Coconut Oil: The Reality
So there is a HUGE stigma that started a few years ago about how amazing coconut oil is for your hair and skin. Everyone was (or is) slathering it on their dry, brittle hair, or taking their makeup off with it. So let’s talk about it. Is it really that great?
NO.
Like seriously. STOP USING IT TOPICALLY.
Many say coconut oil has great benefits when taken orally. It is full of “good” fats, 50% of those fats being Lauric Acid which can fight bacterias and pathogens, and is supposed to help certain health conditions (ask your doctor before using, that's not my field of expertise lol). You’ll find articles contradicting each other, some say it’s good to apply topically, others say no. I am one who believes no, it’s all bad. Why though? Lets look at it:
1) Coconut Oil is Comedogenic.
Comedogenic is the term used for products that clog pores. The comedogenic scale is 0-5, 0 being no clogging qualities, 5 being highly likely to clog. Coconut oil falls at a 4 (See here for a list of oils and their rating on the scale). Anything under a 2 is considered Non Comedogenic. Now you will see controversy here saying it doesn’t clog some pores and some say it does. That is user discretion, but from what I have seen with multiple skin types, it does.
2) Coconut Oil Repels Water
When something is dry, it needs water right? So think back to 2nd grade when we did the expirament to see if water and oil can mix. What happened? The oil repels the water. The hair needs water when it is dry and amino acids when it is empty. Alfaparf Milano (my product line) has biometric quartanized Keratin in its bond builders which replicate the amino acid chain to repair the hair. It specifically fills the areas that need it. Coconut oil just goes into porous hair and fills in every “nook and cranny”. This is a bandaid effect. The problem has been covered (figuratively and literally) and now you cannot get water or nutrients into your hair duet to the oil being a barrier.
3) Coconut Oil Can’t Be Absorbed
Remember how we talked about It being comedogenic? Coconut oil “sits” on the skin and scalp. This clogs your pores (point 1) and this ALSO clogs the pores where your hair follicles grow out of. If they become clogged, you may begin to notice thinning in your hair or other scalp concerns. It can also affect your cells ability to detoxify and can affect lipid production.
4) Coconut Oil is Alkaline
In order for your hair and skin to be “happy, healthy, and balanced” it needs to be acidic. The pH scale measures acidity and alkalinity in substances. 1 being very acidic, 7 neutral, and 14 highly alkaline. Your hair and skin should fall at about a 5, coconut oil falls about 7.5. It doesn’t seem like much but with how the scale is measured, coconut oil is 100-1000x more alkaline than your skin and hair. This causes imbalance and other issues arise when this happens.
5) Coconut Oil Can Mess With Your Microbiome
Your microbiome is the good bacteria on your skin. Coconut oil is antimicrobial and that can be good and bad. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just kill off bad bacteria but also the good. This can flare up skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
6) Coconut Oil Will Fry Your Hair
What happens when you put oil in a hot skillet? Then add an ingredient? It fries it. So when you have coconut oil (that has seeped into your hair and can’t be washed out easily but also can’t absorb and break down) slathered all over your locks and go in with your 400 degree flat iron (which is WAY too hot, but that’s for a different article) you LITERALLY are cooking your hair.
Alternatives
Some other alternatives to coconut oil are jojoba oil, Argan oil, or sunflower seed oil.
Again, this is just from experience and research I have personally done. If it works for you and you choose to use it, that’s up to you. I just personally suggest not doing so and finding an alternative!
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