So coconut oil is pretty much the height of fashion at the moment, its probably over taken kale in the world of the health nuts. (Personally I like the two combined – see my recipe for Kale chips) But anyway that’s another story, lets focus on the coconut oil here guys.

Coconut oil has so many fantastic health benefits. Its Lauric acid content means it is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal. It is  also rich in medium chain triglycerides which increase energy expenditure. This type of fat is taken straight to the liver where it is used for energy. There are also studies showing some benefit between coconut oil and brain health especially in people who have Alzheimer’s disease. Always make sure to buy organic extra virgin coconut oil.

One of my favourite things about coconut oil is that it has condensed my beauty products in the bathroom down to pretty much just one single jar of coconut oil. Meaning that there is a lot less clutter laying around. I keep a jar in my bathroom and a jar in my kitchen and heres what I do with them…

 

• Cook with it. I use it in place of other oils because for one coconut oil makes everything taste super yummy (especially stir fries and soups) but secondly it has a very high smoking point meaning that the fat doesn’t become oxidised on heating like other oils do. This means that its not doing us any harm. Some other oils can become harmful once they are heated and can become carcinogenic.
• Put a teaspoon into my smoothies for a hit of MCT’s (medium chain tri-glycerides). These types of fatty acids have been shown to increase energy expenditure in studies. Also they are great for your brain keeping you sharp, alert and focused.
• Use it to take my makeup off. Instead of using products that are laden with toxic chemicals such as parabens, phalates, SLS, SLES etc I like to keep it simple and warm a little coconut oil in my hands, massage in to my face and leave for a few minutes. Then I wet a face cloth with warm water and wipe my face and the makeup comes off so easily and leaves my face feeling soft and silky.
• Moisturise with it. After I shower I lather myself in coconut oil, I find it soaks in really well and my skin feels fab afterwards.
• Use it for sun screen, when the sun isn’t overly powerful I use coconut oil to protect my skin. I simply apply it like any other cream on to my body and enjoy the sunshine.
• Cleaning my teeth. I get a desert spoon of coconut oil and swish around in my mouth for as long as I can manage before my cheeks ache too much! You are supposed to do it for 20 minutes but I can only manage about ten! The anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of coconut oil make it the perfect bathroom cupboard staple for optimal oral hygiene and pearly whites too!
• Make my own exfoliator. I whip up some coconut oil and add organic sugar and essential orange and rosemary oils and ta-da I have my own chemical free exfoliator.
• Use it on my hair. I use it as a hair mask, lathering it on and leaving on for an hour or so and then washing my hair as usual

So there we have it, the many ways that I use coconut oil in a day! I don’t really know what I did before it now.

 

Amen to you coconuts.