Coconut oil is trending as the most versatile health product on the planet.
Along with being my favorite cooking oil, coconut oil has many applications when it comes to beauty treatments. This wonder oil is beneficial in skin care, hair care, weight loss, treating skin infections, improving digestion, and boosting immunity against a host of infections and diseases.
The Beauty of Coconut Oil
It has a high lauric acid content and natural saturated fats, which play a huge factor in why it’s so diverse in its uses for the body. Studies show that the natural components of coconut oil provide unprecedented versatility. I would say that coconut oil use in cosmetics can be divided into three categories: moisturization, body purification, and hair growth. Here are my three favorite uses that I highly recommend:
Natural Moisturizing Treatments
My sister and I use coconut oil as a natural lip balm or in recipes for lip scrubs. The oil contains antioxidants, commonly found in skin care products, which help to ward against free radicals that damage skin cells. When used as a topical moisturizer, multiple antioxidants in the oil help prevent wrinkles, lighten age spots, cure skin irritation, and get rid of cellulite. A wonderful recipe that I’ve used many times includes mixing coconut oil with sugar and coffee grinds to create a wholesome exfoliating coffee scrub for the face.
Body Purification
The unique fat composition in coconut oil encourages healthy hair revitalization and can even cure dandruff. Used as a hair mask or a leave-in conditioner, the oil rejuvenates your hair’s dead ends, nourishes your scalp, and prevents sebum build up in hair follicles. Since coconut oil facilitates the bodies absorption of calcium, some people mix the oil with baking soda to make a natural whitening, strengthening toothpaste. Because the oil is more of a paste, I especially use coconut oil as a makeup remover cream. And after a refreshing facial coffee scrub, antibacterial components from the oil help fight acne and fungal infections on the skin.
Hair Growth
Finally my most favorite quality of coconut oil yet. The vitamins and essential fatty acids naturally found in coconut oil stimulates hair to grow longer, thicker, and faster. Because it’s rich in proteins and fatty acids such as lauric, myristic, and caprylic, coconut oil is able to penetrate each hair bulb and strengthen them from the inside. Coconut oil is also the only oil that actively prevents protein loss, which directly causes weak, brittle hair follicles. For me, the first thought that comes to mind is my eyelashes! Spin a spoolie in some coconut oil and brush it on your lashes every night. When used daily, within a couple of weeks your lashes will thicken and glow. This technique also works for eyebrows and hair.
Let’s Get Started
Now that I’ve explained why coconut oil is so amazing, let’s get you started on using it.
First of all, there are mainly two types of coconut oil on the supermarket shelves: unrefined, often called “extra virgin organic coconut oil”, and refined, also called “cooking coconut oil”. The unrefined oil, as its name suggests, undergoes less processing so I believe it retains more of its natural beneficial properties compared to refined oil.
Because of coconut oil’s growing popularity, you can find both types in any major grocery store. I prefer to buy Tropical Life Organic Coconut Oil from Walmart which ranges from $10-$12. I also highly recommend getting a good spoolie brush if you want to apply it onto your lashes, but alternatively, you can use a Q-tip. When storing your oil, keep in mind that the melting point of coconut oil is 76ºF. In tropical Hawaii, your coconut oil may turn into liquid form on hot days but that does not mean the oil has spoiled. If you need it to solidify, just pop the container into your refrigerator to harden it until it’s the texture you want.
I hope you learned a lot about my absolute favorite beauty product. My next post is on my preferred brand of body cleanser, so stay tuned to Flying in Vogue!
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