Coconut Oil in Nova's World

Ok here is a fun little post

My uses for COCONUT OIL

Now let me start by saying I don’t believe that there are 1000+ uses for coconut oil, but I have found it extremely useful in a lot of situations.

And I LOVE the smell of coconut

This is the Coconut Oil that I use

So let’s start with…

BEAUTY

• I love using it on the ends of my hair, which are constantly being fried with bleaching and coloring. When I come out of the shower, I little dry my hair with a towel so its stills pretty damp and then rub a little in through the ends. I don’t put the oil anywhere near my roots as my hair can get greasy very quickly just by touching it is great on the dry ends.

• I know a lot of people swear that coconut oil is great for your face even if you have oily skin but I haven’t had great amazing results with it. Instead, I love to use it on my legs after shaving them and of course, it’s great to stop any little nicks from bleeding.

• It’s great for dry patches like on the elbows and if I’m looking to pamper myself, I will put 2 tablespoons of oil into some hot water and steep my feet in it. Makes them so soft and helps in the removal of dead feet skin. Mm mm!

• It is a very useful eye makeup remover. I wear eye liner every day. I can go without eyeshadow, foundation, even concealer but I can’t forego my eyeliner. And because the eyes are such a sensitive area, I don’t like to use harsh chemicals or even soap near them on a daily basis. So a little oil on a cotton pad and it’s off.

• A lot of posts I have read say it is great on your lips and it is, If you like the smell and taste of coconut (which I do). It’s a natural lip conditioner and it makes your lips buttery soft. However, it is extremely difficult for this to be an on-the-go treatment. I have put a scoop of the oil in a small empty lip balm pot and popped it in my bag. Go to fish it out later and I have a pot of liquid oil. You see, Coconut oil is a SOLID product and melts to a liquid at body temp. It’s easy to scoop some from the jar and rub it between your palms as it melts with skin heat and it will solidify again when it gets cold. Not handy if you want to bring it with you to the beach or on holiday but for at home, it’s great. I keep some in a small jar in my bathroom and I put it on my lips after a shower or when I wash my face.

• It’s really useful for softening your cuticles and makes your nails look and feel great after than manicure you just spent hours working on. I don’t use it all over my hands as I find it takes ages to sink in and there is nothing worse than trying to do things with oily hands. So I just rub a small bit into my cuticles using a cotton pad. It works wonders.

FOOD

• One of the first things I used coconut oil for in the kitchen was to thin down melted chocolate when I was making cake pops. If you use too much, it will flavour the chocolate but again, if you like coconut this isn’t so bad. But in small amounts, it is great for thinning down the chocolate and makes it much easier to get a smooth coat on your cake pops.

• Coconut oil is also a fantastic substitute for butter and if you are interested in trying a vegan diet but still want something sweet, then you can bake with coconut oil instead of butter. Even if it’s not vegan you’re going for but simply a healthier diet, then coconut oil is a great substitute. It is still oil and as such should be taken sparingly. But in comparison to other oils, it is a much healthier and of course much more natural oil.

Here is a delicious recipe I have tried for super moist banana bread.
http://kidscooking.about.com/od/quickbreadrecipes/r/moist-banana-bread-coconut.htm

It’s a really simple and fast recipe. And if you are looking for great ideas on how to use coconut oil in cooking, check out Pinterest. That’s where I find all of my ideas.

• It is so delicious in stir-fries and curries as well. If you use it sparingly, it won’t make everything taste like coconut. Instead it will give it a nice hint of coco-nutty flavour.

HEALTH

• One of my newest uses for coconut oil is that it makes an incredible after sun and I’m putting this under health and not beauty because sun care should be a health concern and not a beauty one. We only get one skin in life and we should do what we can to protect it. Now I live in Ireland and of course stupidly underestimated the strength of the sun and got badly burned on my shoulders. When I got home and noticed how red my skin was (like fire engine red) I applied some coconut oil and felt immediate relief. It didn’t sting like some after suns I have used and it smelled great. The next morning, my skin had calmed down from a lobster red to a warm pink. I was amazed, never had I had such a quick effect from an after sun. My skin feels (and looks) great now after 3 days. Rest assured, I will make sure I wear sun cream for the rest of the summer even if it’s cloudy outside but it’s great to know that I have a natural after sun in my kitchen cupboard.

• It is great for minor cuts, scratches and stings. It can help kill bacteria and I would much rather put coconut oil of my son’s knees after a fall than something with all sorts of chemicals that is going to sting and burn him.  And with the added benefit of it being a great moisturizer, it helps with his eczema.

• Speaking of my son, he had horrific eczema for the first 3 years of his life. So many times he was given harsh steroid creams and medication to ease it. Eventually, it subsided and he was much better. But every now and then he gets dry scaly patches of skin and it worries me that the eczema will be something he will deal with forever. So now, when I see one of the patches of dry skin, I rub a little coconut oil onto it. It does wonders and again, it is natural so that’s a super bonus.

All in all, Coconut Oil is pure dynamite and even if you never use it in the kitchen, keep it in the bathroom.

love

Nova xx