From a sore throat to dry skin, coconut oil is your body’s best friend. Its properties are beneficial, whether ingested or applied topically for many body ailments.
Those who swear by it suggest buying unrefined virgin coconut oil, as it’s less processed and is produced from fresh coconut.
Coconut oil is full of saturated fats that can boost your energy and benefit your body.
It has antioxidant and anti-aging properties that stop the effects of aging—even the whitening of the hair. It’s full of vitamin E, a key ingredient for healthy hair and skin.
Coconut oil is also antimicrobial, so it protects the body internally and externally from infections.
It has been proven to improve cholesterol levels and heart health while speeding up the metabolism when ingested daily.
Coconut oil is famous for its versatility of uses and benefits. Cultures that consume a lot of coconut oil are known to be among the healthiest people on the planet.
Along with cooking, it can be ingested or used topically for a variety of health and beauty problems.
Ingesting coconut oil is good for your body in a variety of ways. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil to some tea and it will help someone fight off a cold or soothe their sore throat because of its antibacterial properties.
A daily dose of the oil can also help:
Support a healthy digestive system
Although it’s rumoured that saturated fats are bad for you, the ones in coconut oil are actually extremely good for the body. Coconut oil has been shown to help with ulcers and help increase metabolism leading to weight loss.
Boost heart health
Coconut oil helps improve circulation and reduces the chance of blood clots. The naturally occurring saturated fats within the oil help to promote regular heart health.
Anxiety and depression
Coconut oil increases your cholesterol level, which is proven to be good for depression. The antioxidants within the oil have been proven to increase mood as much as anti-depressants.
Give your brain a boost of energy
Coconut oil gives you energy for a full day and a spoonful of it tastes great in your morning coffee.
Improve sleep
When taken daily, it can help regulate the sleep cycle.
Coconut also has amazing benefits when applied to the skin and hair topically. It can be used as a variety of products. It’s known to moisturize the skin and stimulate hair growth.
In different proportions it can be used as:
Basic lotion: Just rub into the skin following your shower like any other moisturizer.
Chapstick: Works to moisturize the lips while providing natural sun protection.
Make-up remover: Gentle enough to effectively remove dark eye makeup without any stinging.
Sunscreen: Coconut oil has a natural SPF around 10, so it naturally protects the skin without exposing it to harmful chemicals.
Deep-conditioning hair treatment: Apply to the scalp and let it sit for a few hours before washing the oil out.
Anti-frizz cream: Just use a tiny bit to smooth out stray hairs.
Shaving cream: Coat your legs in coconut oil before shaving to finish with a soft and moisturized shave.
Healing/itch cream for cuts and bruises: Its antibacterial qualities promote healing, so applying it to minor injuries can speed up your recovery time. It’s good to use on mosquito bites or even chicken pox.
Anti-acne treatment: Many find that when they use it on their face daily, their acne improves. The oil cleansing method is a new way to wash your face using only natural oils. The idea is to replace old oils on your face with new oils that moisturize and regenerate the skin.
Massage oil: Many find coconut oil is a very effective natural massage oil that doesn’t leave you feeling greasy.
Personal lubricant: There has been an online boom of bloggers talking about coconut oil as lube. Due to its antibacterial properties, it’s been shown to be safe—but note that coconut oil can weaken and break latex condoms!
Prevents and treats yeast infections: There have been studies to show the antibacterial properties of coconut oil are effective in breaking down excess yeast that occurs due to a yeast infection. To kill a yeast infection with coconut oil, you can try a few different methods. You can eat five tablespoons of coconut oil daily or apply coconut oil topically to the area. Multiple bloggers swear by dipping a tampon in coconut oil before inserting for a few hours.
Lice treatment: This works best if you coat your hair in apple cider vinegar first, but the idea is that you suffocate the lice in the oil. You coat your hair in oil for around five hours and cover it, then comb out all of the dead bugs and eggs.
Coconut oil can also be used as an ingredient in a variety of homemade care products such as soap, lotion bars, and even toothpaste. It’s something you’ll always want to have on hand for any of your health and beauty dilemmas.
