Coconut oil has many uses in the kitchen; in cooking in place of unhealthier oils, mixed into hot oatmeal or smoothies, or spread on toast.
You may have seen my previous post about using it as the main ingredient in this DIY deodorant. It also does double duty in the bathroom as cheap and very effective moisturizer, and now…face wash. Who knew?
You are thinking, that can’t be good for my face right? It’s oil! Won’t that make my face oily? Science 101; like fights like, in this case, oil fights oil. I have been using it as a face wash and eye makeup remover for a few months now and my skin has never looked better. I used to get random breakouts, and they have drastically improved since I switched to this do-it-all multi-tasking oil. My skin feels plump and my skin tone is also more even.
How to do it:
- wet your face
- scoop up a small amount (1/2 tsp.) with your fingers
- massage into your face like you would with any other cleanser
- rinse off any makeup
- wet a washcloth with hot water and place it over your face, leaving it there until it cools (a few seconds)
- exfoliate off any excess with the washcloth and you’re done
Following this regimen you will no longer need a toner or a moisturizer either – more money and time saved!
Some other uses for coconut oil:
Shave gel
Cuticle moisturizer
Powerful hand and foot moisturizer
Random rash remover (anytime the kids get random rashes, I put coconut oil on it)
Hair conditioner
Curly hair definer (I use this on my baby girl all the time)
What do you use coconut oil for? Read the comments below, some of them will surprise you!
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I have curly hair and use just a little coconut oil in place of a gel after I’m out of the shower. Works well at taming the frizz and my hair is soft, not sticky and crisp! I focus mostly on the ends so that the top of my head doesn’t get too greasy. I’d say I only use about a pea sized amount. I have thin long hair.
My husband uses it as well, and he has straight short hair. But I have heard some women with straight hair say it’s too greasy.
I’ve tried coconut oil as a face moisturizer, and it didn’t work well for me, I look forward to trying it this way! That would be awesome if it worked
Especially for trips!
Thanks for the tips Gillian! I have straight hair and have to be careful where I put coconut oil and how much or I will have flat, greasy hair.
Instead of using it as a separate moisturizer, as I mention in the post, I wash my face with it, then cover with a warm cloth then rub off the excess. This leaves just enough on my skin that a moisturizer is not needed.
I do use it as a body moisturizer when traveling or if my skin is extra dry.
I love it in my homemade baby wipe solution, cooking, and as a lotion for our dry skin. We use fractionated coconut oil so we don’t smell like pina coladas.
Lol, I actually enjoy smelling like a tropical beverage
I have straight, fine hair and use coconut oil as a pre-wash mask on my hair. I apply to dry hair, about 1 tblspn, and leave for 30 minutes. Then I shampoo as normal. My hair is shiney and full of body. Love this.
I just started using coconut oil as a face wash and wanted to see how everyone uses it. I am hoping for less wrinkles and sags!
Thanks Barbara – I have not tried it as a pre-wash mask. I am going to give it a try. How often do you do this?
I do this every time I shampoo. Since using the pre-mask method I don’t need to shampoo as often. I use to wash my hair every day, now I’m doing it 2-3 times a week. My hair has body and fullness, and believe me when I say I am amazed I can go that long now between shampoos.
I’ve read that some people start out doing it before every shampoo and then cut back to once or twice a month. Since my hair was so damaged prior to this, I think I will keep doing it with every shampoo a bit longer.
One other thing I did notice after about two weeks use. I don’t lose hair when I shampoo now. Use to, before the pre-mask, I would lose hair by the handful when shampooing, not now. I can’t say that it regrows my hair but it keeps what I have!
I can’t wait to try coconut oil as a hair mask! Thanks for the tips!
I have been losing hair like crazy these last few weeks. This has never happened to me before. I am going to give this a try and see if it cures me.
Wow! Thanks for the hair mask tip! I end up with hand-fulls of hair when I shampoo (about every-other day). I’m looking forward to trying the mask!
I just tried this method for face-washing and I’m already in love! One jar of coconut oil lives in the kitchen for cooking, another in the bathroom for hair, skin, and now face, and a third is in our bedroom for personal lubricant. Anti-fungal, doesn’t dry out skin- I’d highly recommend it to anyone! In the summer I keep some in the fridge, and when it’s hard, I break it into pea-sized pieces. Before bed I insert one down there to fight against yeast.
That is definitely the first time I heard about using it on lady parts…lol, but it makes sense!
I’ve been using coconut oil as a hair mask & moisturizer & I love it! I’m excited to try it as a face wash. I had one question, do you exfoliate just with the washcloth afterwards?
Yes, I exfoliate with the washcloth afterwards. Approximately once a week or so if I find I need a little more abrasion I add a little baking soda to the coconut oil to make a nice scrub.
Do you only wash your face at night?
Hi Jayme – I wash my face twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, using coconut oil each time.
I add about 1/2 a tsp to a teaspoon of baking soda to the oil when I want a face scrub instead of just a wash.
I do the same! Works wonders!
I started using it as body lotion a few months ago, and my skin feels amazing
I also like to dab it on chapped lips. I’ve been using jojoba oil as a face moisturizer… but maybe I should give coconut oil a try!
Hi~
Just wanted to ask about the steps listed above – since I don’t really wear make up do I just leave the oil on then put the hot wash cloth on my face then rinse the oil off?
Yes, I still would, or just wash some of it off with water and scrub your face a little with a dry towel while you dry it. I skip the wet towel when I don’t have makeup on and just use the dry towel to exfoliate a little.