Saturday, April 22, 2017

Kitchen grade coconut oil for skin?

I'm not the one to give advice on cosmetics--the industry would be a fraction of its size if everyone used as little make-up as I do. Especially now at my age.  "Less is more" is a saying for architects before they all started designing with computers, but it should also be scrawled on the mirrors of anyone over 45 or 50, and I'm well beyond that.  You don't COVER wrinkles with foundation and powder--wrinkles are a trap for make-up which will emphasize the lines.  But a neighbor invited me to a home party event for cosmetic sales, so I was looking at the CEO's blog and story of how she got into the business.  In the video she's wearing jeans and what looks like no make-up.  There was a list of no-no ingredients on her blog, so I did take a peek.  And that led me away from her page to looking at one of my favorites--coconut oil.  I found this quote about cosmetic grade coconut oil at another high priced beauty product site.  None of this introduction has anything to do with being invited to my neighbor's (but I do love her home--she uses a non-functioning grand piano as a buffet bar), but I needed to explain why I'm blogging about coconut oil, which I love using as a skin moisturizer. It's very inexpensive (for skin use) and when I run out, I just get a few tablespoons from the kitchen jar (rarely use for cooking).  I just looked at the label and it says "organic," but it doesn't say VCO, which usually in the past I've used. So I'll have to look for something more "virgin."
“Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is cosmetic grade—this oil is pressed from coconuts a day or two after harvest. There are a variety of ways to produce VCO, but in my opinion the best is no-heat fermentation, because the heat-sensitive elements of the oil are retained. However, very little difference in technical chemical analysis is found between certified VCOs, so whatever the pressing-process, any VCO can be applied generously to the skin without irritation. Coconut oils used for cooking are generally much cheaper. The copra, or coconut meat, is dried in the sun, then refined, bleached, and deodorized to produce oil for cooking, and chemicals are often used in this process. Invariably, irritant reactions may happen if applied to skin: do not use these kinds of coconut oils as cosmetics.”  Dr. Vermén M. Verallo-Rowell, MD, dermatologist, dermatopathologist  http://www.vmvrmd.com/dermatological-effects.php  

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