Risk of coconut oil applied directly
Coconut oil (especially unrefined coconut oil) directly applied to the face or hands may be at risk. Coconut oil contains free lauric acid which may do skin irritation. Literature that, lauric acid molecular weight is small enough to be easily dissolved in the lipid phase to penetrate cell membranes, physical damage to cells and inhibits the production of energy and transport nutrients enzyme, resulting in a reversible and irreversible changes, resulting in cell death. Of course, because of this, lauric acid as saturated fatty acids has the strongest inhibition to Gram-positive microorganisms.
