Today’s Happy Homesteading post is all about me trying out Coconut Oil as a Moisturizer. WARNING!! You may see pictures below of my face before bedtime with greasy looking Coconut Oil on it. It may scar you for life. I also cannot be held responsible for any nightmares my naked face may give you. 😉
A couple of months ago I asked you all on the HappyMoneySaver Facebook page how you save money on facial moisturizers. I had quite a few lovely readers say they used Coconut Oil and if I am being honest I was a bit grossed out. Coconut Oil? Wouldn’t that be greasy? I wondered if it would make my face break out or make my skin look gross.
Coconut Oil as a Moisturizer 30 Day Challenge
I decided to try out that Coconut Oil as a moisturizer for 30 days to see how it worked. Because if it does work I would be saving a lot of money!
Before I started this challenge I was using Sephora’s Instant Moisturizer (1.69 oz. for $20). I know! So flipping expensive.. If this would work I knew I would be saving a lot of money. But I anticipated breaking out or not liking the feel and going back to my Sephora kind (which I do love!)
DAY 1
Before I went to bed I washed my face with warm water, and took out my first bit of Coconut Oil from the container. For those of you who have never used Coconut Oil before it has the consistency of hard shortening. The heat of my fingers started melting the coconut oil which I quickly rubbed all over my face.
I won’t lie..it felt greasy. I felt like a greased pig. A greased pig in need of an eyebrow wax (hee hee). 😉
But in about 5 minutes it started soaking into my skin and I felt much better. Off to bed I went. I may or may not have had a dream that night of me working as the Greasy Fry girl for McDonalds…
DAY 2
Woke up in the morning, no new zits or breakouts! And my skin felt fine, not to dry or oily – Wow! That night I did the same thing, washing my face with warm water and adding coconut oil. No new breakouts all week long. It took some getting used to feeling that greasy feeling for 5 minutes, but soon it stopped bothering me.
DAY 7
After one week of using Coconut Oil I was happy with the results. I mean I wouldn’t say it was a miracle youth serum or that it does anything fancy except be natural and save me money, but I was happy. No breakouts, no zits, no big changes.
DAY 30
After using Coconut Oil for 30 days, I am happy with the results! It works as a decent moisturizer, and I didn’t get as many zits as I normally do during that (ahem) time of the month. I know these pictures are horrid of me with no makeup after a long day, but I wanted to keep it real and show you how this really worked.
I love the fact that I have Coconut Oil on hand and that jar will literally last me a year for around $5.00. That is some serious savings as usually I would spend $20 on that Sephora stuff and it would last maybe 2 months. I love this homemade natural way to trying things out. Next time I want to try a homemade body butter recipe and see how that goes. I am sure I will love that too.
The only concern I have is that there is no sunscreen in Coconut Oil and I need protection from that sun. What do you think? Should I mix sunscreen in with some melted Coconut Oil? Or buy some ingredient? Or just apply sunscreen on over the coconut oil every day?
WORTH THE COST? YES – it works, and costs around $5.00 for a years supply vs. $20 for a 2 month supply of what I was using.
WORTH THE TIME? Yes, there is no extra time involved.
Coconut Oil…is there anything this stuff can’t do? You can cook with it, I use it in my Burt’s Bees Lip Balm recipe and now for a moisturizer. –>Go here for high quality sources of coconut oil.
Please share in a comment what YOU use Coconut Oil for? Any natural remedies or treatments you make?
About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Julie says
I loved reading about your facial moisturizer and would like to add another two very safe and very cheap to use moisturizers: (1) olive oil, (2) petroleum jelly (vasaline). And the MOST important part of applying any moisturizer is to start with a damp/wet face before applying! I use a spray bottle to mist my face then apply moisturizer! – – – Also, I’d like to comment on the homemade toothpaste: The recipe looks easy, tasty and cost effective. However, I am even more economical and just brush my teeth with plain old baking soda. It tastes yukky but my teeth feel clean and it freshens my whole mouth. Can’t beat that. Can also use plain table salt to brush your teeth with, easy-peasy.
I have 4 hens and 1 rooster and love having eggs. I love to keep a small vegetable garden but sometimes critters get to the vegetables before I do! Love your website and all the recipes – THANKS!
melodee says
For cleaning your teeth, try wintergreen essential oils (one that can be ingested) and rub on your teeth or put a drop on your toothbrush. It feels like you just had your teeth cleaned and taste good. But my favorite thing is that is whitens your teeth. It’s amazing. I did it for a week and people started commenting on my teeth being whiter.
Cecily McClanahan says
My sister in law cooks a lot with coconut oil which she purchases from Costco. I tasted some cookies she baked using it instead of the butter or shortening. They were so good. As for using it as a moisturizer, I would use sterilized make up spatulas when getting it out of the jar instead of fingers, especially if the jar last up to a year. This would keep any bacteria from getting in there and then getting rubbed into your face.
Jackie Favarola says
Coconut oil has a natural spf of 4!
Paula says
I love, love, love your website! I guess I have pinned 2 dozen or so of your homemade this and thats! I so wish coconut oil would have worked for me 🙁 My skin is so dreadfully dry that my Dermatologist said if I kept using the lotions and oils I was using (which were apparently drying my skin further) that my skin would be like paper. Sigh. I like home made stuff, but I am using my Curel with ceramides. I have to admit that it seems he was right (for me, anyway).
Ana Santiago says
Very informative post, thank you!
I started using coconut oil as moisturizer recently and it works great, the skin absorbs all the oil in some minutes. I use a sunscreen after, the final effect is a dewy healthy look.
I’m not sure if it’s available in your area, but I’ll recommend the sunscreen cream I’m using: http://www.za-cosmetics.com/product/skincare/whitening/day_protector.html
It has minerals which bring luminosity to the skin, also makes my complexion look less red. Is does what it says on the bottle! 😉
Andrea says
I have been using coconut oil as a moisturizer for about 3 weeks now. I buy the Sprectum Organic refined Coconut oil from our Food Co-op. I was expecting amazing results and I have to say I’m disappointed. While my skin is not dry, after using the coconut oil, it’s not super moisturized, like I thought it would be. I usually put it on after my shower and leave it on. Once it soaks in I get dressed. Any reason why this isn’t super moisturizing my skin? I have tried the oil pulling with it (rinsing my mouth with it for 30 mins at a time) and do notice my teeth are whiter. I also have used it as a make up remover, and I really like that. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Lynn says
I started to use coconut oil on my body a few months ago and love it. I then started to put it on my face and developed milia. They are white bumps under the skin like whiteheads. They will not come out on their own. I had to remove them with a needle and the ones I couldn’t remove myself, had to be removed by a dermatologist. They are a white crystal, hard bump under the skin. They feel like a grain of salt. It was painful getting them out. If you Google milia, it can be explained. They are causes by clogged pours, from the oil. There are many blogs and info from other people with the same problem. Some people can use it with no problem but others it may do more harm than good. Lynn
Kim says
Hi Karrie,
Love your experiment. Thank you for sharing! I’m gonna try this during the winter when our cold Kansas air dries my skin out. I will tell you, per an article I read from health guru Christine Pirello, that last year I started exfoliating my face and body during my daily shower with a basic wash cloth. It greatly increased the natural oils in my own skin and helped reduce and smooth out the eczema bumps I get on the backs of my arms. Just use it with water (NO SOAP) and exfoliate in a circular motion over all of skin and rinse. She says in one month you will see a difference. I noticed a difference after 2 weeks and was able to cut back on the amount of body and facial lotion I use.
As for coconut oil… it’s the main ingredient in the castile soap I just bought (I’m making 32 oz. liquid castile soap out of a $1.50 bar – it has 5 days to go so we’ll see if it’s a good experiment).
On a yummy note, my Dad pops his own popcorn with coconut oil – delish!
Gilda says
I use coconut oil as moisturizer but also in my coffee and cooking as they say it is good for dementia or to not get it. A doctor so they say reversed her husband’s dementia after using it for a number of months.
Oona says
I use coconut oil for everything mentioned above & a hundred more things… lol!
Most recently as a burn salve & diaper rash treatment.
Great post! Thanks for sharing! Just found your blog today & have lost track of time… been reading for a couple of hours now… Good stuff!! <3
KC says
Rub it into your dog’s skin and fur. Play with him OUTSIDE for about 45 minutes to let it soak and condition. Bathe dog as usual and he/she will have less scratching and smell GREAT!!!
Dominique says
I just wanted to say that I love this post and started using coconut oil as a moisturizer. However, wanted to point out that it does provide an SPF of 13…not much, but it is something.
HSmom says
I use coconut oil as a hand cream/skin moisturizer too. It is fabulous. Have you tried a drop of oil in it yet? I’ve heard that lemon and coconut oil is good for any flabby areas (cellulite), peppermint for an icey-hot type of rub, or frankincense for skin/face/neck area care but haven’t been able to get the oils yet to give it a try.
melodee says
I use coconut oil with frankincense (good for anti-aging) for a face moisturizer. I mix is with wintergreen or peppermint for a muscle painkiller, lemongrass and tea tree for bug repellant, and my favorite is with coconut oil/grapefruit essential oil, which totally works on edema and cellulite. I also use in the brown sugar scrub, but add essential oils for double benefits.
Gracie says
My daughter’s back had completely broken out in eczema a week ago. Rubbed coconut oil on it and by the third application it had cleared up. It is the only thing I have used that she did not complain of it burning. My new go to for her skin care!
Jan says
Don’t you know that coconut oil is a natural sunscreen? I wear it in fact as a substitute for sunscreen.
Edward says
Coconut oil has an SPF of about 4 not much of a sunblock on it’s own.
If you want it to have more spf the main component of sunblock is zinc oxide powder.
Be very careful if you do this do not inhale zinc oxide powder…
Mix some into your coconut oil and you’ll have something with an SPF close to about 25 anything higher is pretty much a marketing lie any way so those 50 – 100 spf creams are garbage and contain things you don’t want on your skin or in your body.
If you don’t spend ALL day in the sun you’re more than likely fine though… most people spend huge amounts of time inside these days so they actually are vitamin D deficient so a little sun is actually better than none at all.
good luck!
k8fearsnoart says
I am SO glad to have read your comment, Edward! Coconut oil is not a good sunscreen at all. PLEASE do NOT use it alone for sunscreen. Heck, you know what has more sunscreen power to it? Coconut oil has many great uses, but protecting your skin from the sun is NOT one of them. Scientists have recently proven that using a good sunscreen does NOT prevent your skin/body from absorbing vitamin D, so that’s no excuse for not using a good sunscreen. What you DO want is a sunscreen of SPF 30 that offers broad- or multi-spectrum blocking against both UVB AND UVA rays. Also, SPF only refers to blocking UVB rays, not UVA. There are currently no ways to tell how much blockage of UVA rays a sunscreen offers unless you look at the ingredients. If you check out sites like the Mayo Clinic or even WebMD, they list what ingredients there are in the most effective sunscreens, and there ARE organic choices. Regarding coconut oil as a sunscreen: there are a lot of blogs and sites perpetuating this idea… they may be well-intentioned, but that doesn’t equate to actual medical knowledge. (I’m NOT trying to be a jerk, really, but I was in nursing for 15 years (before I ended up with more medical issues that you can shake a stick at) and have seen, firsthand, what can happen to people who don’t protect their skin from the sun. Being of a fair complection myself, I’ve had my fair share of sunburns, including a burn so bad that I had fever-induced hallucinations when I was a teen. I’m 40 now and can see the damage the sun did to my face from years spent trying to GET a tan. (Never used a tanning bed though, thank goodness!)
Sorry for the wall-of-text, I just want people to be informed in order to avoid injury to themselves and others- ESPECIALLY kids!
Take care, and thank you to those of you who took the time to read this!
Elizabeth says
I hope people read your comment. Having skin cancer is shocking and no fun. And neither is the rebuilding of the face after the removal of the cancer. And I never even tried to tan!
shelley says
HI.. love your page.. ! I have also been using coconut oil for skin care and have had awesome results…. I had a rash on my lower legs, bumps, itchy. … some dermatologists said an allergy, others eczema etc.. gave me prescriptions on and on .. NOTHING but worse.. one day it occured to me to just use the coconut oil that I usually cook with… within a week my legs started to look better and now they are great.. So much that I forget to use it..I now use it as my moisturizer! However have not dared to use it on my face as I have such sensitive skin… so here I go , trying that as well!
Michelle says
Wow, these are all awesome ideas. I use coconut oil all the time for cooking and never thought of it for body care. Love it and can’t wait to get whipping it up. Thanks! And BTW lover your blog!
Red says
I have never used coconut oil but I will be here soon. I love the idea of preventing stretch marks since I’m entering my second trimester. I have very deep pours so I have to use a strong exfoliate. We go through a tun off coffee so I save the grounds and dry them out in the oven on low heat. Right now I mix a hand full in with a dollop of Noxema as a body scrub (it feels solo nice and the sent of coffee is one of my favorite smells). I think I’ll try it with the whipped oil though.
Liz. beasley says
We have been fortunate to get a 50 gallon drum of leftovers from a local potato plant, I do have to strain because it has been added to from the lingering drums from each on, so like the bottom left over from from 10 drums, put its great coconut oil! I use in my cooking in place of other oils, that with almond milk in pumpkin cookies into die for! Gave away containers to neighbors for lotions, cradle cap, dry itchy skin, hair issues, etc. something I have looked into but don’t have the stomach for is oil pulling. Great for overall health and dental health. Worth trying at least once or twice!
Dawn says
If you do oil pulling with coconut oil, it will whiten your teeth. I am an avid fan of iced tea, coffee and red wine. I always used whitening toothpaste in order to counteract my indulgences. I decided to try oil pulling with coconut oil about a week ago, and I have been astounded at how much it has whitened my teeth. Also, my tongue and gums are noticeably pinker and healthier. Another thing that I have used it for is as a bug repellant. Just add a couple of drops of rosemary and eucalyptus EO to the coconut oil.