While coconut oil may be an overlooked staple in your kitchen, what you may not realize are its many uses outside of cooking. Instead of heading to the spa and spending big bucks on your beauty routine, why not take to the kitchen and make your own personalized spa at home? With the help of this multi-purpose oil, you can manage frizz, deep condition and moisturize without the heavy price tag.
For your bath: Add a few drops of coconut oil to your bath, or even apply some to damp skin for a moisturizing effect. You’ll come out of the bath with baby soft skin!
For your skin: If you’re feeling dry and chapped, apply coconut oil to problem areas, such as the knees and elbows, or even chapped lips. You can also add sugar to coconut oil to make a conditioning body scrub that exfoliates as well. Coconut oil has also been shown to protect the skin against sun damage, blocking approximately 20% of ultraviolet rays.
For your hands: Since coconut oil can be dense and deeply moisturizing, it works best as cuticle oil, as it nourishes your nails. That being said, there’s no harm in smoothing a little bit all over your hands, to prevent dryness.
For your hair: While taking a couple drops of coconut oil in your palm and working it through your hair (focusing on the ends) can tame frizz and fly-aways, coconut oil can also be a great hair mask for deep conditioning. Simply apply generously from root to tip, leave it in for as long as you desire (just don’t go out of the house with it) and shampoo and condition as normal.
Oil Pulling
Another surprise use for coconut oil is to use it as a sort of mouthwash in a practice called oil pulling, which cleanses the mouth leaving it free of harmful bacteria. This technique, where you swish the oil around just as you would some Listerine (only for a little longer, around 15 minutes), also prevents bad breath and reduces chances of gum disease, improving overall dental health.
If all else fails and you’re stressed just imagining concocting these tips, take a breather and get your loved one or partner to give you a rejuvenating back massage with some coconut oil. It’s a win-win situation; you’ll get the moisturizing, soothing benefits without even lifting a finger. Hey, you deserve it.
