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Why is coconut oil the best oil for your skin?By Roger Bert Organic Coconut Oil - http://www.organic-coconut-oil.com |
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| Coconut oil is
great as a skin moisturiser. A study shows that extra virgin coconut
oil is as useful and safe as mineral oil when used as a moisturiser,
with absence of adverse reactions. Antiseptic fatty acids in coconut
oil help to prevent fungal and bacterial infections in the skin when
it is consumed and to some extent, when it is applied directly to the
skin. The only way to gain entry into the body other than through the
natural openings, such as the nose and mouth, is by penetrating the skin.
When the skin's defenses break down, infections can result. Acne, ringworm,
herpes, boils, athlete's foot, and warts are just some of the infectious
conditions that can affect the skin and body. When bathing or showering,
soap washes the protective layer of oil and acid off our skin. Often
afterwards the skin becomes tight and dry. Adding moisturizers helps
the skin feel better, but it does not replace the acid or the protective
medium chain fatty acid layers that was removed. Your skin is vulnerable
to infection at this time. You would think that your body would be clean
and germ-free after a bath. But germs are everywhere, floating in the
air, on our clothes and everything we touch. Many germs survive washing
by hiding in cracks and folds of the skin. Before long your skin is again
teaming with microorganisms, both good and bad. Until sweat and oils
return to reestablish the body's chemical barrier your skin is vulnerable
to infection. If you have a cut or cracked skin, this can allow streptococcus,
staphylococcus and other harmful germs entry into the body. By using
a coconut oil cream, lotion or just pure coconut oil you can quickly
help reestablish the skin's natural antimicrobial and acid barrier. Many
people use coconut oil on their skin after every bath. Most commercial
creams and lotions are mostly water. Their moisture is quickly absorbed
into dry, wrinkled skin. As the water enters the skin, it expands the
tissues, like filling a balloon with water, so that wrinkles fade away
and the skin feels smoother. But this is only temporary. As soon as the
water evaporates or is carried away by the blood stream, the dry, wrinkled
skin returns. No matter how hard you try people will never be able to
permanently cure dry, wrinkled skin with any commercial body lotion or
body care merchandise. Besides the water, most lotions have an oil of
some type. This oil is almost always a highly refined vegetable oil devoid
of all natural protective antioxidants. One product in our food supply
and in body care products that leads to a great deal of free radicals
is oxidized vegetable oils. The biggest chemical barrier to infectious
organisms is the acid layer on the skin. Healthy skin has a pH of about
5, making it slightly acidic. Our sweat (containing uric and lactic acids)
and body oils promote this acidic environment. For this reason, sweat
and oil do us good. Harmless bacteria can tolerate the acid and live
on the skin, but troublesome bacteria can't thrive and their numbers
are few. The oil our bodies produce is called sebum. Sebum is secreted
by oil glands (sebaceous glands) located at the root of every hair as
well as other places. This oil is very important to skin health. It softens
and lubricates the skin and hair and prevents the skin from drying and
cracking. Sebum also contains medium chain fatty acids, in the form of
medium chain triglycerides, that can be released to fight harmful germs.
Our skin is made up of connective tissues. These tissues give our skin
strength and elasticity. When we are young and healthy the skin is smooth,
elastic and supple. This is the effect of strong connective fibers. As
we age their fibers are constantly subjected to free-radical attack which
breaks them down. As a result, connective tissues become hardened and
lose both elasticity and strength. The skin loses its capability to hold
itself together and begins to sag and become wrinkled. Once young, soft
and smooth the skin turns dry and leathery. Once a free-radical reaction
is started it can cause a chain reaction which produces more free radicals,
which ultimately damages thousands of molecules. The only way our body
has to fight them is with antioxidants. When a free radical comes into
contact with an antioxidant, the chain reaction is stopped. For this
reason, it is good to have plenty of antioxidants in our cells and tissues
to protect us. The number of antioxidants we have in our tissues is determined
to a large extent by the nutrients in our diet. Having anti-oxidants
in skin care products is important, too. Dr. Ray Peat, a biochemist who
has written about the antioxidant properties of coconut oil, states "It
is well established that dietary coconut oil reduces our need for vitamin
E, but I think its antioxidant role is more general than that, and that
it has both direct and indirect antioxidant activities." Virgin Coconut
Oil is especially useful in fighting free-radicals, as it is unrefined
and hasn't been stripped of any of its natural components through the
refining process. Conventional body care goods that are made with refined
vegetable oils which have all the antioxidants extracted from them are
highly prone to free-radical generation both in and outside the body.
That is why eating processed vegetable oils can cause a deficiency in
vitamin E and other antioxidants. The antioxidants are used up fighting
off free radicals causing permanent damage to connective tissues. This
is also the reason why you should be careful about the type of oils you
use on your skin, and in your lotions, creams and lip balms. If you use
a lotion, or cream with a refined oil in it you are in fact causing your
skin to age faster. The lotion, though it may bring temporary improvement
will actually accelerate the aging of the skin and even develop skin
cancer through the free radicals that are readily formed from the refined
vegetable oil.. The ideal lotion is one that is made from an oil that
not only softens the skin, but protects it against damage, promotes healing
and gives it a more youthful, healthy appearance. Coconut oil fits that
description. Quality virgin coconut oil is the best natural ingredient
for skin lotion available. It prevents destructive free-radical formation
and provides protection against them. It can help to keep the skin from
developing liver spots, and other blemishes caused by aging and over
exposure to sunlight. It helps to keep connective tissues strong and
supple so that the skin doesn't sag and wrinkle. In some cases it might
even restore damaged or diseased skin. The oil is absorbed into the skin
and into the cell structure of the connective tissues, limiting the damage
excessive sun exposure can cause. Coconut oil will not only bring temporary
relief to the skin, but it will aid in healing and repairing. It will
have lasting benefits, unlike most lotions. It can help bring back a
youthful appearance. The coconut oil will aid in removing the outer layer
of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. The skin will become more
evenly textured with a healthy "shine". While doing this the coconut
oil will penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin and strengthen
the underlying tissues.
Coconut oil for your scalp and scalp What coconut oil can do for your skin it can do for your hair. In India and Sri Lanka, coconut oil is commonly used for styling hair, and cooling or soothing the head and provide stress relief. Beauticians who are familiar with coconut swear by it. It softens the hair and conditions the scalp. Using the coconut oil as a pre-wash conditioner can rid a person of dandruff better than a medicated shampoo. It is wonderful to use as a hair conditioner.The protective environment of the skin and how coconut oil helps Our skin is home to many tiny organisms, most of which are harmless; some are beneficial. At least one variety of bacterium is essential to the healthy environment on our skin. It feeds on the sebum, breaking down the tryglycerides into free fatty acids. The bacteria actually feed on the glycerol part of the triglyceride. This leaves fatty acids which are now "freed" from the glycerol unit that held them together. Medium chain fatty acids which are bound to the glycerol unit as they are in coconut oil have no antimicrobial properties. However, when they are broken apart into free fatty acids, they become tough antimicrobials. So these bacteria convert the medium chain triglycerides (in the sebum or on the skin) into free fatty acids that can kill disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The combination of the slightly acid pH and medium chain fatty acids offers a protective chemical layer on the skin that prevents infection from disease-causing organisms. Due primarily to the action of bacteria, the oil on the surface of your skin and hair is composed of between 40 and 60 percent free fatty acids. The medium chain fatty acids in the sebum offer the protective layer on the skin that kills harmful germs. Coconut oil is nature's richest source of medium chain fatty acids. When coconut oil is put on the skin it doesn't have any immediate antimicrobial action. However, when bacteria which are always present on the skin turn these triglycerides into free fatty acids, just as it does with sebum, the result is an increase in the number of antimicrobial fatty acids on the skin and protection from infection. The free fatty acids also help to contribute to the acid environment on the skin which repels disease causing germs. Coconut oil will absorb easily, keep the skin soft, and yet without feeling greasy. It is not like other oils used to soften rough, dry skin. It will help to reduce chronic skin inflammation within days and be soothing and healing to wounds, blood blisters, rashes, etc. It is an great ingredient to use in healing salves and ointments. People have used a coconut oil/crushed garlic mixture at night to eliminate plantar warts and athlete's foot with great results. In the making of soaps, the soap does not have a tallow smell nor the smell of a vegetable oil. Instead, it has a nice fresh smell and yields a nice fluffy lather. Coconut oil is one of the most popular oils used in soap making. |
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