I’m stepping in for today, class, because Ms. Tricia is moving this week (hope all goes smoothly for you, T!!).

So. Let’s talk coconut oil. I know super models claim it’s the reason for their gorgeous, breakout-free, dewy skin, their ultra-shiny hair, and their high metabolism, but does this stuff really work on us regular folk?

We do cook with it (and when I say “we,” I mean my husband), but not often enough that I can attest to its metabolism-raising, cholesterol-lowering properties. It tastes good, though! Have you ever tried it outside of the kitchen? I hadn’t until last week – I know, I’m super late to this party! I think we’re now going on maybe year three of the craze about using the organic, virgin, unrefined, magical goodness on your skin, your hair, your yaddayaddayadda, so I finally decided to test its beauty capabilities…

 

 

photo via totalbeauty.com

Not gonna lie, the idea of putting oil on my face just sounded… like a really bad idea, so I decided to try it on my hands for a few days, first. And now I am totally addicted. Although I don’t cook, I do clean like a mad woman, and with four, rascally smalls in the house, my hands get some hard-scrubbin’ beatings on the daily, but this magic oil has done wonders for my hands!! I’ve used it for almost a week now, and have seen a pretty big difference; my skin appears more supple and youthful, and feels so, so soft. I’ve been a die-hard shea-butter fan for years, and I’m religious about moisturizing every, single time I wash my hands (it’s dry here in Oregon!), but that coconut oil adds a softness and a beautiful shimmer to my hands and nails that I am absolutely loving! See ya shea butter! Plus, it smells so yummy – I seriously want to eat my hands. Here’s a recent shot of my hands taken about an hour after I had applied the coconut oil.

Though skeptical, I tried it on my face and neck two days ago (by itself at night, and on top of my sunscreen at morning time), and I really loved the way it felt! It goes on super oily, but after several minutes, it completely absorbs into the skin and leaves a really pretty dewy-like shimmer. Yesterday, I tried it underneath my makeup to see how it held up, and it looked really great – even at the end of the day! I recommend waiting several minutes to let it fully absorb into your skin before applying any type of makeup, but other than that, it worked really, really well – it didn’t look oily, and didn’t make my makeup cake-up at all. I’m impressed! My photographer (a.k.a. my husband) is currently out-of-town, otherwise I would might have included a shot of my face, so I’m sorry that you just have my word that it’s working well there, too. I’ve also been using coconut oil as a lip balm (trying to wean myself from Chapstick!), and am using a little bit of it on the ends of my hair right out of the shower, and lightly throughout, to tame any frizzies. This stuff really is amazing!!

Though super late to the coconut party, I’m beyond happy to have made it! Now, I feel like we all need a Mai Tai.

-Carrie

SMP Founder + Creative Director

If you would like one of our professional Beauty Stylists to help you create and achieve a new beauty look, or develop a great skincare regime online, we can easily get you all set-up via our SMP Beauty Package. Have a beauty-full day!