Pros: Nothing better than coconut oil for your skin!
The scent is to die for (if you love lemons...)
Cons: Messy to apply
Overpriced
I bought this oil based on the raving reviews I found on the net.
It comes in a 5.6 cm/2.2" (diameter) x 4.7 mm/1.85" (height) glass container with aluminium lid containing 45 ml/1.5 fl oz of oil, packed in the same size hard cardboard box as the Martin de Candre shaving soap (200 gr). You'll pay ±23$ per unit or 511$/l (or 33.81 fl oz) excl. shipping.
There is no discussion about this: coconut oil is good for your skin and this oil consists for 95% of coconut/copra oil.
The company suggests using the oil in its solid state. And that's for me where the trouble starts: coconut solidifies at 24.4ºC/76ºF. I live in Zimbabwe where 95% of the time the temperature is >25ºC. So I have to keep it in my fridge. And then it becomes too thick imho to be usable... too much of a hassle to me ;-) In liquid form, it applies very easily and is easily absorbed by the skin, leaving very little oily residue on the hands. In liquid form, the closure of the lid is not tight enough and you will spill a few drops when holding the container skew... A regular bottle with a dropper would be more convenient. Also I'm afraid using it in liquid form might increase usage and then there is of course the issue of...
...Price...
Coconut oil can be had for 20-25$/l, chamomile oil for 2,000-2,500$/l or combined in the same proportion as the finished product, just under 150$/l. (The few drops of essential oil of lemon won't change the coast...) Prices seem to vary quite a lot on Amazon depending on size/brand. I also understand there is a variety of coconut oil, 'fractionated', that remains liquid in the fridge and seemingly comes at a higher price. This is clearly not the 'fractionated' version.
Even here in Zimbabwe, where there are no coconut palms, coconut oil is available from local manufacturers, be it at ±60$/l. It is a very popular product to keep African hair in good condition. Yesterday, I–irresponsible me–was outside in full sun for the whole day without wearing a hat. After a shower I donned a teaspoon amount of local coconut oil on my sunburned forehead and this worked as well as the Martin de Candre oil... even without the 5% chamomile oil.
The scent is beautiful, natural lemon. I love it! But maybe, just maybe I should get myself some essential oil of lemon and mix it with the locally available coconut oil??? In the end, I do not really feel the 750% difference in price...
(Do I need to state that the score for 'latherability' is not relevant here?)