Coconut Oil
Oh, how I love you coconut oil! Anyone that knows me knows that I just don't love it but I am perhaps, obsessed with it. I have coconut oil on my night stand, in my bathroom, 3 in the cupboard, and I use to even carry it in my car. I've used coconut oil for virtually anything from cooking with it to clearing surgery scars in 4 days!
Firstly, coconut oil is easily digested and not only converts energy into the body but has kickass health benefits. It has anti-viral, antibacterial, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties helping fight off negativity inside our bodies.
I prefer to buy organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil. Labeling can be tricky so lets break it down.
Organic meaning the coconuts are grown chemical and pesticide free; always look for the "USDA Organic" certified label. This is a good rule of thumb for all organic products food or not.
Unrefined or raw coconut oil means that the coconut oil is made out of the raw coconut meat. High heat is restricted in the process and chemical free. This also allows us to experience more of a coconutty flavor! We can always be safe when buying "virgin" or "extra virgin" meaning it is produced from the original product.
So the next time you purchase coconut oil you are going to buy: "Organic, Unrefined, Virgin Coconut Oil!!!" If you go to Trader Joe's you can buy their brand for $5.99. You will also be safe at Whole Foods or any other health foods store.
From growing my hair and eyelashes, to whitening my teeth I am a die hard coconut oil believer and fan! So let me break it down some more!
Cooking: I cook about 95% with coconut oil oppose to olive oil. It isn't greasy or oily and always makes food taste great. You can alter the taste of course. If you put a table spoon in a pan to replace instead of butter or oil and don't want the taste you won't even know you used it. If you want added flavor you can continue incorporating it throughout your cooking process. Don't forget its easy to digest, help loose weight, and help fight off any bad juju conspiring against your insides. Incorporate some into your smoothie also! Earth Balance brand sells an awesome butter spread that I use religiously to replace butter. Try a scoop of oil in your coffee as well. Trader Joe's makes a coconut oil spray which is badass for cooking. (You can also spray in your hair or on your body for a quick mist smelling and feeling like a coconut goddess…love it!)
Hair. As I am typing this I have coconut oil in my hair. I use coconut oil on a daily basis. It can be used as a deep conditioning mask, repair, or every day use. If you lather your hair, every inch, and leave in for hours, or overnight you will see a significant change. Last year, my hair was completely fried off from bleach. Literally all my hair feel out of my head and I had to cut almost 12 inches or more off my hair. I didn't go out and buy any products or treatments; I used coconut oil. In 2 weeks, I literally had my hair back….and yes a lot shorter but healthier. I promise you it works! Just note that leaving it in as a mask, your hair is oily and greasy and may feel uncomfortable at first but you'll get use to it. As far as everyday use, you have to be careful because a little bit goes along way. If you use too much for everyday use you won't be able to wear your hair down because it will look like you didn't wash your hair for a few days. Just put it on the ends of your hair and throughout but not on the scalp or around your face…that is unless you don't care. It is a miracle hair treatment. If you would prefer not to use coconut oil on a daily, I do use Organix Nourishing Coconut Weightless Healing Oil or their Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum. You can buy both products for like $5.79 at Target. They sell an abundance of products; their shampoo and conditioner rock too! The products are not tested on animals and do not contain sulfates or parabens. Most of their products are gluten-free but not all.
Oil Pulling. I use coconut oil usually about twice a week for oil pulling. Oil pulling is safe, simple, and effective, allowing for whiter teether, cleaner mouth, help teeth and gums, and cleanse anything in the body. It is at least 3,000 years old and is a natural remedy used by Asian and Indian (India) cultures. I use it first thing in the morning before I brush my teeth. Typically, I wash my face, and start doing my makeup with a table spoon of coconut oil in my mouth. While doing my makeup, I swish it around in my mouth, move it between my teeth and on my gums. When I am done with my makeup I spit it out and brush my teeth. It taste milky and it usually is yellow when I spit it out. Make sure you don't swallow it because you just pulled negative and yucky bacterias building up inside your mouth. The theory of it is swishing around the oil actually pulls the bacteria and debris out of your mouth. It is detoxing the mouth. It also helps build your immune system. I get really bad canker sores in my mouth and since I have been oil pulling I have experience hardly any. When I don't oil pull, I start noticing inflammation around my guns, and cankers starting. They say oil pulling with coconut oil is more effective than any mouth wash or oral health drugs. You can use other oils like sesame oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, and or safflower oil; I'll stick to coconut oil. Oh ya, it also helps clear up your skin.
Skin Care. Sunburns, dry skin, wounds, stretch marks, shaving lotion, eye makeup remover, face moisturizer, bath soak, sugar scrub, are all different options I religiously use coconut oil for. Being on our boat all summer at the lake, I have been a lobster. I didn't use aloe vera, or any other creams. After my bath, I literally lathered and soaked my body with the oil; It was greasy and takes a little while to dry but I felt hardly any pain and the next day I actually completely forgot I was even burnt. I healed Will's knee surgery scars in 4 days!!! Stitches and all we literally saturated his 4 battle wounds and like that, they were healed. It has natural ingredients that work like antibiotics for a speedy healing process. I like to use baby oil or coconut oil over any makeup remover. In fact, I don't even own makeup remover. It is soft on the eyes, takes mascara and eye shadower off like nothing. I also use it after I wash my face to moisturize my eyelashes and face. It is a good chapped lip remedy as well….not to mention how good it smells and tastes. Sometimes I'll add coconut oil and eucalyptus drops to a steaming hot bath. My skin is always soft and I rarely have dry skin. I use it as an aftershave and never have any razor burn….ever! Use it on your hands and cuticles as well. With raw sugar, lemon, coconut oil, and some other special ingredients, I've made a sugar scrub that is literally to die for and cleans and clears your skin in an instant!!
So yes, my infatuation runs deep…deeper than anyone knows. I believe it is a miracle worker. I live by it. It is an everyday use in my home that I literally couldn't live without. Just google or Pinterest and see what you find. Let me know how you like it or use it? Get some coconut oil in your life darlings!!!
Photos courtesy: Pinterest
