Coconut Oil has so many benefits for your overall heath but you might be surprised to know all the benefits it has when you apply it to your skin! While I don’t typically apply coconut oil to my face due to possible pore clogging, I do love it in all my remedy DIYs where the skin needs healing.
Unrefined Coconut Oil is rich in fatty acids and triglycerides which help retain moisture in your skin. Coconut Oil is antibacterial, anti fungal and has microbial properties. It is very high in Vitamin E. If you get the right brand of coconut oil, the antioxidant level should be through the roof!
Coconut oil is usually in a solid form. It does melt at about 80 degrees or so. It doesn’t matter what form it is in when you put it on your skin.
The benefits will be the same but I prefer to whip mine into a cream. You won’t believe how light and fluffy it becomes! It’s the perfect body cream! Add some essential oils and you’ve got a fabulous body moisturizer!
Because coconut oil is incredibly healing, I prefer it in many of my homemade recipe. I’ve experienced just how healing it is first hand. In the summer we have a lot of ticks outside. Occasionally they will latch on and the bump they leave is not only painful, it’s itchy too. It leaves a mark for at least a month on me. I was using coconut oil for my daily body moisturizer and within a week it was completely gone. No pain or itching and no scar. I have never had a tick bite heal so quickly! I’ve gotten several more bites and each has healed just as quickly!
I also swear my stretch marks that I’ve had since I was a teen are becoming much less visible. Coconut oil is jam packed with antioxidants which combat those pesky free radicals that break down skin cells and cause premature aging. Go HERE to learn more!
How to Whip Coconut Oil:
- Whatever bowl you are going to use to whip your coconut oil in needs to be cold. I put my bowl in the fridge or freezer until it’s really cold.
- Add 1 cup coconut oil to your COLD bowl.
- Add 25 drops of essential oil. (optional)
- Using a mixer, begin whipping your coconut oil until it becomes light and fluffy. Could take up to 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a jar and ENJOY!
If it gets too cold or too warm wherever you store your whipped coconut oil it will melt or harden. It’s still good to use as is or you can re-whip it.
What Kind of Coconut Oil Is Best:
All coconut oils are not made equal.
When you need all the healing benefits of coconut oil you must always choose a high quality, unrefined, virgin coconut oil. Unrefined means it has been minimally processed. Unrefined coconut oil will have a strong scent of coconut. You can use it topically or ingest it. You also want to look for coconut oil that is wet-milled.
When I first started blogging, I discovered Healthy Traditions and still believe that their handmade, virgin coconut oil is the upmost quality in coconut oil possible!
Healthy Traditions do NOT mass produce their coconut oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used in the Philippines for hundreds of years. The families who produce the oil are also trained according to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards and re-certified each year.
Healthy Traditions Coconut Oil is…
Hand-made in small batches – not mass-produced by machine
Wet-milled from fresh coconut milk
High heat used to extract antioxidants (why cold-pressed is NOT best)
Tested for the herbicide glyphosate.
Find Healthy Tradition’s coconut oil HERE. It’s simply the best you can find in my opinion.
My Recipes That Contain Coconut Oil:
- Coconut Oil Healing Sticks
- Homemade Healing Salve (neosporin alternative)
- Homemade Vapor Rub
- DIY Coconut Lotion Bars
- Calendula Tamanu Healing Balm
- Chamomile Infused Coconut Lavender Diaper Rash Cream w/Clay
- Coconut Conditioning Hair Treatment
- Eye Makeup Remover
Did you know coconut oil can be used for….
- Shaving cream
- Hair de-frizzer
- Hair conditioner
- Oil Pulling
- Makeup remover
- Body moisturizer
- Massage oil
- Toothpaste
- Stretch mark reduction
- Remove goo
- Squeaky Hinges
Remember that a little goes a long way and too much will make you greasy!
I add a tbsp. to my daily smoothie the EASY WAY. How do you use coconut oil?
xx, Jenni
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I am suffering from hair loss. Tried different stuff. Nothing worked. Do you have any recipes for prevention such as, shampoo, conditioner, serum or internal supplements?
Eileen-I really don’t. I have a post on a brow serum that helps with thickening hair using rosemary essential oil and castor oil. Hair loss on the head is out of my genre-good luck though!!
Eileen I personally use a 100% natural shampoo with either coconut or Argan oil with essential oils to keep my scalp clean and nourished an to moisturize my hair since I blow dry most days.
To treat hair loss since I’m a MALE I know this first hand – I’m 26 and for the last 2 years I have been using Red Onion and Garlic to treat my receding hairline, all of my hair is now thicker, my receded line is no longer receding and growing back strong and healthy hair even in the sections I didnt have any hair at all.
If you want to have a fast treatment I would use 2 to 3 times a week or if you just want to prevent it I would do it once a fortnight or month. Yes it is smelly and thats whats so good about it, its the sulfur that has the active ingredients.
I moosh the onion and garlic with a hand blender until it becomes a paste not to much if not it becomes to watery, then I apply to the area and glad wrap for an hr, I cut a towel into a long piece about 50mm then fold it in half long ways and tie it around my head like a bandana so the juices dont go down my face – its a bit messy but it DEFINITELY WORKS!
I wash off with water and apply apple cider vinegar and leave for about 10 min do this for the next 2 – 3 days and most of the smell will go away.
Hope this helps 🙂
Hi,
the Indian women use a lot of coconut oil for their hair, at least once a week they would have their hair with oil. And we all know what beautiful hair these women have. Try it once a week: massage your scalp with coconut oil, wrap your head with a scarf and go to bed. In the morning wash your hair.
I know personally, that I’ve had itchy scalp for at least the past 9 months. I’ve swapped out shampoos and conditioners on a regular basis, I don’t over wash or under wash my hair, but nothing I did cured my itchy scalp. I didn’t have dandruff, but I build up of some kind. I figured it was worth a shot to try coconut oil on my scalp. For the last month I have been giving myself a coconut oil treatment. I section of my hair, rub coconut oil directly onto my scalp, and finish off by using the rest of the oil in my hair. I sleep with the oil in my hair and wash the next morning. I haven’t had itchy scalp since I started doing this. It’s definitely become part of my beauty routine! As far as hair regrowth…well…that verdict is still out.
Amanda-thanks for sharing that! I have heard that sometimes dandruff or an itchy scalp can be a fungal issue and coconut oil is anti fungal and healing! I’m so glad you found a natural remedy! I’d say add some castor oil into it but I have heard castor oil can be very drying. Castor oil is great for hair growth but you might be back at square one with the dry itchies! You might look into Rosemary Essential Oil-That will rev up circulation and encourage hair follicles to get going!