Love your summer skin with coconut oil

Here in the UK we are enjoying a much appreciated steady spell of warm, sunny weather. One of the great joys of summer is baring my skin to the air. I love to feel the heat of the sun penetrate me almost to the bone, stimulating vitamin D production and giving a golden glow.

I believe that our skin functions best in a warm climate where it is exposed to air, breeze and the unseen subtle energies of the natural environment.  We also get to sweat which is a normal and healthy function and one way in which the skin and the whole body detoxifies and self-cleanses.

During high summer, the skin needs a minimal routine. Now is not the time to overload the body with heavy oils, creams and unguents. However it is important to pay attention to preventing sunburn and to be mindful that prolonged sun exposure can lead to aging, which is essentially accelerated cellular damage. 

Jar of creamy goodness

My summer skincare solution is close at hand, in the kitchen cupboard.  I reach for coconut oil.  Often a misnomer in a northern European climate where it is usually waxy, opaque and solid at room temperature and sometimes labelled coconut butter, the higher summer temperatures cause the butter to slightly melt into a soft gloopy mass: not quite a liquid, but soft enough to give a delicious sensual experience as I dip my fingers into the jar.

It gets smeared onto face, arms and backs of hands, anywhere that is exposed and receptive. You can even run your fingers through your hair and give yourself a scalp massage. Warmed by the heat of the hands, coconut butter/oil spreads quickly and is absorbed easily, doesn’t leave a greasy film and begins at once imparting its goodness. I love the simplicity and playfulness of looking after myself this way, this is not an elaborate beauty ritual!

Nature provides and the health benefits are well documented: coconut oil contains a superior level of anti-oxidants which counter cell degradation caused by free radicals in our diet and environment. Coconut oil contains good fats, complex and stable tri-glycerides which are digested or assimilated through the skin. It is rich in polyphenols and vitamin E and has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

  

In ayurveda, coconut oil is promoted for its cooling properties, hence its particular suitability for summer use and for the face and scalp (the head should generally not be heated).

Coconut grove, south India

The scent of coconut oil is instant summer.  As I move through the day, I receive delicious wafts of fragrance which carry me away to the tropical beaches of Kerala in south India, where every part of the coconut seed and plant are used  for food, drink, construction and devotional worship and more.

My preferred brand of coconut oil which I recommend to you comes from UK based food co-operative Essential Trading. Ethically produced, reasonably priced and widely available at health stores it comes in a large, wide mouthed jar so you can get your hand in and be generous!  Buy online here.

Love the summer! Love your skin!

Jennifer