10 Pretty Cool Things You Can Do With Coconut Oil

If Mother Nature made a wonder drug, coconut oil would be it.

Supermodels have longtime attributed that beautiful skin and svelte bodies to religiously taking coconut oil, and for good reason. It’s full of nutrients, including lauric acid, a type of good fat found in breast milk. These nutrients will boost your immune system, improve your skin, and help your body burn fat. Be sure it’s raw, virgin and organic to get the most benefits.

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so you’ll most likely find it in a jar. It melts around 78°F, so you’ll notice it turn to liquid when it hits your skin or if it’s particularly warm where you store it. Never put it in the microwave – that will just kill all of the good stuff. Instead, warm it between your hands (for beauty uses) or dip a glass bowl in hot water, dry it off, then add the oil to melt it for cooking. I add it solid to most recipes and it just easily melts as it’s stirred.

10 Pretty Cool Things You Can Do With Coconut Oil

1. Take it by the spoonful.

Eat 1 teaspoon each day to soak up all of the nutrients, and your gut will benefit from it’s antimicrobial properties.

2. Use it as body and hand lotion.

You don’t get more natural that that. It smells divine and will make your skin glow, too. Leave a jar in the shower and put it on right when you towel off.

3. Use it as a hair serum/leave in conditioner.

A little goes a long way. Bye-bye flyways!

4. Massage it into your cuticles to make your hands look pretty.

5. Use it as an eye make-up remover.

Spread it between your fingers, then rub it on your lashes and use a warm damp towel to remove mascara and other eye makeup.

6. Use it to shave your legs instead of shaving cream.

It costs less per use and will leave your legs silky smooth.

7. Use it to “oil pull” and as a mouth wash.

This ancient Ayurvedic technique uses oil to trap and expel toxins from the mouth; many believe it’s a key secret to good health. Right when you wake up, before you brush your teeth, put about 1-2 teaspoons in your mouth and swish it around for up to 20 minutes, it will become easier to swish as saliva mixes with it. Swish it between your teeth and up and down, but don’t gargle – you don’t want any of the toxins to go down your throat. Be gentle with your swishing so your jaw doesn’t get tired and work your way up to 20 minutes if you can. Never swallow the oil, always spit it out then rinse with warm water and brush as usual. You’l notice your breath smelling fresher throughout the day and your teeth will become whiter, too.

8. Use it in place of butter.

It’s delicious spread on whole grain bread or drizzled on air-popped popcorn with a pinch of sea salt.

9. Bake with it.

Again, just replace any butter or vegetable oil for equal amounts coconut oil for a healthier version of your dish. It will have a faint coconut flavor, so use it in dishes that will jive with it. You can also use it to grease the pan.

10. Blend it into your smoothie.

If you don’t want to take it straight, blend it into your fruit and green smoothies to create an even creamier texture. The good fat will also help you absorb more of the nutrients from the ingredients in your smoothie.

Side note: Coconut oil does contain high amounts saturated fat, however, this particular type of saturated fat is in the form of medium-chain fatty acids, which a very different than the long-chain fatty acids found in animal products. Be mindful of how much you consume, you don’t need cups and cups a day, a little bit goes a long way for your health.

Another side note: There are obviously many culinary and beauty uses for coconut oil – keep two separate jars – one for each – so you don’t cross contaminate them. I keep one in my bathroom for beauty and one in the kitchen for eating.

Cheers!

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