Wellness Wednesday: 7 Favorite Coconut Oil Uses

Hi there! If you haven’t noticed I’m a pretty huge fan of coconut oil. I started buying it a few years ago and discovered that you can use it for both baking, health and beauty related things. In fact, I often go through a jar of coconut oil once a week. Seriously it’s fabulous and smells AMAZING!

I wanted to share some of my favorite coconut oil uses. If you haven’t already been using it for some of these ways, I highly suggest giving them a try:

1. In your coffee. I know this sounds weird but adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to your morning cup of joe is a great way to start the day. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE HEALTHY FATS. Even a teaspoon is good and I promise, the flavor is incredible.

2. Make a deep conditioning hair mask. This is probably one of my favorite ways to use it. Every week I mix 1 tablespoon of honey + 1 egg yolk (not the white) + 2 tablespoons of melted and cooled coconut oil. I slather this all over my ends and then put my hair in a bun and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Just remember not to cover your roots; it’s not necessary! Shampoo and condition your hair afterwards and prepare to discover beautiful, shiny locks!

3. Use it as a shaving cream. That’s right, I no longer use shaving cream! Instead I use coconut oil. I actually keep a jar of coconut oil in my bathroom specifically for this. Just slather a tablespoon or two on your legs then shave them as you normally would. You’ll have soft, moisturized legs and no razor burn.

4. Make-up Remover. Forget buying those expensive make-up removers! I use coconut oil all the time to remove my eye make-up because it’s gentle and also provides my sensitive skin with extra moisture. LOVE! Just put a small amount on a cotton ball or directly on the skin and then remove.

5. In a detox bath. I love putting 1/4 cup of coconut oil in my bath. It leaves your skin feeling luxuriously soft and smooth. Often times I’ll add in some sea salt for a nice soak or a little baking soda. Trust me, it’s amazing.

6. In place of butter in baking recipes. In many baking recipes, you can use coconut oil in place of butter. The best part is that you can actually use LESS than you would if baking with butter! I typically use about 3/4. So if a recipe would call for 1 cup of butter, I would use 3/4 cup of coconut oil instead. Just an example and you might have to play with it a bit, but it usually works for me.

7. As a nighttime moisturizer. If my skin is incredibly dry, I’ll use a small amount of coconut oil on my face at night. I find that I wake up and my skin feels soft and youthful looking. In the winter, coconut oil is particularly useful for cracked and dry hands. Slather them in oil and help to bed, then wake up to baby skin soft hands.

I’d love to hear your favorite uses for coconut oil! Do you have any other beauty or health regimes involving coconut oil? Be sure to leave a comment so other members of the AK community can see your tips! xo.