28 ways to use coconut oil

Image via Deviant Art

If there’s one product health food fanatics love more than kale, it’s coconut oil.

Aside from being a useful cooking ingredient, it’s a damn handy product to have in your beauty arsenal. Coconut oil isn’t only great for eating – it can double as a moisturiser, nappy rash treatment, shaving cream, personal lubricant… That’s what we call a good return on investment.

Here are 29 ways to use coconut oil.

Use your pure coconut oil...

1. As a delicious substitute for butter when baking (or on your toast!)

2. In cooking - it tastes delicious, and it has a higher smoke point than other oils, which makes it ideal for high-heat cooking because it won't oxidise.

3. As an intensive hair mask. Apply the oil to dry hair, cover with a hair cap and leave it overnight (the cap is important, unless you want a greasy pillowcase). Wash it out in the morning for beautiful, shiny hair - you might have to shampoo twice to get it all out though.

4. To help clear up scarring - just massage the oil into affected areas.

5. As an eye makeup remover - pour a small amount on a cotton wool ball and gently rub it over your eyelids.

6. To help fade stretch marks, and to prevent them developing during pregnancy. Coconut oil can also be used by breastfeeding mums to keep their nipples from cracking.

7. As a sexual lubricant. No, really - just keep in mind it can weaken latex condoms, so opt for polyurethane ones instead.

8. As a natural, and very effective, lip balm.

9. As a hair de-frizzer -  rub a tiny amount on your hands then run them over your hair.

10. On your feet - and not just to treat dry skin. Coconut oil has anti-fungal and antibacterial properties, and is believed to combat fungus and Athlete's foot.

11. To help reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

12. Once your skin has cooled, coconut oil can help to heal sunburn.

13. As a vapour rub - mix it with a little peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil and massage onto your chest to ease congestion.

14. As a massage oil.

15. As a natural shaving cream - just smooth it onto your legs and shave with a sharp razor. The oil will also keep your legs feelings soft and supple after shaving.

16. As a smoothie ingredient. Just don't use more than a tablespoon of it, or you'll be on the toilet all day.

17. To heal your cuticles and promote nail growth - in addition to keeping your hands nice and moisturised. Just use a couple of drops and massage into your hands.

18. As an addition to your coffee. Much like the butter coffee movement, a spoonful of coconut oil will give you a natural energy boost and slightly change the flavour profile of your cuppa. Not a coffee drinker? No problem - it also works in tea.

19. As a salad dressing. For a simple recipe, mix coconut oil with vinegar, honey and salt. Delicious.

20. As a cheekbone highlighter - just dab a small amount on top of your makeup.

21. As a body scrub. Mix your oil with sugar or crystallised sea salt, then massage over your skin in circular motions - it'll exfoliate beautifully without clogging our waterways with microbeads. Don't use it on your face though, since it's easy to over exfoliate.

22. As a natural nappy rash cream - it'll nourish your baby's skin while shielding it from further irritation.

23. To reduce the itch of a mozzie bite.

24. To stimulate hair growth - massage it into your scalp.

25. As a dandruff treatment. Rub a spoonful of oil into your scalp and let it sit for at least 10 minutes - ideally with a warm towel wrapped around it - before washing it out thoroughly. Do this once a week.

26. As a body moisturiser - especially for the rough skin on your elbows and feet.

27. As a treatment for cold sores - it's especially effective if you can dab some oil on the sore in its infancy (the blister stage before it pops).

28. As a natural substitute for deodorant. There are various coconut oil-based recipes for deodorant floating around - including this one from Wellness Mama - but testimonies like this one from xoVain suggest it's equally effective when applied to armpits on its own.

How do you use your coconut oil?

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