The Many Uses For Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is something that’s been making headlines over the last few years and has grown in popularity among the healthy living community, and with good reason, too. It’s one of the most versatile products on the market today and provides so many different benefits that it really deserves all the publicity it’s getting.

So, if you’ve never really used it before or are wondering if it lives up to the hype, then here are a few things you might not know that you can use coconut oil for.

Mouthwash

You may have heard about using coconut oil to improve oral health already because it’s been one of the most common things that have been reported in recent years regarding this oil, so it’s fair to say that it’s pretty well known. 

However, you may not know exactly how to use coconut oil in this way or why it’s considered a good thing.

Basically, people are using it for a method known as oil pulling, which can also be done using other oils, but coconut oil is preferred because of its natural antibacterial properties which can help with keeping a clean mouth.

Oil pulling works by taking a teaspoon of the oil and letting it dissolve in your mouth and then swishing it around as you would with a mouthwash, but for around 20 minutes. This then pulls the bacteria from the mouth, and you then spit it into the trash.

That’s it, very easy and you’ll notice that your mouth feels overall cleaner and fresher once you’ve been doing this for a while.

If you’re unsure about using oil pulling, then it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask your dentist, and if you don’t yet have a dentist but are due for a check-up, then do a quick Google search to find one taking patients in your area, for example, a dentist in Croydon.

Conditioner

If you’ve ever dealt with the dreaded dry hair in winter, then coconut oil is going to seem like something of a savior. It’s not something you should be using every day because it’s a very greasy product, so you won’t want to use it too much, but for deep conditioning and adding some moisture to dry hair or even a dry scalp, it really does work wonders.

The way to use this is simply spooning the oil out and letting it soften in your hands before just gently massaging it through dry hair. Depending on the length of your hair, you might use less or more of the oil until it’s all the way through.

Then tie your hair in a towel and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before washing out as normal with shampoo and conditioner. 

Using this once per week can really make a huge difference in your hair if you’re dealing with dryness.

Moisturizer

When using coconut oil as a moisturizer, it works pretty much the same way as when using it as a conditioner, and it’s amazing for dry skin.

The best way to use it, in this case, is right after bathing when your skin is towel patted to where it’s damp, but not dry or wet.

Just apply like you would a regular moisturizer and let it be absorbed fully into your skin before you get dressed.

Cooking

As you’ll see when buying coconut oil, it’s something that’s traditionally sold as cooking oil, so it’s perfectly edible and is also considered to be healthier than other cooking oils, though there is still research going on around whether that actually is the case or not.

Coconut oil tastes especially good when used in Asian dishes such as curries, but if you prefer it as an oil, you can use the unflavored variety in anything, and you can also use it in baking as well.

After sun

One of the best uses for coconut oil that’s not as well-known as the others are using it as an after sun product.

It’s very important, however, that you don’t use coconut oil as a sunscreen even though there’s a huge misconception around this and people claiming it’s a natural alternative, this is oil like any other and when it comes into contact with the sun, it will burn you very badly.