The Many Uses For Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is amazing. I’ve mentioned it before: here. It tastes great on oatmeal. True story, but it has many, many benefits.

You can look for it in a health food store and most supermarkets are starting to carry it. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you may need to warm it first. Usually 5-10 seconds in the microwave will do the trick.

[alert-note]Coconut Oil is anti-bacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial/infection fighting, an antioxidant, anti-parasitic, anti-protozoa, anti-viral, nontoxic to humans and animals.[/alert-note]

One of our favorite uses for coconut oil is that it can immediately reduce the redness of a sunburn and also prevent peeling. Bonus: You’ll smell delicious as you moisturize and soothe your skin!

Here are some more great benefits to coconut oil:

Moisturizer – simply scoop some out of the jar and apply all over your body, including neck and face.

Eye cream – apply under the eyes to reduce puffiness, bags, and wrinkles. Use on the lids in the evening.

Preshave – coconut oil will prep skin for the pending damage caused by shaving.

Aftershave – coconut oil will help heal your skin after shaving without clogging pores.

Deodorant – coconut oil alone can be used as a deodorant, but even more effective in combination with cornstarch/arrowroot powder and baking soda!

Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment – use as a leave in hair conditioner by applying a teaspoon of coconut oil to your ends and then running your fingers through your hair to distribute the rest! For a deeper treatment, rub in a tablespoon of coconut oil onto your dry scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put a shower cap on to prevent transfer onto bed linens and leave on overnight.

Hair Gel/Defrizzer – rub a little between your palms and either scrunch into hair (for curly hair) or finger comb in through from scalp to ends (for wavy/straight hair).

Toothpaste – there are numerous recipes out there but I just mix coconut oil and baking soda and dab a little of the mix on my toothbrush.

Make up remover – use a cotton swab and a dab of coconut oil and you would be amazed at how well it works!

Chapstick – just rub a little into lips!

Massage Oil – pretty simple; grab some and rub!

Foot Cream – Great for dry, cracked feet.

Stretch Mark Cream – coconut oil is great at nourishing damaged skin. It may not be the magic stretch mark cure but it will help.

Nipple Cream – works great to nourish cracked, sore, or dry nipples. Apply to a cotton ball and leave on your nipples between feedings.

Diaper salve – very comforting on a rashy bum with no harsh chemicals. Also safe for cloth diapers.

Cradle cap – having issues with dry skin on your baby’s scalp? Coconut oil will not only nourish your baby’s skin, it also helps eliminate cradle cap. Just rub a teaspoon onto scalp daily.

Body scrub – mix coconut oil and sugar together and rub all over! Rinse off and your skin will be super soft! You can add in essential oils if you would like a specific smell.

Healing – when applied on scrapes and cuts, coconut oil forms a thin, chemical layer which protects the wound from outside dust, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil speeds up the healing process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues. Plus, it smells a heck-of-a-lot better than anything from the pharmacy.

Bug Bites – when applied directly to a bug bite, coconut oil can stop the itching and burning sensation as well as hasten the healing process.

Cooking

– Use cup to cup ratio when replacing other oils/butter in recipes with coconut oil.

– Replacement for butter/lard/Crisco/PAM in it’s solid form – greasing pans, pie crusts, etc.

– Replacement for various oils in liquid form – baking, cooking, saut ing, etc.

– Nutritional supplement – melt and add to smoothies.

Insect repellent – mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with Deet! Tons safer too.

Goo Gone – just mix equal parts coconut oil and baking soda into a paste. Apply to the “sticky” area and let it set for a minute. Then scrub off with an old toothbrush or the scrubby side of a sponge.

Chewing Gum Hair Remover – just rub some coconut oil over the stuck chewing gum, leave in for about 0 minutes, then roll the gum between your fingertip. Voila! It’s out!

Polish Furniture – coconut oil with a little bit of lemon juice to polish wood furniture. However, I recommend you test it first on a very small, unobtrusive part of your furniture to make sure it works the way you’d like.

Polishing Bronze – all you have to do is rub a little oil into a cotton towel and then wipe down the statue. It cleans and helps deepen the color of your bronze.