The National Eczema Association points out that while coconut oil has beneficial antimicrobial and moisturizing properties, it might not work for everyone who has eczema because people’s eczema triggers are different for every individual. They also warn that some people might be allergic to coconut oil, and if they are, they shouldn’t use it to treat eczema.
Will coconut oil help your eczema?
By Kathryn Jones
Published On: Nov 19, 2018
Those who attended Eczema Expo ’18 probably saw dozens of Eczema Warriors sporting one of our stylish “Yes, I’ve tried coconut oil” T-shirts, created in collaboration with Alexis Smith, AKA @eczemalove. After all, if we had a dollar for every time a well-meaning stranger suggested coconut oil as a cure-all for eczema, we’d all be rich, right
So, what’s the deal with coconut oil? Does it really cure eczema? The short answer is: No. To be frank, coconut oil is not a cure for eczema because there is no cure for eczema at this time.
Eczema is a chronic, or lifelong, health condition connected to your immune system and its inflammatory response.
Ordinary substances we encounter in our everyday lives, such as dust, mold, animal dander or certain chemicals, seem to trigger an allergic response in people with eczema causing their skin to flare up in an itchy, dry or painful rash.
You may be able to treat the symptoms of eczema and reduce its appearance on your skin, but the disease itself never goes away completely. The correct question should be, “Does coconut oil help eczema?” and the answer to that is: It depends.
How does coconut oil help eczema?
Many health websites tout coconut oil as a miracle product that can do anything from soothing dry, cracked skin and hair to whitening our teeth and freshening our breath. And there’s some truth behind the hype.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid, a nutritious fatty acid, or lipid, also found in breast milk. Lauric acid is used to develop monolaurin, which is an antimicrobial agent that can fight bacteria, fungi, yeast, viruses and other pathogens.
In other words, when you hear people talk about coconut oil having antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties beneficial to eczema, they are correct.
Coconut oil has the natural ability to penetrate the skin quickly and efficiently, which can boost hydration, improve skin elasticity, fight itch and reduce the chances of infection.
