So, I’ve been mucking about with oils on my skin for a bit, trying to figure out this whole olive oil versus coconut oil thing. You hear so much, right? One day it’s a miracle, the next it’s gonna ruin your life. I just decided to dive in and see for myself.
My Go With Olive Oil
Alright, so first up was olive oil. I had a big bottle of the extra virgin stuff in the kitchen, figured, why not? I started dabbing a bit on my face after washing it at night. Honestly, it felt a bit heavy. Like, really rich. My skin definitely felt softer in the morning, especially on my cheeks which get super dry in winter. I also tried it on my elbows and knees, and yeah, it did a decent job there. No complaints for those rough spots.
But the face thing… after a week or so, I wasn’t so sure. It didn’t make me break out in a massive way, but my skin just felt a bit… coated? Like it couldn’t quite breathe. Plus, the smell, while not bad, isn’t exactly what I want to smell like going to bed. It’s food, you know?
Then Came Coconut Oil
Then everyone and their dog was going on about coconut oil. “It’s antibacterial! It’s a moisturizer! It’ll solve all your problems!” So, I got a jar of the unrefined, cold-pressed stuff. First thing I noticed: the smell was amazing! Like a tropical holiday. That was a big plus right away.
I started using it just like the olive oil. On my face, body, even tried it as a makeup remover once (worked okay for that, actually). Initially, my skin felt pretty good. It absorbed a bit quicker than the olive oil, I thought. But then, a couple of weeks in, I started seeing these tiny little bumps on my chin and forehead. Nothing major, not full-blown zits, but definitely not smooth. I was like, “Huh, okay, maybe not for my face then.” My body, though? My legs and arms seemed to drink it up and loved it. No issues there.
So, What’s the Deal?
Here’s what I sort of figured out from my little experiment.
- Olive oil: Felt super nourishing, great for really dry, tough skin. But maybe too much for my face, a bit heavy.
- Coconut oil: Smelled incredible, felt lighter going on initially, but seemed to clog my pores on my face after a while. Body loved it though.
It’s funny, I was talking to my aunt about this, and she said back in her day, they didn’t have all these fancy options. If skin was dry, you used whatever fat you had around, maybe some basic lotion if you were lucky. No internet telling you one thing was good and the other was bad. You just used it, and if it worked, great. If not, you stopped.
I read somewhere that coconut oil can be comedogenic for some people – meaning it can clog pores. And I guess I’m one of those people, at least for my face. Olive oil, I think it’s just the richness, you know? It’s a heavy oil.
At the end of the day, it really feels like a “your skin, your rules” kind of thing. I’m not chucking either of them out. I’ll probably still use olive oil on my super dry spots in winter, like my heels. And coconut oil? Definitely for my body, and maybe as a hair mask or something. But for my face, I’m thinking I need to keep looking, or maybe just use these oils very, very sparingly, if at all there.
It’s all trial and error, isn’t it? Just gotta listen to your own skin rather than what everyone else is shouting about online. That’s my takeaway from this whole oily adventure.
