Okay. I concede. I can't really come up with 101 reasons to use coconut oil. Maybe 10 or 20. Maybe more if I really give it thought. Nonetheless, I'm finding that I love coconut oil and here's why everyone should have a supply of it in their pantry.
1) It's a great moisturizer. I can hear a number of my lady readers shuddering, but give it a chance before you reject the idea. I love coconut oil for moisturizing. It's very thin and light and soaks right into the skin, leaving it feeling 'dewy' for lack of a better word. I use it at night and in the mornings under make-up. It's also nice because it doesn't sting when you apply it to freshly-shaved legs or sunburned faces.
2) It's a great hair treatment. I use it for smoothing fly-aways, as a protectant before I heat style and as a deep conditioner. No weird chemicals, no offensive smells, just shiny, silky hair.
3) It has a long shelf-life. Among oils, coconut oil has one of the longest shelf-lives; 2 years or more if stored properly and even longer if stored in the freezer.
4) It's good for you. Emerging science suggests coconut oil is beneficial to the body, even more so than olive oil.
5) It's great for frying. Use it in place of butter for grilled cheese, or for pan frying chicken. No, it doesn't make everything taste like coconut. Some brands may, other brands not so much.
6) You can use it to condition leather. My poor old 'wear-em-everyday' leather sandles were looking so shabby, so I polished them with a bit of coconut oil and they look so much better!
7) You can use it as a carrier oil. Coconut oil is a nice, neutral carrier for potent essential oils like tea tree oil or mint. It would make a great base for homemade massage oil.
8) It's great for baking. Coconut oil, used cup for cup in place of other oils/fats, makes wonderfully moist baked goods. And if substituting coconut oil for vegetable oil makes brownies healthier, then I'm all for it! Imagine: brownies; a health food!
9) A little goes a long, long way. For beauty purposes, just a couple dabs will moisturize your face. Just a couple drops will make your hair shiny and frizz-free. Coconut oil may be a touch expensive in some areas, but a small container will last for a long time.
10) You can find it most anywhere. Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, Amazon.com sell coconut oil. Check the organic/baking sections of your local grocer or health food store and see for yourself.
So have I convinced anyone to try coconut oil? If you already have coconut oil in your pantry, what are your favorite uses?
7 comments:
I'm learning that I love coconut oil, too! I use it in my granola sometimes, baking, and tonight, we used it to make home fries. I saw a deodorant recipe a week or so ago that I'm going to try which calls for coconut oil.
Great post!
I absolutely agree!!! I used it in my son's formula (taken from Nourishing Traditions), when we adopted him as an infant. I am completely convinced that it was the number one nutrient in that formula for him...so I started adding it to smoothies for him, scrambling his eggs in it...anything I can come up with. And NOW...I just made my own deodorant with it! I LOOOOOVE that stuff...best in the world:) Awesome post!
I love the way it smells! It's kind of like being inside an Mounds bar!
I use it in my homemade soap. It makes lovely lather.
Also as a carrier oil for massage oils. I use it in baking also. If fact, I rarely use any other vegetable oil besides olive and coconut anymore. It works great for deep-frying(I don't buy the expensive organic stuff tho').
Thanks for the suggestions! Gen at OPN recommends coconut oil for popcorn and seasoning cast iron too!
Oh, yes! It works great for popcorn and I grease my cast iron with it too.
Coconut oil is a natural way to find yeasty bugs, inside and out. Can stop the pain of a sunburn and help the skin not to blister etc, just keep applying.
It is a must have in my preps.
HUP
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