caution.

I have been struggling with acne for years now so I thought I would give organic coconut oil a shot. My face started to break out within a couple of days and never really got better. After about 2 weeks, I had large pimples beneath my skin beginning to form. I realized it was only worsening my skin. I was breaking out all over my face, so I decided to stop. Once I did it began to clear up right away. I suggest anyone with acne prone skin NOT to use any OILS on your face.. it will only worsen it. Oil causes acne, and you should be trying to dry it out instead of adding moisture that you do not need. Going back to lush products, they worked best.

I read all the fantastic reviews and was stoked (I ignored the few reviews that warned against using it). I attributed the initial breakout to the "purging," only the purging didn't stop. I even emailed the author of "coconut cures" when I started to get concerned. His wife responded saying to keep with it... and so I did (I was still hopeful). Finally, a month later (I used it three-ish months) I accepted the reality that this highly comogenic stuff was not purifying my skin... oh no. It was clogging it in the worst possible way. Fast forward two months and I am still dealing with this nightmere. I have officially gone from "mild" to severe. All in all, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I wouldn't recommend coconut oil to anyone who has acne-prone skin at all. I used coconut oil in a sugar scrub on my shoulders and back and I broke out insanely.

I've had moderate acne for 20+ years that has been, until now, well controlled with BP and glycolic acid. In attempt to step away from harsher methods, I researched more natural approaches and decided to give extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil, 2x a day, a try. My face broke out with little white pustules on Day 3. Within the week, my entire face (including places that generally weren't active) was covered with what could be described as a carpet of black and whiteheads. Hoping this was simply the "healing crisis" I had read about, I continued for an additional 3 weeks. That was a huge mistake. My face was so swollen and active with acne that it actually hurt to wash it. The good news: A few days after stopping the coconut oil, the generalized swelling went down. The bad news: The carpet of little bumps is taking forever to go away, even with the reintroduction of BP and glycolic acid. In addition, I have developed ~ for the first time in my life ~ painful, deep, cystic acne. It has been a full 6 weeks since I've stopped applying coconut oil, and my skin is still a mess, with dark marks from old cysts lingering and brand new, huge bumps popping up next to them. Please be careful if you decide to give CO a try. If you think it's making your acne worse, then STOP! Do not continue like I did with blind faith and desperate hope for clear skin. (If you find yourself stuck with a giant jar of the stuff, it's great for baking, and it is an effective deodorant.) I will come back and leave an update on my "recovery" from this for those of you who are curious or may be going through the same thing. Take good care, and I hope you find what works for you!

I'm VERY surprised at all these good reviews on coconut oil. In all other respects, it's fantastic, but it's HIGHLY comedogenic. I used it once on my face for an hour or so, and the next day my face was riddled with cystic acne (mind you my face is very reactive). Yes, it does have anti-inflammatory properties- But... Even if it calms the swelling and redness of existing pimples, it will clog your pores and make more. Try it on your nails, hands, eczema patches, feet, hair, but NOT on an acne-prone face or back.

this left my oily, clog-prone, acneic skin a wreck. i can't believe I thought this would be good as an *acne* treatment. approach w/ caution. (fyi, in my experience, only grapeseed oil hasn't broken me out, and even then only in very, very tiny quantities. olive oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil all ruined my skin).

Excellent as a moisturizer on non-porous areas like hands. Do not use on face/back/neck!