Coconut Oil. One of social media’s favorite ways to ruin your skin.

You’re told over and over again on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and other platforms that this miracle oil is a cure all. We cook with it, clean with it, moisturize with it, remove makeup with it, whiten teeth with it, all kinds of stuff that the internet says to do.

But what is coconut oil? Why is this oil being shoved down our throats? Is it really all that beneficial? What’s it really doing?

In recent years coconut oil has grown vastly in popularity. There’s been claims that it can do everything from clearing skin, supporting weight loss, and even slowing the progressions of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s beneficial to use as a hair treatment because the small molecules better penetrate your hair follicles. The antioxidant properties can be beneficial in a multitude of ways. It even reversed hepatosteatosis, a type of fatty liver disease in rodents.

Coconut oil can be great! But it can also be bad....

A survey published in July 2016 shows that 72% of people think coconut oil is healthy. Only 37% of nutritionist agree. Why is that? Because coconut oil has a saturated fat content of 90%. Saturated fats have been found to increase cardiovascular and other diseases.

But Mackenzie, what does this have to do with my skin?

Well! A coconut oil molecule is very small, this means that it easily passes through your skin’s pores. Coconut oil is extremely pore clogging, or comedogenic. So all these sources that say to use it as a moisturizer, makeup remover, cleanser, etc, are basically encouraging you to clog your pores!

But remember, only someone with the pre-existing hereditary condition of acne would be victim to coconut oil. So when you see somebody with perfect skin slathering it on, the acne has either not yet shown itself (since it takes 90 days to form and show), or they just don’t have the hereditary condition of acne.

***To clear your acne you need a healthy body, and a program of the right products used in the right way. Kempz programs are designed to fit exactly what your body and skin needs. The amount of education you receive through your clear skin journey will stay with you for life.***

Pore clogging ingredients

Pore Clogging ingredients. Beware!

If you’re serious about clearing your acne you need to be sure these ingredients don’t show up anywhere. Not in your makeup, laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner, or any hair products at all.

**Don’t trust products that say “non comedogenic” or “non pore clogging” these aren’t regulated and often don’t mean anything.

**Common oils like coconut butter, jojoba butter, argan oil that claim to be good for your skin are pore cloggers. So be careful and always check the list!

 

Acetylated Lanolin

Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol

Algae Extract

Algin

Almond Oil

Apricot Kernel Oil

Argan Oil

Avocado Oil

Butters (Shea, Coconut, Almond, etc.)

Butyl Stearate

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Carrageenan

Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20

Cetyl Acetate

Cheru Seed Oil

Chlorella

Chondrus Crispus (a.k.a. Irish Moss or Carageenan Moss)

Chullu (Wild Apricot) Seed Oil

Coal Tar

Cocoa & Coconut Butters

Coconut Alkanes

Coconut Oil

Colloidal Sulfur

Corn Oil

Cotton Awws Oil

Cotton Seed Oil

D & C Red # 17

D & C Red # 21

D & C Red # 3

D & C Red # 30

D & C Red # 36

Decyl Oleate

Dhupa Seed oil

Dioctyl Succinate

Disodium Monooleamido

Ethoxylated Lanolin

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

Evening Primrose Oil

Glyceryl Stearate SE

Glyceryl-3 Diisostearate

Groundnut Oil

Hexadecyl Alcohol

Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil

Isocetyl Alcohol

Isocetyl Stearate

Isodecyl Oleate

Isopropyl Isostearate

Isopropyl Linolate

Isopropyl Myristate

Isopropyl Palmitate

Isostearyl Isostearate

Isostearyl Neopentanoate

Kapok Oil

Kasum Oil

Kelp

Kokum Oil

Laminaria Digitata Extract

Laminaria Saccharina Extract

(Laminaria Saccharina)

Lanolin

Laureth – 23

Laureth – 4

Lauric Acid

Mahua Seed oil

Mink Oil

Monostearate

Myristic Acid

Myristyl Alcohol

Myristyl Lactate

Myristyl Myristate

Nahor Seed Oil

Neem Oil

Octyl Palmitate

Octyl Stearate

Oleth – 3

Oleth – 5

Oleyl Alcohol

Olive Oil

Palash Oil

Palm Kernel Oil

Palm Oil

Peach Kernel Oil

Peanut Oil

PEG 100 Distearate

PEG 150 Distearate

PEG 200 Dilaurate

PEG – 16

PEG 16 Lanolin

PEG2 – Sulfosuccinate

PEG 8 Stearate

PG Monostearate

Pilu Oil

Pisu Oil

PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate

Plankton

Polyglyceryl – 3 Diisostearate

Polyglyceryl – Diisostearate

Potassium Chloride

Monostearate

PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate

Propylene Glycol Monostearate

Ratanjyat Oil

Red Algae/Brown Algae

Rice Bran Oil

Sal Seed Oil

Sea Whip Extract

Seaweed

Sesame Oil

Shark Liver Oil (Squalene)

Sodium Carbomer

Shea Butter

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Solulan 16

Sorbitan Oleate

Soybean Oil

Spirulina

Steareth – 10

Steareth – 2

Stearic Acid Tea

Stearyl Heptanoate

Sulfated Castor Oil

Sulfated Jojoba Oil

Tribeheniin

Undi Oil

Wheat Germ Glycerides

Wheat Germ Oil

Xylene