Coconut oil has been quite an important part of my life since childhood. Be it in food, for applying on my hair or just for bruises and burns – it’s something I’ve always had with me and never really thought of it as extraordinary. It was always available in abundance, after all. But a few weeks ago, after following the whole rage in the West about coconut oil being the ‘miracle’ oil and the answer to all beauty problems, I thought I should maybe try using coconut oil as a facial cleanser instead of my regular spirit-based one.
So I thought of trying this oil cleansing experiment for a week, because that’s the minimum amount of time needed for the skin to get acclimatized to any experiment and start reacting. At night, I usually remove makeup and dirt from my face using my cleanser, then wash my face using a face wash and apply a facial moisturizer over it. For this experiment, except for my face wash, I replaced both the steps with coconut oil. I used it to remove my makeup and to moisturize my face.
Also read: #BeautyDiaries: I Tried An Activated Charcoal Face Pack And…
The first two days were great. I would wake up to soft, dewy skin in the morning with that natural glow. Coconut oil removes impurities and dirt from the skin like a pro. The thick texture and the greasiness of the oil really helps give the skin a clean finish and feel. I noticed that especially on days when I’d applied a thick coat of foundation. The way everything came off was just really amazing!
But things started to change soon. After the third day, I started to notice a small boil beginning to form on my face. I thought it was maybe my skin’s normal reaction. But after one more day of applying the oil, I noticed that despite having a combination skin type, coconut oil was actually making my skin dry! It was unbelievable. My skin felt rather flaky, especially around the cheekbones. The oil made it feel taut and itchy.
Also read: #BeautyDiaries: I Tried A Coffee Mask For My Dark Circles And…
I don’t know what caused this but I was quite shocked to see the result. I still continued to use coconut oil for about a week after that, but that didn’t change how I was feeling about my skin.
I don’t think coconut worked well for me, but I do think it moisturized my face well and worked as a great makeup remover! It might not suit all skin types because of its thick texture, but I guess it should work well if you’re using it occasionally as an added moisturizer over the one you regularly apply. And of course, I still continue to use coconut oil as a makeup remover!
