Can I Use Coconut Oil for Tanning? (7 Benefits & Dangers)
If you are a sun worshipper looking for a natural sun-tanning product that’ll create a bronzy, light glow without leaving behind red and burned skin, help is here.
Commonly found in tropical areas of the world, coconut oil is a multitasking beauty product that accelerates the tanning process quickly — no passport required!
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Can I Use Coconut Oil for Tanning?
Yes, of course!
While this sweet-smelling and fatty oil has a limited sun protection factor (SPF) of 8, it’s best to mix the pure coconut oil with your favorite sunscreen if you plan to bake in the sun for longer than 15 minutes.
How Does Tanning Oil Work?
Tanning lotions and oils are used to intensify the UV rays effect on the skin. Tanning oil can work to bring about a tanned appearance to the skin; this is done by producing extra melanin.
Oils that work in this way normally has melanin as the main ingredient. Alternatively oil used for tanning can work to increase the blood flow, which in turn brings a higher level of melanin to the upper layers of the skin.
To really understand how tanning oil work, you need to understand the basics about your skin. The skin is made up of two levels, the epidermis or outer layer and the dermis or inner layer. The epidermis acts as a protective layer for the dermis and it is this layer that the oils target for tanning.
The deepest layer of the epidermis is affected and gets darker when it comes in direct contact with the sun. On the other hand, the outermost layer of the epidermis is affected when you use oil to tan.
What Types of Coconut Oil Should I Use?
There are three types of coconut oil: refined, virgin, and partially hydrogenated.
Straight from the bottle or jar, “virgin” or “extra virgin” coconut oil is a white, solid substance with a mild scent. It is an edible and unrefined oil extracted from the fleshy meat of a ripe coconut.
Refined or partially hydrogenated coconut oil is chemically deodorized, bleached, and derived from dried coconut meat.
You can use all three oils for your tanning sessions, but virgin coconut oil is the only chemical-free option.
Gently Warm the Coconut Oil
You can liquefy your unrefined, virgin coconut oil by submerging the bottle into a pan or bowl of hot water for 15 minutes or more at a temperature above 25 Centigrade or 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Or, you can rub a quarter-sized amount of the oil in between the palms of your hands.
If you want to add a scent to your tanning oil, combine 1/2 cup of coconut oil with two to three drops of gardenia fragrance or gardenia oil(Ref 6).
How to Tan With Coconut Oil
To enhance and quicken the effects of the sun's rays, you can use coconut oil for tanning without burning your skin.
- Put your bathing suit on. There's no need to be shy. The more skin you expose, the more of your body will be tan and golden brown.
- Pull your hair up (you don't want it hanging down at all), so you can get the back of your neck oiled and exposed to the sun.
- Before you start slathering your skin with oil, exfoliate your skin in the shower with a loofah brush. The loofah will help remove dead skin and allow your skin to tan smoothly and evenly.
- After your shower, place a quarter-sized amount of the liquefied coconut oil into the palm of your hand.
- Rub it together with your other palm. This warms the oil up and makes it easier to spread. More spreadable oil ensures that you all your nooks and crannies will get some.
- Start with the back of your neck; rub the oil up to the front and down your chest. Your face's skin is more delicate delicate, so skip putting oil on it. It's better to use sunscreen and a bronzer powder on the face, to give it a glow that matches the rest of you.
- Rub oil into your shoulders, front and back. Get it thoroughly into each arm, back and front. Don't worry about using too much; it's better to have too much than too little on your skin. Also, the oil itself isn't going to harm you.
- Move down to your cleavage, abdomen and lower back. Get a friend to oil the part of your back you can't reach. Put oil on your sides, too. You basically want to put the oil on every uncovered part of yourself.
- Smooth on the oil at the top of your feet, around the ankles, and up and around your calves.
- Rub the sides of your booty next, then the bottom of your cheeks. Do the top of your legs, all the way down to the top of your feet.
- Continue adding small portions of the oil to your hand until your cover your entire body, except around the eyes.
- Let the oil seep into the skin for five minutes before tanning outside.Now your ready to lie down out in the sun on your towel.
Shield Your Skin from the Sun’s Harmful Rays
While the high-fat content of coconut oil conditions the skin, a 2010 study in the “Journal of Pharmacognosy Research” found it has limited SPF, or sun protection factor of 8, and does not block the absorption of Vitamin D into the skin.
The American Cancer Society recommends using a product with an SPF of 30 or higher to block and absorb UV rays effectively.
If you are not wearing sunscreen, you should not tan for longer than 30 minutes. For a longer and sun-safe tanning session that does not exceed two hours, you can apply a palmful of sunscreen 30 minutes before using smooth on the coconut oil.
To minimize any additional sun damage, avoid any direct exposure to the sun’s rays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., says the American Cancer Society’s website.
Final Coconut Oil For Tanning Tips and Tricks
Ahhh…the feel of the sun warming your skin while you're laying out for a tan is unbeatable.
The golden glow you get gives you a look of supreme health.
When you have a tan, you feel confident in your shortest skirt, your smallest tank top and your itsy bitsy bikini.
A great tanning oil helps to condition and protect the skin while you tan.
Coconut oil is a multitasking beauty product used in outdoor tanning because it contains moderate levels of lauric acid, which according to OrganicFacts.net and Mercola.com is an essential fatty acid that helps to retain and add moisture to the skin.
- There's no need to tan for more than two hours at a time; an application of coconut oil lasts that long.
- Because coconut oil has a limited sun protection factor, or SPF, of 8, you should never tan outdoors with this product alone.
- To protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays, mix the pure coconut oil with your favorite waterproof sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher.
- To enhance your tan, exfoliate your skin first with a loofah. After your tan, try not to shower for up to 24 hours.
- Make sure you are using moisturizer daily while you're in a regular tanning cycle.
- Be careful with tanning oil, especially if you're fair-skinned. You'll want to build up a bit of a tan first (with the aid of sunscreen) before you use oil. Otherwise, you're likely to burn badly.
- The important thing to note about coconut oil for tanning is that it contains less protection against the sun's rays than the lotions do (in fact there is no protection in most coconut tanning oils.
Coconut Oil for Tanning References:
- US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health: In Vitro Sun Protection Factor Determination of Herbal Oils used in Cosmetics
- Mercola.com: Traditional Tanning Oils Contain Harsh Chemicals and Potentially Dangerous Ingredients
- Organic Facts: Coconut Tanning Oil
