By Heather Mechler-Fickes

I have a friend, who is always making delicious wheat-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free muffins. She tries out new recipes and new ingredients all the time. I’ve watched her make her delicious little treats and noticed she usually uses coconut oil.

I know a lot of innovative hair products on the market contain coconut oil as well. The wheels in my head started spinning, and I decided to look into some other beauty benefits and uses for coconut oil. I first looked into the benefits for hair. On the internet there are quite a few ideas. For example, coconut oil is an awesome moisturizer for hair. I bought a jar of coconut oil and tried it out for myself. I coated the ends of my hair and mid-shaft with a generous amount of product, put my hair up in a plastic cap, and let it sit for a few hours. I shampooed thoroughly and conditioned my hair as usual. When I dried my hair, I noticed a difference. It was easier to style and manageability was much better. Plus, my hair was silkier. It can also be used to tame frizz and fly-aways, but I wouldn’t use a large amount because it could leave your hair looking extremely oily.

I further researched the benefits of coconut oil on the skin. I first used it for removing eye make-up. It did a great job. It works better on the skin than many products on the market that contain water (which can potentially dry out skin) or contain petroleum (which can smother the skin.) In my findings, I found that you can use it as a facial and body moisturizer. It reduces and softens wrinkles, minimizes the visibility of scars, acts as an antioxidant for repairing cell damage, helps rashes, bug-bites, and even reduces the appearance of bags and dark circles under the eyes. For years, I have suffered with eczema, and I found that coconut oil is great for it. I used it on the areas that were the worst. I rubbed a small amount on my elbows, knees, and ankles. It absorbed into my skin nicely, soothed the affected area and relieved the itch.

This is just a tidbit of information about of all the benefits of this super oil. It raises body metabolism, acts as an antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial agent. A little goes a long way.

Of course, it is also a healthy addition to food recipes too!