Hello, beautiful Earthling!
Happy 2018! Hope your holidays were wonderful and filled with love! I’m thrilled to be back with some beauty tips for you! I have been trying a few things during the past few months and today I’ll share 7 Fascinating Uses for Coconut Oil that I recommend.
Keep in mind, though, your body might react differently than mine did. What you’ll read is my personal experience and it’s for general information purposes only. Ergo it doesn’t replace a professional medical care. Okey-dokey?
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Without further ado, let me take through the wonders of Coconut Oil. Shall we?
1. MOISTURIZER
This is as simple as it sounds. Coconut Oil is a natural emollient, which means it’s great to lock in moisture. You can smear all over your body after the shower (just keep in mind that after you apply it to the bottom of your feet it’ll be slippery for a few minutes, so do it when you’re sitting somewhere). As a plus, you’ll get a gorgeous natural shine over your skin – this looks mesmerising in summer.
Any skin type can benefit greatly from Coconut Oil when applied to the face, too. Combination to Oily skin will observe a great improvement in softness and overall skin barrier’s health as well as Normal to Dry skin. However, I must add that Coconut Oil might have two opposite reactions on people who are acne prone – it might help clean out your acne or it might trigger it. That happens because of its Nutritional Profile and I’ll explain this further in this article.
That being said, if you have Oily to Combination skin, you might wanna reserve Coconut Oil only for your body. Nevertheless, you’ll only know the effect if you try it. Don’t forget you can simply stop using it if it doesn’t work well for your skin.
Coconut Oil is solid at room temperature below 24ºC (76ºF) and it melts quickly once in contact with your hands. After you washed your face, pat it dry. With the help of a teaspoon, get a quantity of the size of a pea (maybe you’ll need more) into your hands and apply it on a circular motion onto your cleansed face. If you’re using Coconut Oil before going to bed, just leave it be; but if you’re using it as your Daytime Moisturizer you can let it sit for 5 minutes and then gently wipe off the excess on the surface.
2. UNDER EYE CIRCLES TREATMENT
While I’m aware that the contributing factors to under eye circles come from genes, bad dietary choices and/or poor sleep, Coconut Oil can help you minimize them for sure. As a plus, it helps with premature ageing around the eyes.
You’ll need a very small amount to do this. Just dab it around your eyes, giving attention to the under eye and crow’s feet areas and voilá! Let it be absorbed overnight.
I’ve written a full review article about this some time ago, if you’re interested click the image below.
3. MOUTHWASH
In Ayurvedic medicine practice, oil pulling has been used for over 3,000 years to detoxify the mouth, prevent bad breath, fight bacteria that cause tooth decay, and help to boost the immune system. There’s even an entire book written about oil pulling by Dr. Bruce Fife, and he says it acts as a cleanser.
“When you put it in your mouth and work it around your teeth and gums it “pulls” out bacteria and other debris. As simple as it is, oil pulling has a very powerful detoxifying effect.”
There are two options when it comes to washing your mouth with Coconut Oil: the Ayurvedic Oil Pulling that takes place in the morning and the Mouthwash way, which takes place in the evening and it’s the one I’m able to perform within the correct amount of time.
3.1. OIL PULLING
- Drink 1 cup of water on an empty stomach – this helps to regulate and cleanse your digestive tract.
- Melt 1-3 teaspoons of Virgin Coconut Oil inside your mouth – the number of spoons will depend on the size of your mouth.
- Rinse through your mouth for 10-20 minutes while you’re doing something else. You might feel your gag reflexes failing a little in the first days, don’t worry, most people do. Try increasing the time each day and your facial muscles will get used to it.
- Spit into a container (glass, cup, small bowl, etc.) that you can dispose of the gunky liquid outside – it’s recommended that you don’t spit into the sink because it can clog the pipes.
- Brush your teeth normally.
P.S.: It’s crucial that you DO NOT SWALLOW the Coconut Oil because all the nasty bacteria will be there once you rinse it through your mouth.
3.2. MOUTHWASH
- Brush your teeth normally.
- Melt 1-3 teaspoons of Virgin Coconut Oil inside your mouth. I personally need 1 over full tsp. because mine is small. You can even add 2 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil if you want a refreshing minty breath bonus.
- Rinse through your mouth for 5-10 minutes. This was particularly hard for me in the first times for a few reasons, but mostly because of my muscular condition. I started being able to do only for 5 minutes and along the weeks I increased the time +1 minute until I could reach 10. I noticed that not only it was helping my gums be healthier and my teeth brighter, but also my muscles got a lot stronger in that area. It’s definitely a great facial workout! So don’t worry if you can’t make the full time in the first times. Keep going that you’ll get there!
- Spit into a container.
4. HAIR MASK
You know when you reserve a day only to take care of yourself? Well, if your idea for a day like this involves beauty rituals, this is the time to do this hair mask!
Coat your hair from middle to ends with Coconut Oil and make a bun or a braid. Now, you have 1-2 hours to let it do its magic before you step into the shower to wash your hair – that’s why I said for you to perform this in on of these self-care beauty days. Within these 2 hours, put some music, prepare a hot tea, do a face mask and just indulge yourself.
No matter if your hair is thin, thick or dry the Coconut Oil acts as a protector from the drying effects of the shampoo and at the same time helps to regenerate your hair. It’s a win-win situation!
If you have dry ends, Coconut Oil is also a great option to seal in the moisture. In this case, start only with a very small amount and work it through the ends with your fingers.
5. COFFEE WITH COCONUT OIL
Also known as “Bulletproof Coffee” or “Ketogenic Coffee” and it’s basically a fatty coffee – yes, literally coffee with fats. More precisely Medium-Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s), and more than 85% of Coconut Oil composition is of these fats.
When added to coffee it boosts your energy in a different manner than a black coffee alone does. These fats are easy for the body to burn as a fuel and it gives a distributed energy throughout the day, unlike coffee that gives you a fast peek and soon you feel tired and unfocused. Many athletes blend their morning coffee with coconut oil and grass-fed ghee (a clarified butter without any lactose or casein, but rich in short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids) to increase performance and energy.
To prepare my version of Bulletproof Coffee you just need to:
- Brew the black coffee on your machine;
- Serve the amount you’ll drink in a mug and pour into a blender;
- Add 1 teaspoon of Virgin Coconut Oil;
- Blend it all for 2-5 minutes and serve back into your mug.
Start only with 1 teaspoon because this really accelerates your metabolism – this way you won’t be running to the bathroom all day to poop (yes, you read it right). Let your body get used to it and then add 1 more tsp. for a creamier coffee. Okay? Okay.
6. HIGHLIGHTER
I discovered this by accident, back on the day when I tried the under eye circles treatment. You’ve probably already noticed that Coconut Oil has natural shiny-shimmery particles to it, and that works beautifully as a highlighter! It’s so natural and subtle but still so effective, especially for a dewy kind of look – which I love.
To get the shine you apply a little amount of Coconut Oil on the points of your face you wish to accentuate. As an example, if your nose is smaller already – like mine – apply a dollop only on the tip; if you want your nose to look smaller, do like it shows in the illustration.
A plus tip is to mix the Coconut Oil with creamy blushes, eyeshadows or lipsticks – even matte. You can create a full dewy makeup look with this trick – glossy eyes, nourished lips and a natural shine.
7. MAKEUP REMOVER
We’ve talked about this before here on the blog and even though it’s hard to imagine that the same ingredient that seals in moisture is able to clean our skin as well, especially OILY skin. In fact, we’ve learned this in chemistry class at school. It comes from the rule that “like dissolves like”. The Coconut Oil and our skin’s natural oil – sebum – have the same non-polar molecules, thus one sticks to the other because non-polar molecules only dissolve in non-polar solvents. That’s why waterproof makeup is often dissolved in some oil-based biphasic makeup remover. However, there’s no makeup remover – I dare say in the market – better than Virgin Coconut Oil.
You can be generous with it for this procedure. Grab some oil with the help of a spoon and spread on your cheeks, chin, forehead and nose. After that, close your eyes and start removing the makeup all over them – especially on your lashes. Then move to the makeup and grime on the rest of your face. Do this for at least 1 or 2 minutes. You may think this is too much time but let me ask you something:
When you’re doing the dishes at home, do you pass the sponge on that dirty frying pan only once or you dedicate a little more time so it gets truly clean?
It’s the same thing with your face! Throughout the day you’re exposed to all kinds of pollution and bacteria that glue to your makeup and sebum in your face so you’ll need a little more dedication to remove all that. Capisce?
Time to rinse it all off, right? Wrong.
Chemistry is also the reason why you can’t simply rinse your face with water after performing this; water is made of polar molecules so they don’t mix with oil. Instead, use a muslin cloth or a little towel soaked in water to remove all the grime. As bonuses, the towel will also give you a physic exfoliation and the oil won’t strip your skin. Even so, it’s unquestionable you moisturize after cleansing.
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FACTS ABOUT THE COCONUT OIL’s NUTRITIONAL PROFILE
Coconut Oil contains three unique fatty acids: Lauric acid, Capric acid and Caprylic acid – these are some of the rarest substances found in nature and that’s the reason why this oil provides so many health benefits. Among them antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that boost the immune system by fighting harmful life forms.
The vast majority of the fats in Coconut Oil are medium-chain triglycerides being almost 50% only of lauric acid. Their specific chemical composition allows the body to absorb them whole, which leads to an easier digestion and is used as a direct source of energy.
Lauric acid is also the component that has a double personality when it comes to acne behaviour. Coconut Oil in its pure form (virgin) has around 50% of Lauric acid and this component whilst has anti-bacterial properties – hence acting against the bacteria that causes acne –, it’s also highly comedogenic, on the scale from 0 to 5, Coconut Oil is 4 – which means it can potentially clog the pores and cause breakouts. However, as I mentioned earlier this is a matter of personal suitability.
The antioxidant capacity of Virgin Coconut Oil is relatively good due to its high concentration of phenols, such as ferulic acid and catechin (also found in green tea). In addition, it contains linoleic acid, oleic acid, myristic acid as well as small amounts of vitamin E, K and iron.
PURCHASE & STORAGE
One thing is essential for you to enjoy all of Coconut Oil inherent health benefits: it must be organic and unrefined. In other words, virgin. There’s the Virgin Coconut Oil and the RBD or Fractionated Coconut Oil – RBD stands for Refined, Bleached and Deodorized – some of these refined options become even hydrogenated, which turns into a synthetic trans-fat oil. So stay away from them!
Apart from the nutritional content, these two also differ in the state and scientific name. Virgin Coconut Oil is always hard below 24ºC and it’s called cocus nucifera oil on an ingredients list, whilst RBD Coconut Oil is always liquid and it’s called caprylic/capric triglyceride. Thus, if you’re in doubt because the package doesn’t specifically say “virgin”, “fractionated” or “RBD”, check for those two things.
Coconut Oil is highly stable, which means it doesn’t go rancid at room temperatures or even higher ones, for that matter. And it has a remarkable shelf life of 2 years so you don’t need to worry about purchasing the largest size of it.
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Hey, you! If you’ve read until the end, thank you so much! You’re the best! That’s the first article of 2018 and probably my longest one since I’ve started blogging. It’s packed with good information and insights.
However, insight without action is useless, Earthling! In the comments below, tell me what’s THE ONE tip you wanna start doing right away? I’m so curious to know!
Here’s to one more year ahead full of good content! Cheers!
Many kisses and see you soon! 🙂
Go Nuts For Coconut Oil!
*pun totally intended*
Lina Levien 