5 Mistakes You’re Making with Coconut Oil (and How to Fix Them)

One of the most popular uses for virgin coconut oil that circulates on DIY blogs is as an inexpensive, natural moisturizer or facial oil. However, dermatologists have begun speaking out against this trend because coconut oil is highly comedogenic — it's a beauty myth that could be ruining your skin. That’s right — even virgin coconut oil has a tendency to clog pores, leading to acne, other blemishes, and overall congested skin.

Don’t toss that jar of pure coconut oil just yet. The skin on our faces is more sensitive and susceptible to clogging — but the skin on our bodies tends to be more resilient. Try coconut oil as a body moisturizer instead.

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Another popular use for coconut oil — especially in the natural hair community — is as a hair mask, pre-poo (pre-shampoo treatment), or hair oil. Although the goal of using coconut oil in hair is to moisturize and condition the hair, it actually does the opposite: the oil seals the hair shaft, preventing water from entering and hydrating the hair. What’s worse, using coconut oil for coloured hair can actually strip your colour!

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If your hair is in need of some TLC, opt for a mask designed with your hair type and concerns in mind. Masks designed specifically for curly hair, coloured hair, damaged hair, or fine hair contain humectants to attract water to the hair, leading to moisturized and healthy hair in the long run.

If you wear makeup, chances are you’ve come across suggestions to use coconut oil as a makeup remover. Although it might be great at working through waterproof mascara, it can be incredibly hard to remove, even with a second cleanse, leaving you with comedogenic oil still on your skin.

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If you’re in need of a cleanser that makes quick work of stubborn makeup, give a cleansing balm — made with oils and butters that are safe for the face — a try.

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Another popular coconut oil DIY is a face scrub. Combining coconut oil with sugar, essential oils, and other flavourings makes a natural, homemade facial exfoliator. However, in addition to coconut oil being comedogenic, sugar crystals tend to be way too harsh an exfoliator for facial skin. Using a physical exfoliant like sugar can create micro-tears in the skin, causing inflammation and scarring later on.

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Although sugar-based coconut oil scrubs don’t make for great facials, they do make for great manicures! Because the skin on our hands tends to be a bit tougher and less blemish-prone, try your coconut oil scrub concoction on your hands next time you give yourself a mani or come inside from gardening.

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If you’ve read this gallery and are still interested in coconut oil for its potential benefits, you might go ahead and try it on your face to see how things go. But with any product, dermatologists and skincare enthusiasts alike will recommend a patch test to see how your skin reacts.

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If you’re determined to try it, test your coconut oil of choice on an inconspicuous spot on your face (like your jaw or under your chin), then wait 24 hours to see how your skin reacts. If there are no adverse reactions, proceed cautiously.

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