Coconut Oil for Health and Beauty

Quick, easy, and effective. Those three words sum up my health and beauty routine. If a product meets those criteria, it has a chance to become one of my regular natural solutions to looking and feeling good. So, you can see why coconut oil is a staple in our house. 

The internet is filled with 101 uses for coconut oil. I wanted to give you some tried-and-true, practical ways for incorporating coconut oil into your life. 

My number one way I use coconut oil is in my tea. I found this Coconut Manna by Nutiva at The Vitamin Shoppe one day when I was looking for coconut oil. Manna is made from whole coconut, while oil is made from raw coconut. The difference is in the processing. I like the grittier texture of Manna in my chai. Try about one teaspoon in your hot tea. Manna will dissolve after stirring and it adds a smooth, warm, and sweet treat to my chai tea. The Primalist has a great comparison of manna and oil.

The second way I incorporate the superfood into my health and beauty routine is by making a nighttime moisturizer with coconut oil and Frankincense. I literally just put coconut oil (not Manna) into a container and then mix the essential oil into it. That's it! So, the four ounce canning jars are great for storing this moisturizer. I've also just used small plastic beauty containers, as well. My recipe is 10 drops of Frankincense essential oil to 4 oz of coconut oil. Mix thoroughly and enjoy! I love how soft and nourished my face feels in the morning. 

Ever since I started using YL essential oils, I've drastically cut down on the number of drugstore and specialty store beauty products I buy. I can now make lotions, creams, moisturizers, balms, and sprays with items in my house. I love using all natural, home made products that are inexpensive and made from items in my pantry. 

Ok, number three. Brownie booster! I like to use coconut oil in my brownies in place of vegetable oil. This does give the brownies a slight coconut taste. My favorite way to make brownies now is to add one drop of YL Peppermint to the mixed ingredients. This aids digestion and adds a pleasant twist to the chocolate treat. 

Homemade vapor rub comes in at #4. I don't store this product. Instead, I make it up as needed. You'll need to have coconut oil, a spoon, and RC next to you. Put a dollop of coconut oil in your palm and then add 5 drops of Young Living RC. Mix it up and apply to the chest and neck. This stuff is healing salve for my family and me when we have that chest tickle, cough, throat woes, or sinus stuff going on. 

I'll leave you with one more use for coconut oil. The superfood has replaced my vegetable oil in most of my cooking and baking. Recently, my older son came home for the weekend from college, so the smell of chocolate chip pancakes and eggs filled our kitchen. I used coconut oil to grease the griddle for flapjacks and prime the skillet for scrambled goodness. 

There are many more uses for coconut oil, but this is how I use it most often. My husband found this huge container at Costco, and it is well used. I'd love to hear how you use coconut oil in your health and beauty routine. I encourage and challenge you to find one way this week to incorporate nature's goodness into your life!