My latest obsession has been doing more to make my skincare routine natural. It took some thinking through, as I wanted to find a moisturizer that would work for every situation I could think of, but also not break my budget.
It needed to work in the morning, which meant it needed SPF and it had to be light enough to not leave my skin oily after a long day. It also needed to work at night, which meant it needed to be free of chemicals and leave my skin feeling supple and moisturized hours later.
After a lot of reading, I decided on coconut oil. According to my research, it has a natural spf (about 5 SPF) and has antibacterial properties, meaning it's great for acne and it can actually help soothe and prevent scar tissue. Not to mention, it's great for cooking! The consumption of coconut oil has actually been linked to improving and preventing dementia and Alzheimer's.
This is not to say I haven't been asked about the somewhat bizarre switch I've made from mainstream products to a jar you can find in the organic section of your grocery store:
- Doesn't that make your skin too oily?
- Don't you break out?
- Does it smell weird?
To answer these three questions easily - NO! Not only has it not left my skin oily, but it's actually cleared up a lot of the small acne breakouts I've gotten and it smells amazing. I like to compare it to fresh baked cookies. (Is it girl scout cookie season yet?)
If you're looking for something that you can use all over your body, then coconut oil is a fantastic choice. Unless, of course, you're allergic to coconuts. In that case, this probably isn't the solution for you.