Study: Virgin Coconut Oil has Anti-inflammatory and Skin Protective Properties

Many who have used coconut oil for their skin and hair rave about its positive effects. Many testimonials to the powerful healing properties of virgin coconut oil for skin conditions have been published here at CoconutOil.com over the years. People have testified to virgin coconut oil healing fungal skin infections, acne, eczema, keratosis polaris, psoriasis, rosacea, and more. But exactly how virgin coconut oil is so beneficial for applying on one's skin has rarely, if ever, been thoroughly analyzed on a chemical and cellular level. That’s no longer the case, as a new study has recently determined what goes on biochemically within the skin’s cellular and genetic composition when using virgin coconut oil on one’s skin. This report, In vitro anti-inflammatory and skin protective properties of Virgin coconut oil, was published by the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in January, 2019.

Is Virgin Coconut Oil the Future in Natural Medicine for Skin Conditions?

There are several testimonials by people using virgin coconut oil (VCO) for improving scalp conditions, hair, and skin issues. But it’s doubtful that a certified dermatologist would recommend that for most skin issues. It’s more likely that an external skin condition known as atopic dermatitis (AD), which causes excess dryness, inflammation, and pruritus (itching) will be prescribed a corticosteroid cream to apply topically. The University of Central Florida Medical School offered a paper published early in 2017 titled “Coconut oil: The future of atopic dermatitis treatment?” Overall, VCO appears to be an emerging treatment for AD due to its safety and ability to both combat the suggested pathogenesis of AD and provide clinical improvement. More extensive trials that comprehensively examine the positive and negative effects of treating AD with VCO are indicated.

Study of Preterm Infants Confirms Benefits of Coconut Oil for Skin

A 2015 study in India was devised to give scientific authenticity for a traditional Indian practice of massaging newborns' skin with coconut oil. The study was published by the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, in September 2015 as “Topical Oil Application and Trans-Epidermal Water Loss in Preterm Very Low Birth Weight Infants-A Randomized Trial." The researchers' objective was to determine coconut oil's protection against trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). There have been many attempts at resolving preterm and term birth water loss among newborns that are more along the technical lines of Western medicine's hospital hardware. This was the first study that focused on the traditional Indian method of massaging the infants with coconut oil. The researchers discovered the coconut oil treated infants had significantly lower TEWL than the group that was not treated topically with coconut oil. Those coconut oil treated newborn infants were without skin bacterial colonization and displayed an overall better quality of skin than the untreated group.

Baking Soda & Coconut Oil Cleanser for Problem Skin

Using a facial cleanser as a part of your daily skin care ritual is one of the essential outward practices to maintaining clean, healthy skin. Many acne–fighting and exfoliating facial cleansers and masks contain little beads to help “polish” the skin by taking dead layers off, while a creamy and cleaning base should help moisturize and condition. Instead of shelling out money and being wasteful in the process of trial and error in trying to find a product that works for your skin, try making it at home with only two ingredients you probably already have: coconut oil and baking soda. Not only are these two ingredients readily available, they are also highly effective in treating problematic skin. Unlike all the fillers and toxic ingredients in normal store-bought cosmetics, these two ingredients are not only safe for your skin, but safe to be eaten as well.

Cure Dry Winter Skin Naturally

Dry, scaly, itchy skin in wintertime occurs when your skin is depleted of moisture. Fortunately, there are simple and inexpensive remedies for this problem, most if not all of which can be found in your kitchen.

How to make your own Raw Honey Coconut Oil face mask

Both raw honey and coconut oil are nourishing for the skin and have been used for skin care for hundreds of years. Learn how to make a simple raw honey coconut oil face mask at home that will leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated.

Let Food Be Your Cosmetic: Coconut Oil Outperforms Dangerous Petroleum Body Care Products

You should never put on your body anything you can not, or would not eat. After many years of vast misrepresentation, coconut oil has gained wider acceptance not simply as a wholesome food, but as a medicinal agent capable of both nourishing and healing the body in ways that xenobiotic chemicals by their very nature can not.

FDA: Mercury Poisoning Linked to Skin Products – But NOT Vaccines or Dental Amalgams

Apparently, only the FDA can approve someone to poison you with mercury. They recently posted an article on their website warning consumers of the dangers of cosmetics produced outside the U.S. that contain mercury. But mercury embedded into your teeth via dental amalgams, or injected directly into your blood stream via the annual flu vaccination, is approved.

Easy Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub Recipes

If you’ve ever looked at the fancy sugar scrubs in stores, they are often full of unnecessary ingredients, preservatives, and artificial colors and/or scents, all of which have no place on our delicate skin. Thankfully, you can make your own coconut oil sugar scrubs for a fraction of the price and it allows you to control the quality of ingredients used.

FDA warns of mercury in cosmetics

Health Impact News Editor Comments: The FDA announced that some skin care products such as soaps, skin creams, and lotions have been sold tainted with mercury. At least the FDA is admitting that mercury is toxic in skin care products! They don’t seem to want to warn people about it in their mouth however. See: Why […]