In case you haven’t heard (or I haven’t already told you) I’m going to take this blog post to tell you why coconut oil is the bomb-diggity.
First off, the list of health benefits of using coconut oil is rather lengthy so I’m only going to touch on a few ways it can be immediately helpful. But in case you would like to learn more here’s a LINK to learn some of the other neat stuff not covered here.
As an adult who takes pride in how well I take care of my body there are few things which give me that ‘healthy feeling’ that are not already a part of my daily routine. However, when I started adding coconut oil to my daily regimen I noticed some significant improvements.
In an effort to begin eliminating unnecessary exposure to chemicals and toxins in the Bergmann household, I figured one thing I could personally do was to stop using beauty products that had some seriously questionable additives such as…
Aluminum Chlorohydrate/Zirconium: Heavy metal compounds found in most commercial deodorants and antiperspirants. The main concern here is organ system toxicity (non-reproductive).
Parabens: (especially Propylparaben) Preservatives that chemically mimic estrogen and can disrupt hormone/endocrine function.
Phthalates: Plasticizers (aka aromatic esters) are used to help fragrances stay on the skin. Some phthalates have been shown to cause developmental toxicity, disrupt endocrine function, and can have significant immune or allergenic effects.
The average woman uses around 12 personal care products per day (I was no exception), which means most women are exposing themselves to at least 168 unique chemicals every 24 hours.
should have given us all super powers by now.
Even scarier than turning into She Hulk, scientists have actually found stores of these chemicals inside of human tissue… specifically – inside of breast tumors. This research is still in its infancy but honestly, I didn’t need a more compelling finding than that to tell me the risk/reward ratio of using products containing these chemicals is just not worth it.
After learning the above I threw away a cabinet’s worth of products that contained one or more of those chemicals and substituted them with coconut oil.
Coconut Oil Keeps Skin Looking and Feeling Healthy
Since I replaced my daytime and nighttime face creams and body lotions with coconut oil there has been a marked difference in my skin tone, quality, and elasticity. No more dry spots, rarely any blemishes, and a serious reduction in wrinkles especially around the eye area! Coconut oil also doubles as a makeup remover that doesn’t dry out the skin or irritate the eyes. Cool, right?
I know it may seem counterintuitive to put oil directly on your face but coconut oil is not nearly as ‘oily’ as you may fear… it absorbs pretty quickly, especially when applied directly after a shower. And, as an added bonus, you get to smell like coconut cookies all day and night.
(Side Note: Coconut oil can also be used during those romantic evenings
spurred on by how delicious you smell)
I’ve also used coconut oil as a scalp and hair mask. It is pretty damn effective for dry scalp (I usually rub the oil into my scalp about an hour before hitting the shower) and it really helps maintain a super soft and silky mane. Additionally, coconut oil will not strip your hair color like many chemically formulated hair masks do.
NB: Coconut oil ALONE did not work for me as Deodorant ☹ However my search for an effective all natural deodorant did lead me to this sly fox Crunchy Betty who makes a great all natural deodorant that uses coconut oil as its base. Crunchy Betty’s Kokomo Cream Deodorant keeps me from getting stinky during brutal workouts and has far surpassed any of the natural deodorants I’ve tried in the recent past (we have no affiliation, but I think she’s the bee’s knees).
Oh, and did I mention how much money I’ve saved by replacing all of those beauty products in lieu of purchasing a JAR of coconut oil? Coconut oil costs about 1/10th the price of fancy face serums and creams and lasts twice as long… AND for added value – you can eat it too! Triple bonus.
Why does it work?
There’s not a ton of research into why coconut oil is good for the skin but experts say the antioxidant qualities of coconut oil and its stability and resistance to oxidation and free radical formation is the reason it may help restore more youthful looking skin. (This is also the reason coconut oil is actually better for high-heat cooking than olive oil.)
Yes, eating and cooking with coconut oil is also amazing for you.
What we do know is that coconut oil also happens to be nature’s richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are easily digestible and sent directly to your liver where they are converted into energy (instead of stored as fat) and that helps stimulate the body’s metabolism. Actually, now that I’ve mentioned it, I have been sneaking a teaspoon of coconut oil into my coffee in the morning and have noticed I get a little more ‘lift’ when I do. Also, it makes the coffee super creamy so it totally feels like a naughty indulgence.
Lastly the predominant type of MCFA found in coconut oil is lauric acid – the same compound found in breast milk that has been proven to enhance immunity!
And just FYI… there are over 100 uses for coconut oil. Here is a pretty extensive list by Wellness Mama (also no affiliation, but her list is crazy long).
Choose (and this part is very important) an UNREFINED Virgin Cold Pressed Organic coconut oil as it retains the coconut aroma and taste and the REFINED oils go through chemical alterations often requiring additives that can cause allergic reactions (it did for me).
Happy slathering.
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