I stumbled upon coconut oil while looking for alternatives to lotion. Lotion left me high and dry while other oils and butters made my skin break out. They didn’t keep my skin moist for too long, either. With a simmering DC summer in the forecast I had to find something fast. I ran across coconut oil and couldn’t stop reading.
THE LOW DOWN
--Your skin absorbs it better and retains it longer than many other oils.
--It’s anti-septic, killing bacteria, viruses and fungi. When ingested regularly, it boosts your immune system.
--Use it for baking, spreads on toast, or add a dollop to oatmeal, smoothies and drinks for added flavor. It has a low smoke point, though, so be careful when frying and sautéing.
--It’s affordable and accessible. Everyone from Giant (Safeway alternative) to Whole Foods carries it. It runs between $10-$16.
--it lasts forever, so you can take your time using it up, not that you’ll need it!
Use #1: Body Moisturizer
Right after the shower, I just rub it all over. It sinks in beautifully and gives my skin a delicious polish that doesn’t leave me greasy. The best part? It actually moisturizes!!! After applying coco oil in the morning, I don’t need to retouch all day. Not even the coldest air conditioned buses could bust a crack on my skin. Even my trouble spots—my shins, which only petroleum jelly could conquer—held up fantastically. Another bonus: In the three months that I’ve been using it, it has not once made my skin break out. My shoulder blades, arms and thighs are blemish free.
Surprise Bonus #1
My feet don’t stink. It’s hot and muggy over here on the East coast and that could spell stinky problems for an active, carless person such as myself. But my feet are odor free!
Use #2: Loc Butter & Hot Oil Treatment
I use coco oil when I palmroll my locs. It makes my hair shine and doesn’t build up. For a hot oil treatment, I combine it with an equal part of olive oil and a couple drops of lavender essential oil. Oh.my.goodness. Heavenly! My hair comes out incredibly soft and smells sooo good.
Surprise Bonus #2
My scalp doesn’t itch as much anymore. I recommended it to my boyfriend for his itchy skin and scalp and wa-la, his curls are soft and flake-free!
Use #3: DIY Deodorant
Now, hold on folks! You know I wouldn’t include it here if I hadn’t tested it out. I’ve been searching for a new deodorant for a while. [TMI ALERT] See, I’ve been skeeved out ever since I discovered what I thought was a pimple in my armpit a couple years ago. Against the advice of every beauty advisor out there, I popped it. And ICK! ICK! ICK! a humongous plug of deodorant came out! It became super clear that deodorant isn’t absorbed into the body but instead just accumulates under your skin. I decided that all those chemicals just cached in my armpit cannot be healthy for me. So I switched to one of those granola deodorants. And it stank. O_o So, I tried another one. And I was sweaty and I stank. Reluctantly I went back to my old standby.
Fast forward to 2011. I am experiencing yet more issues with my deodorant, which I won’t detail here. Emboldened by the good results of coconut oil so far, I decided to try another tempting recipe I’ve seen online: homemade deodorant.
The results? Stink free and, I swear, I sweat less!
Surprise Bonus #3
The smoothest, gunk-free armpits ever! I added a tablespoon of Jane Carter’s Nourish & Shine butter to my deodorant recipe because I like the smell of it.
So, friends. I’m enamored with coconut oil. Coconut oil is easily the best product I’ve ever tried. It feels so good to know that what I’m putting into my skin and body is chemical free, edible and healing. One container does so much, which makes it a very practical and moneysaving product. I hope you give it a chance, too.
For more recipes and ideas for coconut oil, see Crunchy Betty's article.
For more on the health benefits of coconut oil, start here.
**Be sure to buy unrefined coconut oil that has been cold pressed. Mechanically/expeller pressed products use heat which lessens the healthy properties of the oil. Also, hydrogenated and bleached versions are out, too.
**Coconut oil also been touted as a weight loss supplement and energy boost. However, I haven’t tried it consistently enough to give solid feedback on these points.
**if you try Crunchy Betty’s deodorant recipe, please be warned about baking soda. Many people online said it irritated them so you might want to try a reduced amount. I use 3 tablespoons instead of ¼ cup. To avoid a nasty burn, shave at night so you won’t have to apply the deodorant til morning. You don’t want to put baking soda on sensitive skin.
When I discover more miracle products and solutions, I’ll pass them on. Feel free to post questions and feedback in the comments!
Great post, I particularly appreciated you sharing your own experiences with deodorant. TMI aside, I have experienced similar trials. Only last year did I finally get tired of reoccurring underarm pimples that would be sore and hinder my ability to shave. I did some research and it turned out I was shaving incorrectly and disrupting the hair growth so I've since been adamant to shave in the right direct and have reaped wonderfully smooth skin ever since. But then I wondered my underarms still didn't look like the ladies I see across the media, because they were unusually dark and patchy, Further research revealed that aluminium in most deo's accumulates in the pores never being absorbed and darkening the skin over time. So I quite and haven't used deo since. I currently moisturise with a drop of sweet almond oil daily and deo with simple talc and have never had such soft, evenly toned underarms.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd share my story, I was actually expecting to read about your locs when I came to this post XD
NL