You can’t go down the skincare aisle or even talk to your significant other without hearing about the amazing properties of coconut oil. It pops up in your social media feed, and even the guys at the gym are mixing it into their coffee and preworkout. 

You might know a little about the benefits of coconut oil for your body, but did you know it’s also really good for your skin? By the end of this quick read, you’ll be ready to slather your favorite bullet coffee ingredient right onto your kisser (or at least try a skincare product that contains coconut oil ingredients). 

What Is Coconut Oil?

It’s oil derived from coconuts. Seriously. Coconuts are fatty fruits, and the fat from a coconut can be separated and used for practically everything. 

Got a bug bite? Coconut oil.

Going keto? Coconut oil.

Want cuticles that don’t split and peel? Coconut oil. 

Need lip balm? Coconut oil.

Want better skin? Coconut oil.

Virgin coconut oil contains two main types of fatty acids that are specifically beneficial for your skin: linoleic acid and lauric acid. Both acids work to help increase your skin’s health and appearance but in different ways. 

• Linoleic acid. This acid has hydrating and emollient properties. It helps keep skin deeply moisturized, protects your skin, and heals it.

• Lauric Acid. Shown to have cleansing properties that can be helpful for the prevention of blemishes and help to soothe irritation.  

Here’s how both acids work together to keep your skin looking and feeling amazing. 

Skin Benefits of Coconut Oil

Ask your mom or sister; they’ve probably been slathering coconut oil on their skin for years. Coconut oil for skin isn’t new, but it has definitely risen in popularity as a star skincare ingredient. Here’s why.

Hydration

Keeping skin hydrated is crucial for all skin types. If you have oily skin, it could be because it’s actually dehydrated. Dehydrated skin causes your sebaceous glands to work overtime, producing more sebum (your skin’s natural oil) to compensate for the dehydration. This can lead to excessively oily skin and even breakouts. 

Coconut oil helps balance your skin’s natural moisture level, helping your skin produce the right amount of sebum to stay comfortable and avoid breakouts. 

Skin Conditioner

Coconut oil is loaded with vitamin E, which has both hydrating and emollient effects on your skin. Emollients help your skin stay soft and smooth, working to improve skin’s texture by softening rough patches and keeping your skin feeling touchable. 

Cleanser

The lauric acid content in coconut oil makes it the perfect ingredient for cleansing your skin. It may sound counterproductive to cleanse your skin with oil, but oil cleansing is a respected method of skincare that works off the principle that like-kind dissolves like-kind. 

In other words, if you have oily skin, cleansing your skin with coconut oil can help. The coconut oil can help dissolve excess sebum and leave your skin feeling fresh and balanced. 

Healing Severely Dry Skin

Dry, cracking skin can benefit from the application of pure coconut oil. Because of its hydrating and emollient effects can be used directly on areas of serious dryness to help heal and soften the skin. 

From elbows to knees to the soles of your feet (we’re looking at your heels), coconut oil can give you softer, baby-like skin. 

Protects

Your skin is protected by a special skin barrier function that keeps out pathogens and helps keep your skin healthy. By boosting your skin’s protective qualities, coconut oil is thought to help improve acne and even help alleviate damage from the sun. 

Skin Soother

Irritations on your skin can look like blemishes, rashes, or areas of sensitivity. Coconut oil has soothing properties that help your skin feel better, more comfortable and eliminate redness and irritation. 

Even super sensitive skin types can benefit from coconut oil, which makes it an easy go-to solution if you usually experience itchiness or rash from other products. 

How To Use Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is easy to use on its own, but if you aren’t ready to slather your favorite cooking oil on your face, try these products instead. 

• Cleanser. Disco’s Charcoal Face Cleanser Stick. Formulated with coconut oil to hydrate your skin, charcoal to dive deep into your pores, and phytic acid to help encourage skin cell turnover, this cleanser won’t irritate your skin or leave it feeling dry and tight. Safe enough to use day and night. 

• Scrub. Disco’s Exfoliating Face Scrub. Every skin type can benefit from exfoliation, which helps remove dead skin cells and encourage new skin growth. Our scrub is formulated with papaya to help break apart the bonds between dead skin cells and new skin to help dead skin easily slough off. Coconut oil and aloe help keep skin smooth and prevent irritation. 
  Pro tip: Our face scrub can double as a body scrub if you experience acne breakouts on your back and chest. 

• Sunscreen Disco’s Mineral Sun Block gives your skin what it needs to stay safe in the sun without the use of harsh chemical ingredients that could harm your body and disrupt your hormones. Zinc oxide provides sun protection, while tripeptides help rebuild your dermal layer and reduce the appearance of previous sun damage. Niacinamide helps chase away fine lines and wrinkles to leave your skin looking more youthful. 
  Coconut oil in our sunblock gives your skin added protection against the free radicals from the sun and pollution because it’s packed with antioxidants. 

You can add these products to your lineup or start a skincare routine infused with coconut oil from scratch. Using coconut oil is a win/win situation for your body and your skin. 

Let’s Disco

Coconut oil isn’t just for frying veggies and adding to your protein shakes. It’s an amazing ingredient you’ll find in numerous products in Disco’s product lineup. Our skincare is formulated to work perfectly with the pH balance of a man’s skin, and coconut oil helps keep your skin smooth, hydrated, and blemish-free. 

With Disco, rethink your coconut oil and grab products that help keep your skin looking and feeling as sexy as you are. 

Sources:

Antibacterial Properties in Coconut Oil | NCBI 

Coconut Oil and Vitamin E | NCBI 

In vitro anti-inflammatory and skin protective properties of Virgin coconut oil | NCBI