I get it, you have a ‘best friend.’ We all do. She understands you, and loves you, and is always there for you. There’s no one else in the world who could take her place. Except for one thing: Coconut Oil. This super oil is absolutely amazing, and with one trial of any of these uses, you’ll be calling Coconut Oil your best friend… for life!
1. Cooking: It is easy to cook with and adds a unique flavor to your food. Coconut oil has a high smoke point when compared to other types of cooking oils, which means you can use it when cooking at a higher temperature. Coconut oil is great for both baking and frying, and for those of you who are dairy-free, coconut oil serves as a great alternative to butter!
2. Shaving Cream: Ditch the expensive foam and switch to coconut oil! It acts as a natural lubricant, so you don’t need to worry about nicking your skin whilst shaving. It also leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturized, without the mess of shaving cream.
3. Moisturizer: Coconut oil is great for a perfume-free moisturizer. For people with dry skin, it has been proven to both improve moisture and lipid content of skin. It also doesn’t make your skin feel greasy or oily, like other lotions or oils can.
4. Makeup Remover: Ditch conventional makeup removers, and grab some coconut oil instead! Unlike wipes and alcohol-based makeup removers, which don’t remove all of your makeup and can leave your skin feeling dry, the coconut oil easily removes makeup from your face and keeps you moisturized—all without clogging your pores.
5. Hair Care: A small amount rubbed into your hands and then ran through your hair will help to prevent frizz. It also serves as an incredibly intensive natural hair mask. Just saturate your hair with coconut oil, pull it into a bun or a braid, and let it hydrate your hair for a couple hours. For optimal results, it’s suggested to leave it on overnight. Wash it out normally, and find your hair glossy and smooth. Coconut oil hair masks help prevent breakage and stimulate hair growth.
6. Sunscreen: Coconut oil has an SPF of 4, and increases the production of melanin in the body, which helps you get tan without having to deal with synthetic protectants or nasty sunburns.
7. Teeth Whitener: Though it has recently surfaced in the US as the ‘newest’ beauty trend, oil pulling has existed around the world for centuries. Oil pulling is using coconut oil as a mouthwash, swishing a tablespoon of the oil around your mouth for 5-20 minutes every day. Though it has not been scientifically tested, people report that oil pulling reduces bad breath, whitens teeth, and improves oral health. The act of oil pulling also adds definition to your face over time. If you’re crunched for time, baking soda paired with coconut oil works as a quick way to whiten your teeth while brushing them.
8. Fat Burning: No, coconut oil won’t magically make you shed 15 pounds overnight, but it does help you burn fat. The medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in coconut oil increase energy expenditure, which helps you burn fat faster. The fatty acids in coconut oil can actually reduce appetite, curbing hunger and causing you to eat less. This has to do with the way MCT is metabolized in the body. Coconut oil is especially effective in reducing abdominal fat, which is associated with many diseases in the US.
9. Antibacterial Properties: Another type of fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid, and when coconut oil is digested, it forms a monoglyceride called monolaurin. Both monolaurin and lauric acid have been shown to not only kill bacteria, but viruses and fungi as well. Topical and oral usage of coconut oil has been proven to help prevent staph and yeast infections.
10. Health Benefits: Scientific studies have shown that ingesting coconut oil improves cholesterol, helps prevent the coagulation of blood, and improves antioxidant statuses in the body, which can reduce the risk of heart disease. Because the MCT’s in coconut oil are turned into ketones, which help reduce seizures, treatment is being done where epileptic children are now allowed to eat more carbs while on a ketogenic diet when they ingest coconut oil.