Benefits Of Coconut Oil
- Prioritize Your Skin -
Let us start with, what exactly is coconut oil?
Coconut oil is made by extracting the oil or fat from raw coconuts, making it 100% fat and 80-90% saturated fat. This explains why it is solid, similar to butters Shea and Cocoa, when kept at or below room temperatures. Fat is made up of smaller molecules called fatty acids. There are several types of saturated fatty acids. In coconut oil, about 65% of the saturated fats are in the form of medium-chain fatty acids. These important fatty acids found in coconut oil are listed here:
- Lauric acid: 49%
- Myristic acid: 18%
- Caprylic acid: 8%
- Palmitic acid: 8%
- Capric acid: 7%
- Oleic acid: 6%
- Linoleic acid: 2%
- Stearic acid: 2%
(Trusted Source 1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5044790/#:~:text=Coconut%20oil%20is%20composed%20of,%2D18%3A2%20linoleic%20acid.
Coconut Oil Benefits for Skin
|
Skin Barrier Repair |
Anti-Bacterial Effect |
Anti-Inflammatory Effect |
Antioxidant Effect |
Wound Healing |
Skin Aging |
Coconut oil is approximately 49% Lauric acid which provides anti-bactericidal and antioxidants. Studies indicate lauric acid, commonly found in natural products like coconut, have stronger antimicrobial properties than that of benzoyl peroxide. Antioxidants help to repair skin, stimulate collagen for an anti-aging effects, and have anti-inflammatory benefits. Inflammation impedes the skin's renewal process. By reducing inflammation, antioxidants allow skin to repair and heal itself and correct visible damage. Topical application of coconut oil was also shown to be effective in decreasing the severity of skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis and increase skin barrier. Your skin’s barrier is the primary determinant of how healthy and even your skin looks. Your skin’s barrier provides protection against environmental threats while maintaining your body's moisture balance.
(Trusted Source 2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2772209/(Trusted Source 3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5796020/
(Trusted Source 4) https://www.healthline.com/health/skin-barrier#bottom-line
Coconut Oil Benefits for Hair
One study clearly indicates the application of coconut oil provides a significantly greater benefit on hair protein when compared to the application of both sunflower and mineral oils frequently used in hair products. Among these three oils, coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss remarkably for both undamaged and damaged hair. While a second study finds that coconut oil penetrates the hair shaft while mineral oil does not. Coconut oil, which is a better penetrant than mineral oil, may provide better protection from damage.
(Trusted Source 5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12715094/(Trusted Source 6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11413497/
Conclusion
Coconut Oil is one of many gifts from nature that provides extraordinary benefits too numerous to list. These benefits, as great as they are, require dedication to the routine topical application of coconut oil or products containing an abundance of coconut oil to provide the skin barrier, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and healing effects that come with regular use of coconut oil. I am dedicated to the daily ritual now but like so many, I didn’t make myself or my skincare a priority until I was in my 40’s. I have since made it my life’s work. I know how difficult it can be to do so with children, work and a busy schedule but I encourage you to consider yourself and your skin a priority now and moving forward. The earlier you start the greater the benefit. Thank you for reading,
Kimberly Alicea,Owner of CoCo Beso
CoCoBeso.com
