So being allergic to parabens sucks. A lot of beauty products have these things hidden in them. Even after switching to sensitive brands there is always something else add or a different chemical I react to. *pouts* I've taken to using rose water for a good alternative to facial toner.

I've heard coconut oil is really good for your hair/skin and I want to try it but I have a feeling that a lot of the brands we get in the snowy land of Canada aren't going to be close to the real thing or they'll suffer from the same thing my other beauty products do.

Short of making my own (the coconuts aren't that great here either) I'm not really sure what to do. Does anyone use this method/have any brands they can recommend?

I just use the coconut oil that you purchase for cooking. It's bought in a giant tub, and I'll just scoop out what I need for my hair if I'm feeling like I need to make a mask for it. Keeping in mind that it's oil, I would never use it on my face on purpose. I've heard that it's popular to use activated charcoal for facials, though, or mud-masks. You can purchase the charcoal in a grocery store, and sometimes they come in pill-form as vitamins; just pull the pill open and mix it with water.

I love coconut oil. I use it as a hair conditioner and styling product. It's the only thing that I can use on my curly hair that consistently works well.

I can't imagine that there would be much difference between brands. As long as the oil is stored well and isn't old, it should be just fine. Buy it at a grocery store or health food store if possible - They'll guarantee that it's in decent shape.

True if it's for consumption it has to be good. :D

Charcoal. hmm That's something I've been meaning to try "black sugar scrub"

I haven't gotten to the point of buying a tub of the stuff, but I do use a spray coconut water. Just something I find in the hair care aisle.

For my skin I tend to use lush products. They are all natural, so if you are allergic to something, its a bit easier to pick out than a chemical.

I recently started using coconut oil to remove eye makeup. It's the only thing I've ever tried that works well and doesn't hurt in some way.

I just buy this (organic, virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined) coconut oil at Trader Joe's (it's only 6 or 7 bucks in the store): Lovely stuff

Some folks will buy "unscented" for cosmetic use, but I dunno what witchcraft they use to get the coconut smell out. :)

I use cold-pressed virgin coconut oil all the time for my hair and skin. I love it. I don't
know why you wouldn't want to use it on your face, though? It's really helped my skin
clear up, and it gets so soft. I just put it on before bed instead of during the day, so my
skin isn't all shiny. It's also great for make-up removal, on the rare occasions when I put
some on.

Some people recommended it for shaving, which I didn't find as good, though. It worked
well, but for some reason it dulled my blades much quicker.

I've been using a jojoba oil on my face, and holy shit, I love the stuff.
I also found this beautiful non-alcoholic rose witchhazel which I use as a toner, and I've been exceedingly happy with that one, too.

Ah, there's this cream facial wash I like to use called something like...Yes To Carrot that works great.