Coconut Oil... Miracle in a Jar!

Quite a while ago, I did a post on the awesomeness of Baking Soda. Next to baking soda, the other substance I simply cannot live without is Coconut Oil. Some of you might have seen my giant tub o'coconut oil in my cabinet in my Organized Pantry post! Seriously, this stuff is AWESOME. Here are just some of the ways coconut oil will improve your life:



1. Bake with it! Makes an excellent vegan substitute for butter in baking. Works really well in cookies and pie crust.

2. Fry with it! Because it holds up well in high heat, coconut oil is great for frying.

3.Use it in other recipes, like homemade granola and energy bars. Coconut oil is a very common ingredient in lots of healthy, raw recipes. Google and you'll find hundreds!

4. Tame frizzy hair! My hair has a tendency to frizz out from time to time, so I tame those frizzies with a tiny dab of coconut oil. Just rub between your palms and run your hands through your hair.

5. Treat your hair to a deep conditioning treatment. When winter weather starts to make my hair feel too dry, I slather some coconut oil on dry hair, cover with a shower cap, and leave it on for 20-30 minutes or so before showering.

6. Scalp treatment for itchy, irritated scalp. Mix coconut oil with a few drops of tea tree oil and rosemary oil. Massage into scalp. Leave on for 20-30 minutes and wash hair as usual.

7. Use to make homemade lip balm.

8. Use to make homemade deodorant.

9. Rub into dry skin to moisturize and soften.

10. Shave your legs with it! Works better than any shaving cream I've ever tried, and makes your legs really soft.

11. Sore nose from a cold? Dab on a little bit of coconut oil.

12. Coconut oil is a great cuticle cream... just rub a little bit into ragged cuticles.

13. Suffer from eczema? After bathing, massage coconut oil into affected areas to moisturize and soothe itching.

14. Soothe baby's diaper rash without harmful petroleum products. Just rub a bit of coconut oil in at each diaper change. (Safe for cloth diapers, too!)

15. Coconut oil offers a tiny bit of sun protection (the equivalent of around SPF 4)

16. Use it as eye cream. Dab just a little bit around your eyes to soothe delicate skin and soften fine lines.

16. Though I haven't been brave enough to try this one myself yet... "oil pulling" with coconut oil is reported to ease a whole bunch of ailments. This ancient practice has gained popularity in recent years as a way to remove toxins from the body and improve oral health. Soon, I'll try it!

So there you have it... some great uses for this miracle substance. I'm sure there are probably more that we haven't figured out yet. If you have any other great uses, please do share!