Beauty Care’s Hidden Gem

The new creamy crack. Everybody and their mama’s best friend. In case you haven’t yet heard about the many health and beauty benefits of the god-sent coconut oil, here’s a list of my favorite ways to use it.  This is not an exhaustive list, there are up to hundreds of ways to use coconut oil to your benefit, but it’s only fair that I share my favorite few with you.

Here are my top 5 uses for coconut oil:

1. Hair Deep Conditioner/Moisturizer

   Work coconut oil into the scalp and throughout strands of hair as a great way to deep condition or moisturize dry hair. Depending on how dry your hair is, use every day or every other day. Coconut oil has become a part of my wash-day routine – I fill a spray bottle with 2/3 oil and 1/3 water and spray directly on my scalp and on dry locs to condition before washing.  Also great for hot oil treatments!

2. Makeup Remover

   

   Coconut oil serves as a great quick and all-natural makeup remover for both heavy foundation and eye makeup. Massage around the face for a few minutes, then wipe away with a warm face towel.  Face good as new! I don’t worry too much about the oil clogging my pores since I use my normal cleanser, toner, and moisturizer after removing the makeup.

3. Body Moisturizer

   

   Coconut oil is known to replenish those natural body oils that are released in hot showers or throughout the day. To prevent losing those natural body oils in the first place, I usually moisturize with coconut oil before showering. I know, it sounds weird – but my skin is so soft when I’m finished showering and many times I don’t even need to moisturize afterwards.  In the winter time, mix coconut oil with your favorite body lotion as an awesome duo.

4. Oil Pulling

   Oil pulling is an ancient practice that improves oral and overall health, including teeth whitening! (Need I say  more?) Swish coconut oil around your mouth for about 20 minutes once a day and notice your teeth brighten! The key is to do oil pulling first thing in the morning – before you’ve had anything to eat and drink. Also, it’s very important to spit the oil into the trash can because it can clog your sink.

5. Shaving Cream

   Too lazy to buy shaving cream? Want your legs to be silky smooth and smell great? Rub coconut oil on your legs before shaving to avoid cuts and to keep your body moisturized post-shave.

BONUS: Deodorant

Yes, deodorant. Believe it or not, coconut oil can serve as an alternative to deodorants – which are made with aluminum, parabens and other junky chemicals that are known to destroy your body and cause cancer.  I’m not suggesting dabbing your armpits with coconut oil before your 5K color run, but on a low-intensity day in the office it just might work. Read more about coconut oil as deodorant here. Also, if you’re in the market for an all-natural alternative to deodorant (I mean, real deodorant that doesn’t have all the nasty chemicals), check out this vashtie.com article.

Coconut oil is growing in popularity, so it’s easy to find in just about any retailer!  My go-to spot for coconut oil is Amazon, you can usually find a decent sized jar for cheap. But! If you’re in a rush and don’t want to wait for shipping, Target can do the trick.

My favorite brand is Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.  There are plenty of coconut oil brands available in both the cooking and beauty aisles, depending on which shop you visit. Just make sure to look for words like “unrefined” and “virgin” on the jar.

Finally, check out this article to see how much money you could save (!!!) if you replaced regular toiletry items with coconut oil.

Have any other great uses for coconut oil? Comment below!