Eight fabulous uses for coconut oil
Posted by Sophie Edme on
The thought of coconuts usually conjures up images of far-away tropical, palm fringed beaches. In recent times however, this bountiful fruit (yes, it is a fruit!) has exploded in popularity and is now used the world over for a myriad of reasons.
Coconut is a delicious and healthy food that can be prepared in a variety of ways but things get really interesting when coconut is processed into an oil. Used in cooking, coconut oil has many proven health benefits but did you know it also makes an amazing ingredient for beauty products and toiletries?
At Sophie’s Barn we’re big fans of coconut oil. From cleaning soap to shampoo, it’s used in loads of our products. Its versatile nature and the fact it's packed full of nutrients makes it one of our favourite ingredients.
We love it so much we’re going to share some of our favourite uses for coconut oil so you too can start benefiting from it straight away:
Deep conditioning hair mask
It’s fantastic for hair. Hugely nourishing, the unique fat composition of coconut oil makes it super beneficial for certain hair types.
Use coconut oil as a deep conditioning mask by coating your hair in the oil, leaving it for an hour or two (or even overnight if your hair is especially dry) before rinsing out with warm water. After rinsing, shampoo and rinse your hair two or three times to get rid of any residual oil, leave your hair to dry and enjoy extra shiny, smooth locks!
Face and body moisturiser
The natural antioxidants contained in coconut oil makes it a fantastic moisturiser and helps in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
The trick is to only apply a small amount on dry areas of the face and body and do so straight after your bath or shower to lock in moisture.
Makeup remover
Coconut oil is an absolute whiz at removing even the most stubborn makeup from your face. Even waterproof mascara is no match for coconut oil!
Apply a dab of oil to a ball of cotton wool or makeup remover pad and gently wipe across your face to remove the makeup.
Baby bum cream
Nappy rash is no fun for baby and no fun for you either. Some of the available creams are very thick and smell unpleasant as well as containing loads of synthetic chemicals.
Coconut oil is water repellent so creates a barrier between baby’s bum and the nappy helping prevent nappy rash. The oil’s natural anti-fungal properties also help keep fungal infections at bay too.
Body scrub
You can make yourself a gorgeously indulgent DIY body scrub using nothing but coconut oil, salt and lemon juice.
Here’s my favourite fast go-to recipe:
Shaving oil
Shaving your body hair is a boring job and can often leave your skin dry and irritated. By using coconut oil as a shaving oil you’ll be protecting the skin as well as leaving it silky smooth and moisturised.
Simply smooth a thin layer of coconut oil on the area you wish to shave. Get to work with the razor and rinse afterwards.
Head-lice remedy
If you’ve got kids, it’s likely you’ll be acquainted with the joy of head-lice. These annoying little critters can be removed with over-the-counter remedies but these are often strong-smelling and filled with chemical nasties. Worse still, head-lice are slowly becoming resistant to these remedies.
Fortunately there’s a much gentler alternative. Using coconut oil, you can make your own effective home remedy for removing head-lice: