Is coconut oil good for skin and should you put it on your face? What you need to know about the ingredient

Coconut oil is often touted as one of those “does-it-all” ingredients and, as well as being great for cooking, is often used as a hair and body moisturiser.

But is coconut oil actually good for skin? Should we really be slathering the stuff all over our faces?

Here’s a bit of background about the benefits of coconut oil for skin, plus where you can try it for yourself. 

Is coconut oil good for skin?

Coconut can be beneficial to our complexions if it’s used in the right way. 

It’s high in vitamin E, meaning it offers antioxidant protection, and some studies have even found virgin coconut oil to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin. 

That said, we don’t suggest you jump head-first into a tub of neat coconut oil just yet. Softening though it can be, the raw deal alone isn’t right for everybody’s skin.

Pure coconut oil isn’t always a great match for rosacea or acne-prone skin types, and may not be sufficiently moisturising if you have dry or mature skin.   

How can I try coconut skincare?

Thankfully, there are a few specially-formulated products out there containing coconut that are skin friendly. 

First Aid Beauty’s Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturiser is a 2-in-1 moisturiser and makeup base which  helps keep skin soft and smooth and blurs the complexion before you apply makeup.

Even better news? You’ll get a luxury sample size, worth £5, in this month’s OK! Beauty Edit by Katie Piper.

The contents are worth a whopping £90 in total, but new subscribers can pick up their first box for just £7.50 with the code 50FIRSTBOX.

Katie says of First Aid Beauty’s primer: “This is a brilliant complexion booster. It brightens, smooths and enhances your natural skin tone, and gets your base prepped for make-up. You can also use it on its own, to boost your natural beauty.”

As well as the nifty coconut primer, Katie’s box contains five more beauty products from other great brands like Benefit and Dr Lipp.

Each monthly OK! box usually costs just £15 (including P&P) for products that are worth a combined value of at least £60.

Your membership is completely flexible, so you can pause or cancel whenever it suits you. Subscribers also get their hands on a glossy beauty and lifestyle magazine every three months – all for free, of course.

You’d be coconuts to miss it!