I recently discovered extra virgin organic coconut oil, and I have been so surprised at the many uses for this amazing oil. I think Baritone finds my sudden obsession with coconut oil amusing. 🙂 I keep a jar in the bathroom (for beauty purposes), a jar in the kitchen (for cooking purposes), and sometimes I even keep one in the vitamin cabinet (for health and medicine purposes). There are so many uses for this amazing oil, you’d be surprised!
The oil doesn’t spoil easily (or for a long while). Here are just some of the uses we have found for this oil around our home:
- Coconut oil is a natural deep-conditioning hair treatment: it’s wonderful in the winter when your hair is dry, and equally wonderful in the summer when your hair receives frequent sun and wind exposure. Take a tablespoon or two and let it melt in your hand, then apply it to dry hair and put a shower cap on or tie your hair up in a ponytail. Wait 1-4 hours, then shampoo and conditioner as usual (if you used a lot of oil you may need two shampoos before you condition).
- Coconut oil is wonderful as a skin moisturizer, and excellent for using on the nails as well. Did you know that coconut oil has anti fungal properties? I once used it on some painful toenail fungus a few times a day for a few weeks, and the fungus cleared up quickly. I have used it on our children’s toes as well, when their nails look like they need a little TLC (boys play hard! :), and within an application or two their nails look great again.
- Coconut oil is great to cook with. Use it instead of butter for popping popcorn, or as creamer for your morning coffee (if you do this, you will want to really blend/emulsify the oil/coffee mixture before you drink it – otherwise the oil will just float on top of your coffee…ick :).
- In the wintertime the kids’ lips get pretty dry…instead of keeping a separate tube of chapstick around for each child, I take a spoon and scoop out a small dab of coconut oil and rub that on the kids’ lips when they need it. The great thing too is that because it’s natural it’s safe for the kids to lick – and tell me what child doesn’t lick their lips after chapstick is applied? 🙂
These are just a few ways we have used extra virgin organic coconut oil around our home. Have you discovered this amazing oil? How do you use it around your own home?