Coconut oil may be the #1 best natural product for beauty; it’s wonderful for your skin, keeps your hair shiny, removes makeup effortlessly, great as an anti-inflammatory, is recommended for general health …need we go on?
So which products to use? Our diligent beauty editors tested a number of coconut-based beauty finds but all agreed that bottom line, the best one to use is straight, organic Coconut oil that you can find at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Cheap and effective. But be careful with the application so you don’t smell like a walking Pina Colada.
Our go-to when our skin is really dry (ie. after a day at the beach) is the aforementioned Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut oil which we slather on while our skin is still wet from the shower. While it comes out as a somewhat messy, chunky paste you can easily run the bottle under hot water to turn it into oil.
Many celebs swear by coconut oil as the ultimate hair restorer too — just drench your stands and scalp in the oil, wrap in a towel, and leave on for at least an hour. (We tried sleeping in it once but it created too much of an oily mess.)
Here’s our finely honed list of our best of the best Coconut-based beauty products:
- KOPARI
The Kopari brand’s breakout product is its’ coconut natural deodorant which smells like summer and really works. (One of our editors gave it the ‘hot yoga’ test.) $14.
But the brand has many other coconut beauty multi-taskers in their coco line, such as the Coconut Melt Cream — all the hydration without the mess — plus shampoo, toothpaste, even ‘lube.’ Using small batches of coconuts, the company carefully preserves them to keep the beneficial nutrients and fatty acids.
2.
A cult-favorite, Lalicious’s The Oil, is a delicious blend of coconut, Marula and Macadamia Nut oils in a proprietary blend that nourishes the skin. ($34.) Surprisingly, even our editor with oily skin didn’t get breakouts with The Oil. Perfect for summer days, and even better in the winter when dry heat saps skin’s moisture.
3.
Drugstore brand ‘Love Beauty And Planet’ wins the coveted#3 spot with their shampoo and conditioner duo which blends Coconut Oil & Ylang Ylang for shiny, healthy hair with just a hint of a summer breeze. $12 for both. (They also make a killer natural deodorant.) Buy it at Amazon or Target.
4.
Purlisse Coconut + Rice Nourishing masks. It’s like a tropical vacation for your skin. The coconut oil plus the restorative Asian botanicals lock in moisture, perfect for the summer. $36 for a package of 6.
Honorable mention;
Arbonne Botaniques Coconut Body Lotion. With the fragrance of sweet coconut, this rich formula also contains vitamin E and is absorbed quickly into the skin leaving it smooth and soft. While it isn’t as hydrating as our top 4, it’s perfect for when you want a quick hit of moisture without any (messy) residue. ($22.)