Coconut Oil in Skin Care Products

 

When you use coconut oil in skin care products and in cosmetics, you are getting more out of the product than you might believe. There are many synthetic, or non-natural, skin care products available on the market, and while many claim to contain the same ingredients as coconut oil, and other natural skin care products, these ingredients might not be in a form that is as beneficial to your skin as the same substances in their natural form.

 

Although this is not related to skin care, calcium is often taken by people to avoid osteoporosis. However, calcium cannot be absorbed by the body unless it is taken in the presence of Vitamin D and magnesium, and iodine is also essential for a proper calcium balance. Calcium is frequently found in association with these other minerals in nature.

 

The same is true of many Vitamins that are contained in natural products.  They come as a package which is rarely available in synthetic supplements and skin care products.  Coconut oil is a prime example.

 

The refined vegetable oils used in conventional synthetic skin care products have had the antioxidants removed. Natural coconut oil contains a number of strong antioxidants. So what is the difference between the oils and creams that contain antioxidants and those that do not?

 

A.  No antioxidants

 

Processed oils can generate free radicals, both on your skin and outside your body.  In fact free radicals can actually be generated in the oil itself during storage if it is exposed to sunlight. What effect does this have on the oil and on your skin?

 

a)  Free radicals oxidize the cells in your body by grabbing electrons from them, and so destroying the molecular structure of the skin cells. This causes wrinkles, liver spots (oxidized fatty deposits) and other signs of aging. If you rub such oils onto your skin you can actually create the skin conditions that you are trying to remove.

 

b)  The substances that destroy these free radicals are known as antioxidants, common examples being Vitamins A and E, plant phytochemicals such as polyphenols, beta carotene, flavanoids and so on. All predominantly plant-based. If a vegetable or plant oil is processed in such a way as to generate free radicals, its natural antioxidants will be removed by the free radicals, and the oil will have no beneficial effects - in fact it will do harm to your skin, and any other tissue which it comes in contact with.

 

That's why you need a natural vegetable oil such as coconut oil for your skin, rather than a synthetic skin care product produced from refined vegetable oils. Virgin coconut oil that has not been refined is very strong in antioxidants, particularly Vitamin E.  A single free radical can initiate a chain reaction that destroy thousands of skin cells, and just one molecule of an antioxidant such as Vitamin E can stop that chain reaction.