Having the incredibly temperamental skin that I have, I can’t actually use coconut oil. Which is ridiculous, I mean really…allergic to coconut oil? Pffft. However it is widely known to be a natural miracle, and a reader has asked me to write about it, so I figured I’d cover it in this blog post.
Coconut oil first came onto the scene a few years back, and was in everything from beauty products to health-drinks that promised to boost metabolism (and cost a bomb). My glam mum has been using it forever though; I can barely remember a time there wasn’t a huge pot of it in the house. She tends to only use it for one job; but coconut oil can have a multitude of uses for almost every aspect of beauty and health. So without further ado….
- Makeup Remover – This is what my mum uses it for, and I can vouch on her behalf that it will remove eye makeup brilliantly. It will however leave you with blurred vision for a short while – that sounds a bit terrifying, but I don’t mean it in that way. It literally only lasts a blink or three.
- Body Moisturizer – Poppy Delevingne, Cara’s older sister and the original Delevingne model recently told a magazine that she covers herself in coconut oil, waits 10 minutes then washes it off in the shower. Apparently it leaves her “as soft as a baby” and who are we mortals to argue with a Delivigne when it comes to beauty.
- Deep Hair Conditioner – At room temperature, coconut oil is almost like a balm. If you just want to smooth a few flyaway hairs, you can easily get a blob; let it melt in your hand and smooth done your do. If you’re after a more of a deep treatment, warm the oil up to a liquid and apply it generously. Leave the liquid in for as long as you can then rinse it out. It works wonders on hair (I can actually vouch for this – although I cannot use it on my skin, using it on my hair seems fine). Added bonus: you will have Bounty-scented hair. Scrummy.
- Cuticle Care – If you like to do your nails a lot, you probably know a thing or two about how important cuticles are. Cuticles are vital to growing healthy nails and are the barrier at the place your skin stops. So pretty vital. Coconut oil is great for moisturising cuticles and nails, helping to keep them nourished and healthy. It can also help to prevent hangnails.
- Oral Health – Ok, so if you’re going to get all technical on me (please don’t) I haven’t used coconut oil in this way. And nobody I know has. Google however does tell me that it is great for oral hygiene. Melt a bit of the oil, mix with water and gargle with it for a while. Coconut oil has lots of antifungal properties that can help reduce bacteria in the mouth and in doing so promotes fresher breath and healthier gums. Apparently.
- Super Food – Coconut oil can be used to replace basically any oil or fat in you’re cooking. Not only is it lower in fat it also retains vitamins E, K and iron at high temperature. Korma, anyone?