Coconut oil is one of the top natural products you can use for your health. Apart from being useful in the kitchen, it is also great to use on your skin and hair.
In fact, when it comes to incorporating natural products into your beauty routine, coconut oil is a must have. Used alone or in combination with other ingredients, there are a multitude of ways to use and enjoy it.
Before we take a look at how to use it, it is important to mention it is best to use a good quality coconut oil. This means using organic, virgin, unrefined coconut oil wherever possible. It is the most natural form of coconut oil and will do the best job.
Let’s take a look at five different ways to use coconut oil for natural beauty.
Remove Makeup
The first option you have is to use the coconut oil as a makeup remover. There are a few different way to do this:
1. Straight Up
Using coconut oil on it’s own, with no other ingredients will quickly remove makeup. Apply it to a cotton pad and wipe your skin, or apply it directly with your fingers.
You can use coconut oil straight up whether it is liquid or solid (summer or winter!).
Rinse away the excess, but don’t worry about leaving some on your skin. It is a great moisturizer (see below).
2. Whip It
This is another option for creating a coconut oil makeup remover. If you would prefer a softer product than solid coconut oil, try this.
To make it, add some coconut oil to a bowl and use a hand mixer. Mix the oil to take it from a solid consistency to a softer, though not completely liquid. It is like frosting or whipped cream, which is a lot easier to rub on your face when you need it.
You can rub this anywhere on your face to remove makeup, including right over your eyes for eye makeup. It also works great for moisturizing your face…bonus!
Save the leftovers in a small container and always use clean hands when applying.
Condition Your Hair
Coconut oil is also an amazing way to get soft, silky hair. It is the perfect leave-in conditioner, or you can use it as a hair mask that you will rinse out.
The great thing about coconut oil is that it is safe to leave in your hair overnight. It won’t leave behind any weird residue or give your hair an odd texture. Plus, all different hair types will benefit from coconut oil. Replace your current conditioner or use it once a week in addition to regular hair conditioner.
There are a few different ways to use it in your hair. The first is completely on its own as a hair mask. To do this, melt the coconut oil by putting the jar under hot water (or if it’s warm enough, it may already be liquid). Grab some in your hands and apply it to your hair. Leave it in, even overnight, and rinse out when ready.
The other option is to put it in damp hair and let it sit while you shower, then rinse off. You can leave it in for longer by wrapping your hair in a towel. This is great for deep conditioning and for best results, leave it in for an hour or longer before rinsing.
Improve Oral Health
If you haven’t tried coconut oil pulling, now is a great time to start. This will clean between your teeth, whiten your teeth, and freshen your breath. Using coconut oil this way will give you a beautiful mouth 🙂
You need about a tablespoon of melted coconut oil to do this. Put the coconut oil in your mouth and pull it between your teeth, swishing it around your mouth. For more detailed instructions, read here.
Try to do this for 5-10 minutes about once or twice a day, depending on how long you can do it. You can start with a couple minutes at first until you become accustomed to it.
Soften Skin
Coconut oil is one of the best things you can get for your skin. It isn’t too oily, so you can even use it with oily and combination skin. Applying coconut oil helps to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, and gives your skin a lot of moisture.
Use coconut oil on its own as a body lotion or apply it to your skin before your regular skin lotion.
Another option is to make up your own lotion or cream using coconut oil as one of the ingredients. Try this dry skin cream recipe. Sugar scrubs using coconut oil (like this one) will exfoliate and soften skin too.
Under-Eye Cream
Finally, try adding some melted coconut oil to the skin underneath your eyes. It is very soft in this area, so you should only use the gentlest of products at any time. Coconut oil will help reduce puffiness, minimise dark circles, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Dab it on gently, working from the inside corner of the eye to the outside. Use a tissue to blot off any excess.
When it comes to natural health and beauty, coconut oil ticks a lot of boxes. Try these different ways to use it for beautiful hair, skin and health.