Have you tried using coconut oil for acne and blemishes? Coconut oil is amazing for your skin but it may not be the best product to use on your face.
Once upon a time I used the typical facial cleansers and moisturizer from the store but once I cleaned up my personal care products I switched to using coconut oil for both cleansing my face and moisturizing it.
This type of skin care is called The Oil Cleansing Method, and it’s phenomenal for many skin types. The concept behind this method is that by cleansing your skin with oil, it’ll help to dissolve the oils and impurities on your skin.
I love the way my skin feels using the oil cleansing method. My skin is very soft and I hardly have any breakouts. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone.
Coconut Oil For Acne
For years I thought coconut oil was perfect for all skin types and I even recommended that people use coconut oil for acne and blemishes because of its potent antibacterial properties, but I was wrong.
The thing is, coconut oil isn’t right for all skin types. It’s actually one of the worst oils to use on your skin if you suffer with acne!
Coconut oil has a rating of 4 on the comedogenic scale, which is the worst rating. High comedogenic oils clog your pores.
If you’ve been using coconut oil on your face and have found that you’re breaking out, stop using it! There are many other natural oils that you can use on your face.
Best Oils To Use For Acne
Below are a list of popular oils and butters and their comedogenic rating. If you’re prone to acne or blemishes it’s best that you use oils that have a rating of 0 or 1.
Rating:
5 – High
4 – Moderately High
3 – Moderate
2 – Moderately Low
1 – Low
0 – Does Not Clog Your Pores!
5 Rating Oils – High Comedogenic (Bad)
- Wheat Germ Oil
4 Rating Oils – Moderately High Comedogenic (Not Great)
- Cocoa Butter
- Coconut Oil 🙁
- Flax Seed Oil
- Linseed Oil
- Palm Oil
3 Rating Oils – Moderate Comedogenic (Still Not Great)
- Soybean Oil
- Cotton Seed Oil
- Corn Oil
2 Rating Oils – Moderately Low Comedogenic (Okay)
- Avocado Oil
- Borage oil
- Olive oil
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Hazelnut Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Pumpkin Seed Oil
- Sesame Oil
- Tamanu Oil
- Grapeseed Oil
1 Rating Oils – Low Comedogenic (Good)
- Castor Oil
- Neem Oil
- Pomegranate Oil
- Rosehip Oil
0 Rating Oils – Does Not Clog Your Pores!
- Argan Oil
- Hemp Seed Oil
- Mango Butter
- Safflower Oil
- Shea Butter
- Sunflower Oil
I hope this list helps you to find the right oil to use on your skin!
I’ll continue to use coconut oil on my face, but I may add hemp seed oil, castor oil and argan oil to my beauty face serum in the futures since they’re all great for the skin!
Sources
I used coconut oil as a moisturizer for several years. I didn’t really have acne sort of problems but my skin just felt sort of like a fine orange peel. I thought it was just age and dry skin. That is, until I got a 15x magnifying mirror. When I could see closely, I saw little waxy plugs pushing out of my pores! I researched and found out about the comedogenic value of coconut oil. Upon further research, I have chosen Hemp oil to be my moisturizer and it has been improving my skin texture.
Hi Tifanny,
I always use coconut oil and is very effective for my oily prone skin. When making some DIY skincare recipes I always use coconut oil.
Thanks for sharing, Wendy! I can use it too.
Hi,
This is very helpful! I’ve read about the Oil Cleansing Method and I was really going into the direction of finding stuff that has Coco Oil on it because I know Coconut oils can do a lot of wonders. But reading through your post made me realize that I should really do a lot of research first about anything that I would like to use on my face. Thanks for sharing!
I always was concerned in this subject and stock still am, appreciate it for putting up.
Do you know where almond oil rates?
I struggled with adult acne starting at 19. I tried everything – facials, peels and expensive products, but nothing helped. A client gave me a book about coconut oil and it’s many uses, including the treatment of acne. I decided to give it a shot. My skin got MUCH worse (which the book said it would), but I stuck with it and after about 3 months, it started to clear. It got better and better!! I was only using it as a moisturizer, not as a cleanser. Around the same time I came across a recipe for super easy and effective cleanser and also cleaned up my diet. I do believe that those changes also had a positive effect on my skin. I’ve been using coconut oil exclusively for all my moisturizing needs (and those of children), eliminating the need for any lotions, for about 10 years now. I love it and fortunately everyone else I’ve recommended it to has also had great results. Like all “natural remedies,” though, everyone experiences different results. Obviously the same is true of my beloved coconut oil 🙂 Afterreading this blog, I will think twice about recommending it to everyone I meet!
Hello just like to say I love coconut oil and I have no problem using it on my face butttt on the other scale some do have problems right well I use so much that I cant get enough I smother it all over I so love it so I guess im one of the lucky ones but I have alot of friends who use coconut oil and there skin is georgeous and swear by it so I am with them on this one my skin takes to coconut oil so its coco loco for me all the way
Thanks for posting this list! Very helpful!!
I’ve been using Marula oil for a few months now & I really like it. But I don’t see it on your list. :/
Thanks for this post & list of oils & butters. This winter I switched to Aloe Butter as a moisturizer, but notice that I sometimes still break out. Do you know what the comedogenic rating is for Aloe Butter? Perhaps it is clogging my pores?
Thanks!
Thank you Tiffany! This was super helpful! I do find that coconut oil makes me break out (especially in the summer) when I use it as a moisturizer. Your chart willl be very helpful for me in the future when I choose moisturizers to use. Thanks!!!
Thank you
Valuable post and content
You are great!
Much love!
Hi Tiffany,
Thank you for clarifying – brave thing to do.
Just a comment – my 18 year old daughter has very sensitive skin, though not a massive acne sufferer she has random nasty break-outs on her chin area of acne. Limited on what she can use because of her skin sensitivity, she has found that using organic coconut oil, straight from the jar and rubbing on her face works a treat for her and clears up her skin very quickly.
Guess we just have to find what works for us individually.
Thank you for such a great and helpful website.
Wish you well
Vicki
I tried using coconut oil on my skin. It doesn’t cause me to break out, but it dries out my skin something awful, to the point of cracking. I can take it internally without any problem, but it is definitely NOT good for external use on my skin.
Thanks for the helpful info! I used to use coconut oil on my face for about a year before I finally realized it was the thing making me break out! I am really prone to break outs, but I finally found the thing that works for me! It’s grass-fed beef tallow! It makes my skin glow without looking oily and it keeps the acne away!
I heard this from someone else. I am lucky that I can use coconut oil on my face along with coca butter, vitamin E and Frankincense. Thanks for the update!
I would consider swapping Castor Oil for Carrot Seed Oil. Maybe Raspberry Seed Oil in the summer for sun protection.
Glad you shared this! Last year I found out the hard way and now use argan oil. At least coconut oil is good for everything else in life! 🙂
I’m tickled to see that I’ve accidentally been doing something right, by using Argan oil on my oily skin! Thank you for this most informative post!
Tiffany, first, I love your newsletter and I am a lover of all things coconut! Thank you for this post about coconut oil and skin. I had seen conflicting information so your information is very helpful. Thanks so much!
Do you know where apricot oil rates?
Apricot Kernel Oil has a 2 rating.
What about grapeseed oil?
Grapeseed oil has a 2 rating on the comedogenic scale. I’ll add that into the post!