Beauty Benefits of Coconut Oil

My sister-in-law and I are huge proponents of coconut oil; since we started using it in our beauty regimen our hair has grown and become shinier, acne scars on our faces have faded, and our skin has never been softer. Given these benefits that we have seen from coconut oil (which by the way, we also consume as she puts in her homemade granola- truly yummy stuff) she recently suggested that I do a post on the mighty coconut. So, after taking a hiatus from the blog as a result of having pressing deadlines to meet, I'm back today with a post on the beauty benefits of coconut oil.

 Beauty Uses

1. Makeup Remover. Apply it directly to your face as an oil cleanser which you will then wipe off using a cotton pad,or you put it on a cotton pad which you then use to wipe your face to remove makeup (you can also use it to remove eye-makeup such as mascara);
2.  Oil Pulling. Gargling or swishing around a spoonful of coconut oil  in your mouth for 20 minutes a day (preferably at the beginning of the day, before you brush your teeth) may help to detoxify your body, cure headaches, whiten teeth, give you healthier gums and more, because of  coconut oil's antifungal and antibacterial properties;
3. Cuticle Care. Soothe your chapped cuticles by applying coconut oil to your fingers twice a day;
4. Lip Balm. For an all natural and delicious tasting lip balm, spread coconut oil over your lips before bedtime for hydration or put some in a container and use it throughout the day, you'll get softer lips without the ill-effects associated with a mineral oil based lip balm;
5. Eye Cream. Use a dab of coconut oil on the area around your eyes to prevent wrinkles and under-eye bags ( note: I use a small mixture of coconut oil and vitamin A oil and vitamin E oil under my eyes); 
6.  Night Cream. Take advantage of the moisturizing benefits of coconut oil by applying it  to your face at night, the antioxidants work to smooth fine lines and wrinkles while you sleep (you can also layer it with your other facial night cream if you are so inclined);
7. Body Lotion. Apply coconut oil as a boy lotion to moisturize your skin, or, if you're a DIY mixologist, use coconut oil as a base to make your own body moisturizer;
8. Treating Acne. Apply coconut oil to blemishes, and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Then wash it off with warm water and let your skin air dry (don't apply any other products). It is said that the anti-bacterial components in the oil will work to combat acne;
9. Relieving Sunburns. Soothe sunburn skin by applying a dab of coconut oil; 
10. Body Scrub. Use coconut oil to make your own moisturizing body scrub, simply mix half a cup of coconut oil with a handful of coarse salt, or sugar (whichever one you prefer) to create an exfoliator;
11. Deep Conditioner. You can use hot coconut oil as a preshampoo treatment to soothe dry hair before you shampoo and condition. Leave in for at least an hour for an allover moisturizing treatment.
12. Leave-in Conditioner. Hydrate dry hair by using coconut oil as a leave-in conditioner. Apply a small amount to wet strands to seal in moisture.

XX
Malika

Disclaimer: Views expressed above are my own and have been derived from personal experience and  testimonials, they have not been evaluated or put forward by clinical evidence or the like.