Like most people in the Real Food community, I LOVE my coconut products: coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut water, coconut butter, coconut chips, and obviously coconut oil. While coconut is no doubt a healthy traditional food, what many do not realize is that it has the potential to negatively affect the skin.
This potential occurs whether it is ingested or put on the skin directly. Such a reaction can be especially distressing for those using coconut oil for weight loss efforts.
From what we know of the immune system, it is not adequately developed until the age of two. The foods we are exposed to in childhood are usually foods that will be less problematic later in life. Why? We have already developed the antibodies for our immune system to recognize these foods as safe.
Healthy for One May Not Be Healthy for Another
However, we can overexpose ourselves to a particular food our bodies are familiar with. When this occurs, it can start to negatively impact digestion or the immune system. This is a common occurrence for foods that seem to be in everything like dairy and gluten.
My point here is that most people did not consume coconut products in their diet growing up. Unless of course they were born in the tropics or are of African or Polynesian descent. Because coconut is a staple of these traditional diets, these people are adapted and can usually tolerate it better.
Dr. Weston Price made this same observation when studying different cultures and their staple foods. The healthy diets he found encompassed a wide variety. Some were almost exclusively meat-based, others fairly low in animal foods. Still others were a balance between the two. Despite the variations, all these cultures were considered healthy.
This is why it’s nearly impossible for everyone to thrive off the same “healthy” diet. It is also important to keep in mind when we discover new “super foods”. Some look great on paper, but how each individual reacts will vary greatly. One’s ethnicity can frequently dictate how well they are tolerated.
Internal vs External Triggers
Within the last year, I have been exclusively focusing on the root cause of acne internally with clients. Truthfully, I have not given external triggers much thought until recently.
Fortunately, I met with Kimberly Tan, owner and esthetician at skinSALVATION Acne Clinic in San Francisco. This is where I discovered the term comedogenic, which refers to the ability of something to produce or aggravate acne, usually tending to clog pores on a topical level. Products that contain comedogenic ingredients tend to cause pimples for acne prone skin. The gender or nationality of the person does not matter.
Like many terms that are used freely for marketing purposes, products that claim to be “non-comedogenic”, “oil-free”, “dermatologist tested/ approved” are not necessarily free of clogging ingredients. Just like the supplement industry, beauty and personal hygiene products are not regulated. There is no standard or truth to what a company has to comply with on labels. Therefore, like everything else you choose to put in and on your body, understanding what ingredients to look for is vital to know if it is truly acne safe. Just one comedogenic ingredient in a product is enough to cause pimples in someone who is acne prone.
Not everyone is affected by comedogenic ingredients. It depends on a person’s skin, pores and genes, as to the severity of the problem. If you suffer from acne and have addressed other factors such as diet, digestion, hormones and recognizing food sensitivities, then this is something you should consider.
Coconut Oil is Highly Comedogenic
Kimberly Tan has had great success in addressing acne of all types by educating people and of course treating it topically. The right products make a big difference in skin recovery. I am definitely reaping the benefits of this knowledge. For example, I eat what I consider a very high quality, clean and anti-inflammatory diet. Due to my line of work, I am also very aware of other causative factors. Despite this, I still suffer from regular breakouts.
The reason remained a mystery until I began to take a closer look at what I was applying to my skin. Even within my “natural” and practically edible products, many contained coconut oil. To my surprise, coconut oil is one of the highest scoring comedogenic ingredients on the comedogenicity scale. This is the case even when consumed in small amounts as coconut oil capsules.
Removing Coconut Oil from Skincare and Diet
I was worried and hesitant at first to give up my precious coconut oil but wanted to give my skin a fair chance. So, I tossed my makeup, shampoo, toothpaste and any hair care products that contained coconut and any other clogging ingredient. I also took it out of my diet. The good news was I could keep other coconut foods, just not the oil itself. This is because internally the pure oil seems to be the biggest culprit since it is concentrated in the fatty acid that has the clogging ability.
Personally, I feel fine when I consume coconut. With all the health benefits we know it contains, including the antibacterial properties, this was the last thing I suspected that could be causing my stubborn breakouts. It has been only about a month since switching out all my products containing coconut oil and eliminating it from my diet. I have already seen an immediate reduction in my breakouts.
Inflammatory Effect on Skin
I was curious about the inflammatory effect that coconut oil has internally on the skin. There are many different types of acne that may appear and be different for every person. According to Kimberly Tan:
Eating it [coconut oil] internally may not be causing inflamed acne, but the seeds are still planted, especially for those who are acne prone. These people NEED to stick to an acne free lifestyle to prevent breakouts. Products help to take the seed (which causes follicles to clog) out once diet and acne safe topical products are in place, but it can come back. Planting a seed is the first step to causing a breakout, and is fairly easy to do if exposed to these factors. Even just one exposure can bring acne back.
Coconut Oil and Stubborn Acne
If you have been struggling with getting your breakouts under control, take a look at everything you have been using on your skin. Check for comedogenic ingredients in every product you use. This includes skin care, face wash, moisturizer, masks, shaving cream, toothpaste, lip balms and lipsticks, sunscreen, toner, scrubs, foundation, face powder, and any other makeup. When choosing products to buy, make sure that the company discloses a full list of ingredients on the label. This includes both active and inactive ingredients. Check all of them against the comedogenic list before buying.
Eliminate then Reintroduce
Bottom line: Everyone is different. Like changing your diet and cleaning your pantry of junk food, you’ve got to purge any suspect products to get a clean slate to work with. This includes an acne-safe lifestyle and proven non-comedogenic products. Stay with this routine for at least 6 months. After that, you can reintroduce each questionable and untested product (like those with coconut oil) to see if you notice a reaction in your skin. The process is very similar to introducing food sensitivities back into your diet. Make sure the manufacturer does not change the formulation to these acne safe products. Most importantly, be consistent with your actions and always double check ingredients on everything before applying to your face and body. Hair products too, as it will all eventually come in contact with your skin.
Implementing an acne-safe lifestyle will prevent acne from forming internally (anti-inflammatory diet and the right nutrient support), and non-comedogenic products will prevent acne from forming externally.
is a whole body approach!
More Information
Eczema Treatment: Avoiding the Drug-Based Domino Effect
MCT Oil: The Coconut Oil Dregs
Costco Coconut Oil is Risky Business
Histamine Intolerance, Fermented Foods and Acne
Red Palm Oil: Great Alternative to Coconut Oil
Currently, I am avoiding all dairy including ghee and grass fed butter. So I use only EVOO and coconut oil so my question is what oil can I cook with? I use coconut oil for lots like almond butter, eggs, vegetable hash, etc.
I’ve never suffered from allergies or acne. I bet the most sufferers of acne have never touched coconut oil, though. People who do tend to be die hard vegans and the like.
A few people I knew off did have bad acne, most were school colleagues when I was a child. I think its true that it is genetic as most didn’t have a problem other than just one or two pimples usually going into puberty. Hygiene is crucial, if possible never use a face towel twice always use a new dry washed one dipped in boiled water, let it cool three seconds and wipe. Damp face towels are hotbeds for bacteria put it straight into the face towel bin for washing. Buy a lot, enough for a new one twice a day everyday, cotton. And never use oil.
If your skin is constantly dry you could have a deficiency in your diet or a medical problem. Adding oil to your skin is not such a good idea any oil as it goes off and is not absorbed making a good bed of bacteria that might cause infections or worsen acne. Oil also attracts dust and grime to settle as it doesn’t dry easily.
I lived in a cold area for a few years and my skin did get dry a lot mostly from indoor heating. I used a water based vitamin E cream wiping with a new face cloth before application. Was perfect. It dries quickly and forms a very thin porous film over the skin which if made wet again immediately dissolves.
Never IMO use soap on the face that can also cause inflammation, rather just use warm-hot water on a face towel and a water based scrub once a week with a very mild disinfectant like salt.
Water based creams not oil based are the best if you do have dry sensitive skin.
Coconut oil is not often used on skins in Asia anymore or on hair. A lot of older people did when they were younger though. They have stronger thicker skin than caucasians do for example and with more pigment that isn’t so sensitive mostly so it isn’t such a problem if you also do.
Just a point of clarification – I am not sure which part of Asia you mean but I have lived in (and still do live) many parts of Asia and coconut oil is very commonplace even today. And it is not only the older people who use them. In fact, I just saw my maid oil her hair with coconut oil and rub the remnants on her body & face.
Extra virgin organic cold pressed coconut oil is non-comedogenic. I think the reason some are having a bad reaction is due to the type of coconut oil they are using. I talked to one girl who almost stopped using it because her skin temporarily got worse. She decided to stick it out and it all cleared up and stayed clear. I think it’s normal to experience a transitional period… whether it’s detox or just balancing out the ph of the skin I do not know.
Coconut oil cleared up the razor bumps on my legs from shaving and helped some breakouts on my arms. I have acne so do not use it in my face, but I love it on arms and legs.
I’m quite curious to what ‘seeds that clog pores’ means. I’m not very familiar with the topic but by this post alone it makes no sense at all that eating coconut oil ‘plants the seeds’.
I’m by no means an expert, but I have some personal experience with die off/detox symptoms due to foods. Coconut oil, having many antifungal and other properties, is extremely likely to worsen whatever symptoms you may have due to your particular toxicity and genetic and environmental background. So in case of acne being part of a detox/deficiency ingesting something that gives your body the nutrients it may have needed for detox or by affecting your gut flora by causing some die off, you can certainly worsen acne, but seems like in that case, you don’t just want to quit the coconut oil, but work more on detox and keep reintroducing it while keeping detox/die off symptoms more under control.
when interviewed by carla for this article, i mentioned the term ‘seeds’. ‘seeds’ are what we call impactions that form in the pore of acne-prone skin. they are comprised of dead skin cells, sebum, and debris (comedogenic ingredients – or ingredients in skin products that will literally clog pores). these seeds are the actual matter that we remove from the pores during corrective acne treatments, during extractions. once these ‘seeds’ are removed, the skin clears.
skins that are genetically acne-prone naturally over-produce skin cells and sebum, and additional factors like diet or endocrine system imbalances can put this already-present-over-production into overdrive, causing even more acne to form.
however, in our candida-related acne cases, we do agree that there are die-off and detoxing symptoms that occur; including those that manifest in the skin – rashes and the like. in our clinic, we have, over the years, honed a clinical eye to be able to see the difference between candida “acne” and actual acne vulgaris; and recommend that our clients who are battling the yeast try acne-safe alternatives, like oregano oil, or pure herbs’ cansol tincture – along with a specially formulated acne + candida safe protocol – to get the yeast under control. we’ve been able to get good results in an average of 2-3 month’s time using this technique.
that all being said; acne is a threshold thing – some body systems and skin follicles can tolerate more coconut oil (or other foods like soy and dairy) than others – we’ve just found that time and time again, coconut oil causes trouble in our client’s facial complexions.
sounds like you are a rad, determined detoxer – keep on keeping the good fight!
to a healthy body and clear skin – kim.
I’ve been using a homemade deodorant w/coconut oil for about 6 mos. I just recently started getting sores (not a rash). I’ve never had a problem when using just coconut oil on my face though. Isn’t this a bit strange?
Joy Guerra
I have had wonderful results with coconut oil internally and externally and I live in Canada.
I had a horrible reaction to it..almost hive like. I use avocado or olive topically.
I found what works for me is only using baking soda when showering. If baking soda dries out my face to much I apply witch hazel. Both have seem to wipe out any acne and create a younger appearance.
Anything you are sensative or allergic to can cause inflammation and acne. And that can change at any time.
I don’t know exactly what I have issue with but it’s something. And rancid oils are trouble! That was what I ran into w jojoba. Never ending battle.