Coconut oil for topical use

cp418

Many of us use coconut oil for topical use as well as adding to diet, so I just wanted to relate a personal story for topical use.  Recently I splashed hot olive oil on my hand while cooking and got a really bad burn.  I immediately rinsed in cold water and applied bacitracin antibiotic and covered with bandage for about a week.  Parts of it blistered and looked like it would leave a very nasty scar across my hand.  After it was not as raw and I was able to leave uncovered - - I started to apply a little coconut oil at bedtime.  After about 3 weeks my hand is completely CLEAR without any scarring.  I wish I had taken before/after pictures.  I wanted to pass this along as maybe it might help others in their recovery of bad radiation burns or maybe even surgical scars. 

geewhiz

I love the stuff. Eat it (lauric acid I think?), cook with it, use it as a hair conditioner, used it during radiation and use it daily as a moisturizer. It removes mascara too!



The first time I ever came across it was several years ago. I was in a sauna with an elderly woman from the Caribbean. She slathered all over her body, and hair the whole time in the Sauna. She told me she grew up doing that...so I guess I am a little late to that party!

pip57

Good info.  I love my coconut oil as a moisturizer. I hadn't thought of using it as a hair conditioner though.  I am going to give that a try.

LtotheK

I think this stuff is magic.  I absolutely hate how I get it everywhere and all over the tub, though.  Would love to mix it with something to make it stable, it's liquid in the summer, a block in the winter.  The hassle is worth it, but I would love to figure something out to make it easier.

Anonymous

WOW - what an interesting post.  Sorry you had to experience the burn, but yes, I understand how important using coconut oil has become for me too.

Not for burns, but very seriously, SERIOUSLY dry skin.  Also live cooking with it.  I find I have to cook at a lower temperature when using coconut oil, or it burns.  But makes delicious stir fry.

It's SO hot, the jar I keep in the bathroom is now in liquid form, off to use it as a hair moisturizer now too.  Never thought of that

The other jar is in the fridge - keeps it solid, and still melts immediately on contact with skin. for LtotheK

cp418

Yes, I want to emphasize I did not apply the coconut oil to the early stage of the burn.  Only after it was no longer blistering and raw but was becoming dry and scaly looking like a red scar.  The skin is now perfectly smooth without any uneven tecture or dryness.  The skin color is almost even - - I know which hand I burned but someone else would not notice it.

Shayne

My daughter uses it for eczema.  works really well!

Ive been doing oil pulling with it - and it actually helps remove toxins from the body and make teeth whiter!  Been doing it a few weeks now! 

pip57

LtoK...I put the container of oil in a sink of hot water while I am in the shower.  It is liquid by the time I get out.

 Shayne...do you mean that you brush your teeth with it? 

Shayne

No.  Oil pulling.  A T in your mouth and you swish it around for 20min or as long as you can.  Then spit out.  Its used to removed toxins from your body, done first thing in the morning before eating.

Carola32

Coconut oil is really, really great. Helped so much during rads, still massaging my breast and other scars with it. Makeup remover, hair conditioner, cooking oil, for skin...you name it! 

Shayne, do you mean a tablespoon? So interesting that it removes toxins by swishing it around in the mouth. That's one use I hadn't heard of yet :-) Googled it at once, I had seriously no idea it existed! http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/what-is-oil-pulling.html

My best to all from rainy Paris. 

Shayne

Its an old ayervedic practice thats been done for years.  My friend told me about it.  There is also good info on oilpulling.org

Shayne

PS.   Love Paris in the rain......really, any time.  One of my fav cities in the world!

pip57

I will give it a try.

Carola32

Hihi, Paris is really great. I live here since 2001 and love this city more and more.

Thank you for the info, I think I had tried most of the ayurvedic treatments (drinking castoroil mixed with water is pure bliss..hummhumm ;-) ) and I'll certainly try this one for sure!

kayfh

Coconut oil is an amazing thermometer, I started using it as a moisturizer because of info from a thread here, I keep about 4 tablespoons in a small bowl in my bathroom, I can tell if the overnight temperature dropped below 20 C by its state in the AM. I use it on my skin, hair. My husband, who has very curly hair uses it on his hair when the humidity grizzlies are just too much. I will be forever grateful to whomever was responsible for the first post and those who continue to celebrate coconut oil.

MariannaLaFrance

I love coconut oil. I use it on my skin daily, and I usually end up getting it in my hair somehow, so I guess technically I use it as a conditioner as well. I really have to work hard to NOT get it into my hair when I am getting ready to go somewhere, but I always use coconut oil as my moisturizer. I also use Apricot Kernel Oil, which apparently has a lot of B17 in it. It seems to make my complexion more "even toned."

I tried the oil pulling, but it made my teeth sore! I suppose I am supposed to work through that, but they were so sensitive afterwards that I couldn't do it again. 

purple32

Has anyone used it on the surgical scars ?
Where do you get it ?  Is it actually in the cooking oil aisle?

Anonymous

purple

good health food store, Whole Foods has their own brand, 365, in a black plastic tub in the vitamin section. They're on Route 9 in Hadley ( Barnes & Noble there too)  If you ever get to Northampton River Valley Co-op, on Route 5 just up from the Big Y mall,  River Valley have a good selection.  Also Cornucopia in Thornes Market.

Important to get a GOOD one, organic if possible, to use it in cooking too.

Blessings2011

Had very high hopes for the coconut oil as a eye makeup remover and moisturizer, but unfortunately it made my eyes burn and sting, and left my facial skin with whiteheads, which I've never had before in my life.

Will have to give it a try as a hair conditioner, though..hadn't thought of that!

Shayne

Im using it now on my surgical scar.  I also have some liposomal oil that im using as well from naturopath

coraleliz

Trader Joe's has it in the cooking oil section. I've also ordered it online from Amazon(when I need to get my purchase above $25 for free ship). It was pricier at Wholefoods.

Shayne

I got my Organic Coconut Oil at Trader Joes - great price!

geewhiz

Wow Blessings! I am SO sorry! Did you use pure organic oil? It hasn't bothered my eyes or skin a bit, and I get red skin from just about everything...super sensitive! I am so sorry this happened : (

Emu oil is another great one for eye makeup and face moisturizing. It's a little more pricey, but still a very natural alternative since the coconut isn't agreeing with you.

Smithy

I love Aunt Patty's Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - Raw - Cold Pressed. There is a lot of great research on the benefits of coconut oil. It is great on wrinkles...bug bites...plus people with AIDS are finding remarkable results using coconut oil. It is also a wonderful remedy for painful/burning sex caused from medications - such as Tamoxifen. We use it as a lube...my obgyn highly recommends using coconut oil as a lube.

barbiecorn

I use coconut oil on my BMX scars....really is helping - went to breast surgeon and she said my scars are healing very well....

MsBliss

geewhiz, I would ex-nay on the Emu oil thing.  I know a little bit about how it is sourced.  It is biochemically similar to chicken or goose fat.  Being an animal fat, they use solvents to "retrieve" it from the flesh of the bird.  It will have traces of solvents and stabilizers in it. 

Shayne

Ewww.......thanks for the info MsBliss - makes sense