I discovered coconut oil by chance. I was watching one of the many YouTube videos that suck me in on a daily basis, and someone was raving on and on about this coconut oil. I was curious so I went out and bought some....and my life has forever changed.
Well....that may be a little dramatic, but you know me....always one to take things where they don't need to go. But seriously, I was totally in love from the second I tried it and I'm going to share with you all the amazing uses for this inexpensive little gem!
So if you're not familiar....this is what my jar (enormous as it is) looks like:
I got this at Walmart in the aisle with the cooking oils. Excuse me Crisco, mama needs some eye cream.
It ran me a whopping $5.50. Holy Lord above, could this be true? At the end of this post we will tally up all the money I could save using coconut oil in place of my regular products for the uses mentioned. I'm sure, actually I know it's going to be a whopping amount of money saved.
Ok so first and foremost, let me show you the consistency of this stuff. When I first heard the word oil, of course I was thinking, how the Hell's Angels is a cooking oil gonna do all these things for me...but it does...
It is an oil, but it's in solid form until it warms and melts with the warmth of your body heat.
As you can see, I've already dug in quite a bit but you get the drift. It's solid. I usually scoop it out with a spoon and as soon as it hits my hand, it begins to melt. And no it doesn't smell like coconut, but ohhhhh how I flippin wish it did. I love me some coconut smelly goods on my bod-aaay.
Ok, uses...first and foremost I like to use this as a cuticle oil. It works amazingly well and you only need the tiniest little piece to get enough oil for both hands! I also use it as a hand moisturizer. Money saved- $30 roughly.
One of my favorite uses for this oil is on my body as a moisturizer. I have a slight obsession with any type of body or face oil so this is right up my alley. I literally put enough on so that I have to walk around the bathroom totally naked with my arms outstretched and my legs apart for a good 5 minutes. Gorgeous visual, you are all quite welcome! But it works! It makes my skin baby soft and it absorbs in a decent amount of time. You aren't slippery smooth for a long time, but long enough so that you feel like it is doing it's job! Money saved- $30
Next I love to use this as a hair mask. Once or twice a week I will take a big old scoop of this and carefully rub it into my dry hair until it is totally saturated and looking quite lovely I must add. I then wrap my hair in either plastic wrap or a towel and sleep that way. In the morning, I shampoo and condition as usual, rinsing really well to get all the product out. Some people have said it leaves a residue behind but I haven't had a problem. A good rinse gets all of the product out for me. My hair becomes so silky and smooth, you know I have to smack my mama just for doing such a good job raising my radiant haired ass! (wait, hairy ass, noooo that's not where that was supposed to go)
Ugh, I digress yet again...next this little engine that could works really great for bad skin. Now I have really healthy, blemish free skin. But I have heard from a LOT of people that using coconut oil on breakouts and blemishes has cleared their skin up quicker than any other product they have tried. I use it as a nightly moisturizer and my skin has never looked better! I just rub a little all over my face and neck right after I wash my face. I wake up and my skin feels so good! Money saved- $70
I have super dry skin but you can also use this with oily skin. The more oil you put onto and into your skin when it is oily, the less oil you will produce. You almost trick your body into making less oil when you use oil on your face and body. Follow me? Some people worry when they are oily that using an oil will make them produce more oil, but the opposite is true. Your body slows down oil production because of the oil you have introduced into the picture. (I know it's confusing)
Eyelashes, we all have them and we all seem to want them just a little bit longer, or thicker or both. Coconut oil is said to speed hair growth (fingers crossed because my eyelashes and the hair on this big old head could use a boost!) I have been using a little bit on my eyelashes and surprisingly I think I notice a difference.
I take a tiny little bit on the tip of my finger and (gently and carefully) run my finger along my lashes while opening and closing my eye to get the lashes covered in the oil. It doesn't burn my eyes at all. I even use it to take off my eye makeup and it works better than any makeup remover I have ever used. It amazes me that the oil doesn't bother my sensitive eyes, but it really truly doesn't. Money saved- $10.
I also loooove to put a big old scoop of this puppy into my bath water. It just makes the water so silky and I can really feel it when I get out and dry off. Just be careful, because it will leave a residue in the tub, which makes things super slippery. I usually take a little cleaner and just give the tub a quick wipedown. ( I already have a handicapped hubby, no more tragedies for us thank you very much). Money saved- $20
Another use, and the use I believe this is "meant for"....cooking. Yes, you can moisturize your fine self and then cook up a gourmet dinner, all using the same product. What could be better? In fact, you could throw yourself onto the grill and cook until golden brown. I could probably feed a family of 5 for a good month or so.
Now these are just the things I like to use my coconut oil for. I'm sure there are many more...if you guys use it differently, let me know! I'd love to hear more ways I can use this little baby!
Here are a few uses I have heard of but haven't tried:
- Razor Burn or bumps
- To treat Eczema
- Immune Booster (1 scoop a day down the hatch...blech, I can't imagine downing a teaspoon of solid oil, but it has been done and is said to help the body with digestion)
- Diaper rash and cradle cap on babies
So my total amount saved is $160. Amazing! I spend quite a good amount of money on skincare and body lotions. Now this isn't to say I will stop buying (I mean I'm a beauty blogger, I have to try stuff right?) But if you are on a budget and you want something that is going to do a multitude of jobs for little cost, you really can't beat coconut oil.
There are a few different kinds. You want to look for "Organic", "Virgin" (like me) and "Extra Virgin". Now the one I have says "Pure" which I was unsure of. I will be buying from a whole foods store or health food store next time to make sure I get organic and extra virgin. Even so, the one I have is certainly doing the job but I want to make sure I'm getting the most bang for my buck, ya dig?
All in all I am thrilled with my new little find. It's cheap, it works great every way I have tried to use it and it's oil. I love oil. If I weren't using coconut oil, I would be using an Argan Oil or some other oil that would allow me to slather myself and then slip and slide my way into bed.
Let me know how you guys use your coconut oil. And also if you try this for the first time, please let me know your thoughts. I hope you all love it as much as I do!
Happy Slathering Loves!!
I have the Dr Bronners brand, as recommended by Jenna Marbles, haha! She said she buys hers at Whole Foods, but I also found it at Fresh Market. It's the organic, virgin kind and it actually does smell like coconut, so yay for that! Its a bit more expensive than yours here from Wally World, $8 or $9...still not bad. Vitaminsformysoul on Instagram told me she fries her wings in it and they taste great (I've fried French fries in it, yum!) and also gives a teaspoon a day to her dog (health benefits for the furry babies, too!). I started giving some to my fur babies also and they loooove it! Jenna Marbles said she buys two jars - one for the kitchen (she cooks with it and puts some in a protein shake in the morning) and one jar for the bathroom for beauty purposes. She has a whole YouTube video on coconut oil! I didn't want to shell out for two jars the first time so I scooped some out into a Tupperware to put in the bathroom, and keep the main jar in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you write! Your sense of humor is awesome!! When you're ready to buy a new one, you want to make sure you get un-refined or cold-pressed coconut oil! That is when it'll be in almost its purest form! And it WILL smell like coconut! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou can use coconut oil to dissolve the exoskeletons of
ReplyDeleteLICE! Yes, the wingless hair critters that leave behind nits, commonly treated by toxic chemicals (neurotoxins). I haven't tried it since I only found out about it AFTER my daughters last had lice which was in 2007. I can only testify to the claim by my experience with Suave coconut shampoo and conditioner. My oldest daughter got lice the first time (and only twice ever) before we started to use the coconut shampoo & the matching conditioner. Then we stopped using it in '06 before we moved north. Wouldn't you know that both my daughters got lice late winter/early spring 2007.
Also, even though coconut oil has saturated fat, it is plant-based, making it both easily digestible & burned as energy, unlike animal derived saturated fat. As a food it's most important to look for unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil.