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Coconut oil has become very popular the past 10 years or so. With good reason! There are so many great uses for coconut oil AND it’s a renewable resource that profits many areas that need our support. These beauty recipes are versatile and a great way to stop buying items and making them instead.
So what’s so great about coconut oil anyway?
Coconut Benefits
Let’s jump right in.
First, coconut oil is made up of 80-90% saturated fat, which is why it stays solid up to 75 degrees.
It contains the same amount of fat and calories as other typical fats (just different types of lipids when they are broken down).
Coconut oil can last 1-2 years easily on the shelf without going rancid. This makes it a great choice for skin care products because they, obviously, will last longer.
Coconut oil has a lot of lauric acid (almost 50%). The lauric acid, plus the monolaurin it makes, can kill bacteria, fungus, and viruses within and outside of the body. (1)
Lauric acid is a type of MCT (medium chain triglycerides) which has been shown to increase good HDL cholesterol (2), weight lose (3), and promote healthy skin (4).
Dr. Axe states that there are over 1,500 studies showing the amazing health benefits of coconut oil. Those people who are against coconut oil seem to be in the “fat is evil” crowd who do not understand that we need good fats for hormone production, healthy skin, and for good cholesterol (though I’m a believer that the ‘bad’ cholesterol is highly misunderstood).
The research speaks for itself. Coconut oil has a low molecular weight and bonds with proteins in a way that helps it to penetrates deeper skin levels and give our skin the fatty outer layer that it needs. This means great anti-aging properties!
21 Coconut Oil Body Recipes
1. Deep Conditioner
Coconut oil makes a wonderful deep conditioner! It penetrates the hair follicle and shaft in ways other oils cannot. Here’s a recipe and step by step instructions: How to Deep Condition Hair.
2. Cuticle Oil
Heal Cracked cuticles with coconut oil. It’s a simple and very effective method. Because of the antibacterial and antifungal properties of coconut oil it’s great to put on hang nails as well. Here are some guidelines for healing cracked cuticles.
3. Hand Salve
You can use straight up coconut oil as a hand salve. If you want something that has more, including essential oils and herbs, try this recipe: Hand Salve Recipe.
4. Soap Recipes
Ok, I could have filled up the rest of the 21 recipes with soap recipes, but I’ve put them all under one. Coconut oil is GREAT in soap! Check out my zillions of recipes here: Soap Recipes and Tutorials.
5. Detoxing Clay Deodorant
Coconut oil helps to make a wonderful deodorant. This recipe actually has bentonite clay as well to help pull toxins form the lymph nodes in your arm pits. Get the recipe here: Detoxing clay deodorant.
6. Hair Growth
This hair growth recipe is great with coconut oil, because, as stated above, coconut oil (like avocado oil) penetrates deep into the hair shaft and follicle, helping to moisturize and cleanse. Try this recipe: Hair Growth Oil Recipe.
7. Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an ancient teeth cleansing technique that helps kill bacteria and get into areas of your mouth that you don’t normally reach when brushing. Learn more here: Oil Pulling.
8. Anti Itch Cream
Whether you have a poison ivy rash, or just dry itchy skin, this anti itch cream is wonderful to keep on hand. Get the recipe: Anti Itch Cream.
9. Healing or Protection Against Heat Damage
Blow drying, flat irons, and curling irons are very hard on hair. Coconut oil can definitely help! It can help heal as well as protect. Learn more here: Oil Protection and Healing Hair from Heat Damage.
10. Foot Scrub Beauty Recipe
Making a sugar foot scrub is a great way to moisturize winter feet or get winter feet ready for summer. There are multiple ways to go about it. I’ve put together 3 recipes for you here: 3 Foot Scrub Recipes.
11. Teeth Whitening
There are a few different teeth whitening methods that really benefit from using coconut oil. You can swish straight coconut oil as if oil pulling, or you can add activated charcoal powder to the coconut oil. I tried a number of methods and documented the pros and cons. You can read about it here: Teeth Whitening Methods.
12. Stretch Mark Cream
Coconut oil penetrates to the deeper levels of the skin, making it a great ingredients in a natural stretch mark cream. Here’s the recipe: Natural Stretch Mark Cream with Essential Oils.
13. Sun Screen
You can make your own sunscreen with coconut oil and a few other ingredients. This is not fda tested, but we’ve had great results in my own family. Check out a recipe here: Homemade Sunscreen
14. Sunburn Relief
I put together two relief sprays so that you can easily take them on vacation with you. Use the second recipe with coconut oil and lavender if you’re looking to utilize coconut benefits more in your life. Sunburn Relief Recipe.
15. Bath Bombs
Adding coconut oil to your bath bombs adds a moisturizing aspect to your bath water, and if you’re making them as gifts it really does make them that much more luxurious. Recipe 5 has coconut oil already in it, but feel free to substitute coconut oil for the liquid in any of the other recipes. Learn how to make bath bombs here: 6 Amazing Bath Bomb Recipes.
16. Mascara
You can make your own mascara! Seriously! My favorite is actually an egg yolk and charcoal mixture, but if you want to try making mascara with a longer shelf life, then try using this one with coconut oil: Homemade Mascara Recipe.
17. Shaving Cream
Coconut oil makes a great shaving cream! You can get a really close shave, and it leaves your skin incredibly smooth. Shave outside the tub so as not to clog your drains. Here’s a few recipes if you want to make a lotion: Shaving Cream Recipes.
18. Lip Balm
Coconut oil is fabulous as a lib balm. You can keep a little in a tin in your car (but remember it will liquefy above 75 degrees) or use a lip balm recipe to make and pour your own tubes. I have a number of recipes. Check them out here:
- DIY Herbal Lip Balm
- Natural Lip Balm Colors
- Chocolate Truffle Lip Balm Recipe
19. Makeup Remover
Oil is actually one of the best makeup removers AND pore cleansers. It gets deep into pores and helps to pull out dirt and grime. Learn more about using coconut oil and other ingredients as a makeup remover here: DIY Makeup remover.
20. Tooth Paste
Tooth paste is full of toxic ingredients. Instead of putting those ingredients on skin that absorbs everything near it, choose healthy ingredients by making your own! Here are 3 recipes to get you started: 3 Homemade Toothpaste Recipes.
21. Eye Liner
Liquid eye liner is one of the more simple makeup items to make with great success. Adding a little coconut oil to the recipe keeps it smooth and helps it to last longer. Learn how here: Eye Liner Recipe.
I actually have so many more recipes that I’ve put together over the years. You can click on the website menu buttons to navigate to more recipes within your specific interest.
Have fun, and let me know what your favorite recipe is for coconut oil.
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