Posted by I love me some coconut oil… I eat a lot of it, but there are so many other uses for this wonderfully nourishing oil!
Here are some of the ways that I’ve used it recently:
1. Massage Oil – I add a few drops of my favorite essential oils and the combination becomes an aroma-therapeutic, nourishing massage oil!
2. Leave-In Conditioner – a teeny-tiny bit rubbed around the palms of my hands and run through my hair adds softness and shine to my curly hair. A little goes a long way, though – when I say a teeny tiny bit, I mean it!
3. Cradle Cap – gently rub coconut oil on your baby’s scalp and use a fine-tooth comb to get rid of the cradle cap.
4. Diaper Rash – coconut oil is great for soothing little sore bottoms…and it’s antimicrobial and anti-fungal, so it helps prevent infections.
5. Urinary Tract Infections – because of its antimicrobial properties, coconut oil works really well on infections. The other day, I noticed Denise seemed to have the beginnings of a UTI so I put some coconut oil on her affected area 2 or 3 times over the course of a day, and all the symptoms were gone!
6. Deep Skin Cleaning – You know those age-old admonitions to clean behind your ears? I never really got those until I had children – despite regular cleanings, all my kids develop yucky dirtiness behind their ears, and Alex on his neck and underarms as well. I gently rub coconut oil on these areas and use a wet washcloth to rub the dirt off – it comes right off.
7. Toothpaste – this definitely isn’t the tastiest toothpaste ever, but in a pinch, I have used a one-to-one ratio of coconut oil to baking soda to clean my teeth; it’s really effective! I haven’t tried oil-pulling yet because I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 3 years, but this is supposed to be a great way to clean your mouth and it helps detoxify your mouth and body.
8. Moisturizer – an obvious use for oil, but it does work really well! Your skin absorbs all the goodness of coconut oil and is left soft and smooth.
9. Seasoning Cookware – you can use coconut oil to season your cast iron and soapstone cookware. I used it to season a soapstone pot my Dad brought me from Brazil, and it worked wonderfully.
10. Face Wash – yes, completely counter-intuitive to what commercials have told you since, well…forever – but you can use oil to wash your face! Rub a nickel-sized dollop of coconut oil in between your palms until it’s liquid and rub gently all over your skin like you would face wash. Then place a hot, damp washcloth over your face and let it sit there for about 30 seconds until it cools. Then use the washcloth to gently rub the coconut oil off your face. Instead of stripping your face of its natural oils like most face washes do – coconut oil nourishes your skin along with cleaning it! I noticed a difference in my skin after the first time I did this.
Do you have any non-food uses for coconut oil?