Okay, so I’ve had enough of coconut oil. It appears as though coconut oil is not as miraculous as I thought it was.
When I first started using virgin coconut oil (VCO) in my Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) routine, it felt fantastic. My skin was getting smoother and I loved the smell of it. It also felt a lot lighter on my skin.
Around five days into using the VCO twice a day (morning and evening), my skin started to flare up really badly. Now, I had noticed after a day or two of using the oil that after I washed my face my cheeks were looking a little splotchy. I was just ignoring this and putting it down to old acne scares showing up from massaging my skin ..or whatever ..I wasn’t really worried about it. Until, yesterday when it all came crashing down. It was strange. Two days ago I was looking in the mirror thinking about how great my skin was looking and how I didn’t need to wear make up anymore (I’m putting up a mineral makeup video soon that I recorded two days ago, you can see how great my skin was), but by the next day my skin was red, inflamed and covered in little pimples. How did this happen!?
So I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve either had a bad reaction to the coconut oil, the coconut oil was doing a really good job at removing built up toxins in my skin, or coconut oil is just not a good oil to use for acne prone skin. Either way, I’ve discontinued my use of the oil and would not recommend it for acne prone skin. Honestly, I haven’t had a break out like this in a very long time. In fact, when my skin was bad I didn’t have this kind of breakout. This reaction feels a lot like a response to what I was putting on my face. So it’s one of those ‘what I put on the outside’ things which I think is kind of rare. Usually acne is caused by something internal.
I’ve spent hours and hours scouring the Internet looking for possible causes, and other peoples experiences. I’m so surprised at the lack of information out there about a possible bad reaction to coconut oil and other people’s experiences. I did find one source last night, which made up my mind to discontinue using the oil:
Why late sleepers complain of pimples when they started taking VCO
…and these pimples increased for weeks and so they stopped taking it. VCO generally increases basic metabolic functions in the body when applied topically in the skin. It also increases the activities of the sebaceous gland which is a halocline gland, meaning, it is the whole gland itself that is extruded out and burst to produce the sebum. Since it is closely associated with the hair follicles. Once the hair follicles is also clogged up and in time the sebum is to come out, that is the time that pimples developed, secondary to clogged up hair follicles. If you apply the VCO , and you stimulate the glands activity to be extruded, especially at night, when the hair follicles too is clogged up with sweat, and secretions, this aggravates the condition. It is best to apply the VCO after thoroughly cleaning the face with soap and water. I hope I have given you a basic understanding of how the VCO works on the skin in relation with pimples.
Naomi, M.D.
Source: http://www.kokonutpacific.com.au/OilSales/OilIndex.html?Health
/HealthInfo.htm
Well, I guess that’s what happened to me!
I’m in super recovery mode now. I’ve stopped the OCM altogether for a while because I feel as though I don’t want any more oils on my skin. I’m using a very gentle cleanser and a moisturiser that I used for years which I know for a fact never made me break out. Once the redness and inflammations go down, I’ll ease back into the OCM, because I do have great results using the OCM. This time around I might do a lot of research and find the most gentle oil combination which is best for acne prone and sensitive skin. I’ve also used a clay mask once today (with crushed cucumber added, thanks for the tip Bel!), and will continue to do so every other day until my skin recovers. I’m also making sure I drink plenty of water.
One thing this experience has done is remind me of how it feels like to have acne. I’d been clear for long enough to forget what it was like to have an acne problem (the good news is, you do forget quite easily). I’ve been reminded of the frustration and depression and self esteem issues that comes with having spots on your face. It’s something that nobody can understand unless they’re in this situation. It’s so unfair that ‘pimples’ and ‘acne’ are seen almost as if it’s a dirty disease and we have to put up with the embarrassment when it’s on our face, even if we are one of the healthiest people out there!
It’s also made me realise that there is not a lot that you can say to an acne sufferer that will make them feel better. Even when I know that this is a temporary flare up for me and that I will recover within a few days - the impatience is still quite overwhelming, and reassurance from myself, friends and family will not make a lot of difference.
So, all I can say out of this experience is perhaps coconut oil is not a good oil to apply on acne prone skin! and if you get stung by the acne blues, then take comfort in the fact that there are many, many, other people out there with the same thoughts and feelings as you. You’re not alone 
Take care,
Fran
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
22 responses ↓
Virgin coconut oil doesn’t suit every type of skin and there are all chances of clogging of the pores by using it. My favorite for keeping my skin soft, nourished and moisturized is skin care products from zenmed which are the best I have ever used.
[...] I guess I’m just a little nervous, especially as the author of the aforementioned post wrote a few days later that things actually seemed to get worse and so she scrapped it. I’ve decided to go with the [...]
Hi
The same thing happened to me when I put coconut oil ( all organic and everything) on my skin….My skin got inflamed which is why I`m scared of all oils now but hopefully I will just find a milder one..Thanks for your website!!
Hi Michelle,
I’m taking a break from the OCM for now, but I’ve been using a fantastic brand of skin care from my friend Bel who comments a lot in this blog. There are oils in her moisturizers which I was scared to use but it feels so good on my skin, and my skin seems to be really loving it. It’s also full of heaps of stuff that’s really healing to the skin. You can take a look at her range here:
http://www.purecitta.com/
I find it really difficult to figure out what skin care to use, because I’m always so scared that I’ll get a break out!
Hi Fran,
I mentioned your experiences in my blog yesterday as I’ve been unsure about coconut oil too. I find it really lovely to use, but on both occasions that I’ve tried it, new pimples have developed very soon afterwards.
I’ve now switched to using a mix of Camellia Kissi oil and Copaiba balsam which is also very deeply penetrating but doesn’t seem to cause any nasty reaction. I’ve only been using it for a few days though, so it may work, it may not. Time will tell.
I’m actually quite keen to try the OCM, which I’d never heard of before I found your blog. I did try it with just coconut oil yesterday - I didn’t have any castor oil handy so I don’t think it really worked though. I’m going to nip out to the shop and buy the proper recipe in a little bit.
Love your website BTW, I must have spent a good couple of hours perusing it yesterday.
Hi Becky, thanks for reading
I had a good look through your blog yesterday too - your story is really interesting.
My skin is quite good at the moment but I’ve got an appointment with a dermatologist in April (that’s how long you have to wait to get in here) because I’m concerned the OCM did something strange to my pores, filled them with oil, clogged them with sebum, I don’t know. This should not happen, but certain oils can have different reactions for different people so it’ll be interesting to hear what the dermatologist has to say.
I loved doing the OCM though and I’d like to be able to go back to it confidently. Interestingly I ONLY developed this problem when I started using the coconut oil. I know I’m not allergic to it so maybe it’s just too aggravating to the skin?
Hi Fran,
I’m glad to hear your skin is good at the moment and I hope you’re able to go back on the OCM without any problems. I wanted to give it a try today, but couldn’t find a single place that sold castor oil, can you believe it? I tried 4 supermarkets and a large pharmacy. Guess I’m going to have to go into town at some point and find a health food store.
I decided to try anyway with some walnut oil I had in the kitchen. Not sure if it’s done any good, but it doesn’t appear to have done anything bad which is a good sign. I think one of my blackheads is looking a little more prominent now - could that be a sign that the gunk is coming out?
We have to wait ages to see a specialist here too BTW. I think it was about a three month wait last time I saw a dermatologist. The annoying thing is, whatever condition you’re going in for has usually cleared up by the time your appointment arrives making the whole thing a bit of a pointless exercise.
I found castor oil at a pharmacy, it’s strange that they don’t stock it where you looked.
I used the OCM with olive and castor oils for almost 2 months with great results. I only had problems when I switched to coconut oil. The only thing is - I found my pores looked a little different and I had more blackheads. But I was trying SO many different things at once that who knows what it was from. I’m now just being as natural and gentle with everything I do and not doing the mistake again for a heap of different ‘quick skin fixes’ at once. My skin is thanking me for it.
Really annoying about the dermatologist thing!
Hi Fran,
You wouldn’t believe the difficulty I’ve had finding castor oil in any stores today. I eventually found somewhere that ordered it in for me, but I went through five pharmacies this afternoon and none of them stocked it.
One pharmacy said it wasn’t licensed for use in the UK, the others didn’t give any reason for not having it. It’s really quite odd, but I believe it has something to do with the fact that castor oil is often used by women wanting to induce labour.
You’d have thought other countries would be experiencing this problem if that was the case though. Oh well, I’ll make sure to order it online if I like the OCM.
Not licensed for use in the UK! That’s amazing. I thought it was just normally used as a laxative. Oh well, I learnt something today.
I ended up buying some organic castor oil online from a business in Australia. They have it in the pharmacies here but I wanted to get some certified organic stuff.
Coconut oil clogs pores - I had a really bad reaction to it and now use virgin olive oil which seems to work.
Hi Tashina, what was your reaction like?
It’s been 4 weeks after I reacted to the oil and I’m STILL suffering from it. Clogged pores and comedonal acne are damn hard to get rid of and I also seem to have constant mild acne from it while the comedones make their way out. I’m never going to touch that oil again that’s for sure.
Hi Fran,
My experiences are very similar to yours in general. I tried the OCM. And I mean I really tried it. I initially had good results thinking ‘I may never have to wear makeup again!’. Then it rebelled against me with red rash all over my face and the dryest skin I’ve ever had in my life at the same time pimples all over my face amongst the dryness. My skin has NEVER been worse in my entire life. I wasn’t using a lot of Castor Oil, but then I took it down to very little and then down to none. I tried Olive, Sunflower, Rosehip Seed, Flaxseed, before finally giving up. I finally conquered the dryness by digging up products I’d shelved: intense moisturising with Cosmetic Lad from Lush (I know, Lush, I couldn’t believe it, the only time I hate my girlfriends is when they buy a moisturiser at Lush entirely based on how nice it smells, perfume being something I run screaming away from! They have such easy lives!), and Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser.
Looking at the ingredients of Purity Made Simple, I realised that it was almost entirely made of oils mentioned in all the OCM sites. It’s really just an easy-to-use wash-off OCM. It really is working and now I’m on the search for the right moisturiser because Cosmetic Lad is very heavy. I’ve tried Neal’s Yard but I get a reaction from Jojoba which is in all their moisturisers except Yarrow & Comfrey, which is great in the summer but horrid in the winter, and Olive Leaf, which is so heavy in Beeswax that I can actually scratch it off my face. I think Beeswax is the worst pore-clogger on earth, but it’s supposed to be non-comedogenic so it’s in EVERYTHING!
I’ve embarked into the world of Lush because they don’t use beeswax, and I’ve found Enzymion to be quite nice, but I worry about the Cocoa Butter. There’s one that doesn’t have Cocoa Butter, but has Coconut Oil (’Afterlife’). I found your blog whilst searching for any bad press on Coconut Oil. I found a few sites gushing about how great Coconut Oil is for the treatment of acne! I will probably try Afterlife and I will let you know how it goes. I really need to stress that my skin looks very, very good right now, not perfect, but infinitely better than with the OCM.
Thanks for the great site!
=)Cynthia
Hi Cynthia,
I’ve recently discovered Philosophies Purity Made Simple and I LOVE it!!! It’s definitely the best cleanser I’ve ever used by far, and yeah, it does beat the OCM.
I’ve been checking all ingredients on products now, and looking up makeupalley.com to check reviews, and although the products aren’t natural, my skin is loving it. Natural products are always better but my skin was so damaged and clogged up from me using too many products on it that this new skin routine I’m using is working wonders.
I’ll look forward to hear how the Afterlife goes
Hi Fran,
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been using just Purity Made Simple followed by Afterlife from Lush since Thursday evening (it’s Sunday evening), so only a few days, but I’ve had no new spots, oil-slicks, dryness and my skin is clearing up at a pace that I really can’t believe! There’s no redness or discomfort and it’s fast and easy unlike OCM.
I remembered the reason I stopped using Purity the last time. It was that after a few days I could feel a layer of dead skin on my face that I could actually roll off. I would use a scrub but then my skin would react. I think I blamed the reaction on the Purity, but I shouldn’t have. Now, I had a lightbulb moment: if you get the layer of dead skin after washing with Purity, then when your skin is still moist, put a teaspoon of brown sugar (not white or demerara because the granules are too large!) and put a little Purity on top and make a paste quickly before the sugar dissolves, massage onto your face quickly just to get that dead skin layer off, so literally 15 seconds, and rinse off. It works beautifully and you don’t have to buy a scrub that contains ingredients that you might have a reaction to!
My fingers are crossed that this good fortune continues. I promise to let you know if it makes a turn for the worse!
=)Cynthia
Hi Cynthia, I’m in love with the purity made simple cleanser too! I don’t think I ever want to use anything else.
I like your brown sugar idea. I like to mix in baking-soda, it’s does the same thing
Keep up updated!
Hi Fran, also had a nightmare with coconut oil. Loved it at first than eczema developed everywhere I had been using it. A friend mentioned that blood type O’s are sensitive to coconut and products containing coconut. She read it in a nutrition book, “Eat Right for Your Blood Type.” I wondered if you might be an “O”. It’s been annoying trying to find personal care products that do not contain coconut or a version thereof. Love the Miessence certified organic skin care line at http://www.organicheadtotoe. However, need to find a shampoo. Let me know what’s working for you.
Kelli
Hi Kelli, nope I’m not O. I seem to be okay with stuff that has coconut oil hidden in it, but massaging the coconut oil into my skin was way too aggravating.
I love miessence too and I’ve used their range a lot. Because my pores were so clogged though, and nothing natural was helping purge my skin AND I had a constant stream of mild cosmetic acne, I’ve given the nautral products a break for a while until my pores heal. So far I’ve made great progress by using products that I check ingredients for to make sure they WILL NOT clog pores. I’m also using a small amount of Paula’s Choice 2% BHA at night, which is working miracles on my comemdonal acne and clogged pores.
Hi Fran,
I’m back with an update about Purity Made Simple (Philosophy) and Afterlife (Lush). I’ve scrapped both after the build-up of oil and dead skin became too much. There was a foray with Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel and Aloe moisturiser, then the oil-free moisturiser (both have an SPF, which I’ve been searching for as I’m a very fair skinned redhead). I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m allergic to Aloe! I thought ‘there’s no way I’m allergic to the most universally aclaimed ingredient for sensitive skin on earth’, but I bought pure Aloe juice (no additives) and put a disk of cotton wool moistened with it on my cheek. The result was a perfectly red circle on my cheek. I could have matched it on the other cheek and looked like a little doll! A very unhappy, spotty, little doll.
This is what I’ve been using for about 10 days and each morning I’ve woken to better skin. This morning my skin had just a hint of the red (from the broken capillaries of the zits that had gone away) on one cheek the rest of my face and neck are clear. My skin is as fair as my neck, not red which it always has been even when my skin is clear. My pores are microscopic and the texture of my skin is completely smooth (you know when you catch your cheek in the light just right and you see its surface like your looking at the surface of the moon? Mine has usually looked from bumpy to cratered). It’s soft and comfortable, too. Here goes:
1. On dry skin, massage for 1-2 minutes with Rosehip Seed Oil like you would do with OCM. Don’t massage too much because it is rubbing which can irritate.
2. Splash once with warm water to open the pores.
3. Massage for about 30sec-1 min.
4. Splash with warm water
5. Onto oily, moist face liberally mist with 100% Witch Hazel with absolutely no alcohol and not diluted (this is used in eye drops to ‘get the red out’, if it’s free of alcohol it is extremely benign despite the smell which seems too strong to be gentle).
6. Gently wipe with 1-2 cotton wool pads to dry off your face and start the cleansing process.
7. Liberally mist again with Witch Hazel
8. Gently remove with one cotton wool pad
9. Apply Avene Cleanance Emulsion (not Cleanance K which is too harsh) in daytime and Avene Eluage Cream at night
I’m still seeking an SPF. I just got Avene SPF 20 Emulsion for normal to oily, sensitive skin. It has very similar ingredients to Cleanance, so I’m hopeful.
=)Cynthia
i’m a devotee to coconut oil, but it sounds to me like you’re putting on much more than i do. after a nice hot shower, i make sure my face is damp with water, and i rub two drops of coconut oil in my hands before gently patting my face with it. so it’s used very sparingly and diluted!
12 years later, this is all i do, after washing with castile soap. people tell me i have perfect skin and marvel at my age… but i also exercise religiously, so i guess your skin is really only as healthy as you are! good luck with the skin regimen, sorry you’re breaking out– stay healthy
aw, crap. now I’m scared, lol. err.. I bought some organic castile soap recently online (saponified coconut oil included) I wish I would have known about this earlier. I have noticed a few tiny little white heads (i rarely EVER get white heads at all) popping up after using it but I guess that’s normal like you said, ha. I’ve only been trying it for a few days and for the most part, I haven’t really been breaking out otherwise. atleast.. not yet. oh well. right now I’m just experimenting with all of the completely organic, 100% natural products out there. so.. if it breaks me out, or causes a bad reaction, I’ll just continue my quest for the perfect skin care regimen once again! it’s sooo much better than any of the chemical crap out there though, and I’m so glad I’ve decided to get away from that. I will never, ever go back to buying drug store brands again. anyway, thanks for the warning about this. I just ended up reading it a little too late. oh well. =|
Hi Fran,
I haven’t updated for a long time because I wanted to be sure I wasn’t recommending something I hadn’t used for several months. I stopped using Purity Made Simple because even it was too harsh for me. I’ve been using Avalon Organics Lavender Cleansing Milk (organic, vegan & cruelty-free), followed with 4 drops of Hazelnut oil massaged very well as moisturiser followed with Orange Flower hydrosol (actually I’ve got a Frankincense, Rose Otto & Geranium hydrosols, too, I haven’t decided which one I like best). But I’m makeup free! Hurray!
=)Cynthia
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