Ways to Use Coconut Oil in Your Daily Life
By Rachel Remington
It’s no secret that coconut oil is praised as a superfood by many health-conscious individuals. The question is, how can coconut oil be used in daily life, other than for consumption? The amount of things that you can use coconut oil for are astonishing, and we’ve come up with a list of some ways to use it just to get you started.
Beauty Routine
You may have heard that coconut oil can be used as a skin moisturizer, but that is certainly not the only way to incorporate it into your beauty routine. First of all, coconut oil can be used as an alternative to eye makeup remover. If you apply a small amount of softened oil to a cotton ball or wash cloth, you can use that to wipe makeup off with ease.
The oil also makes a great hair mask for reviving dry or dull hair. After shampooing, run a container of coconut oil under the hot water to melt it. Then, add a generous amount of the oil to your wet hair, and let it sit for at least five minutes. Rinse your hair thoroughly, and once your hair dries, you should notice your hair to be shinier and healthier looking.
As mentioned before, coconut oil makes for a good skin moisturizer, but it also works well as a lip moisturizer in place of lip balm. Just put a small amount on your pointer finger and rub the oil gently into your lips whenever your lips feel dry or chapped.
If you want an alternative to buying toothpaste, you can mix coconut oil and baking soda and add a small amount to your toothbrush. You can try out this simple toothpaste recipe here, or explore the web for other recipes. Coconut oil can also be applied to the nails and cuticles to soften the cuticles and strengthen the nails, and can be used as an overnight dandruff treatment for the scalp. The list of beauty uses goes on and on, so by exploring the uses yourself, you may discover that you can replace many of your beauty projects with just one jar of coconut oil.
Cooking
Rather than just consuming coconut oil by the spoonful, there are many ways that you can incorporate it into your daily cooking. You can use the oil as a healthy alternative to cooking oil when frying foods by melting an appropriate amount in a fry pan prior to cooking. The oil can also be melted and rubbed into a baking pan with a cloth or paper towel as an alternative to cooking spray. Only use the oil as a cooking spray alternative if you’re setting your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or less though, because coconut oil will begin to smoke above this temperature.
If you’re a fan of smoothies, you can always add some coconut oil to your smoothie for a healthy boost and a hint of coconut flavor. Just add a couple tablespoons of the oil into the blender with all the other ingredients.
Coconut oil can be used as a healthy alternative to butter in any of your favorite recipes. Just use the same amount of coconut oil as the amount of butter the recipe calls for.
There are thousands of recipes out there that use coconut oil, so just do some exploring to find recipes that fit your taste buds. One resource for coconut oil recipes that you might like to check out is AllRecipes.com. There are hundreds of great recipes on that website alone, ranging from desserts to main courses.
Household Uses
Of course, you can find ways to make use of coconut oil for household tasks as well. If you have a cast iron pan, you can use coconut oil to season it. To do so, first clean the pan with soap and water, and use a salt and water mixture to scrub off any rust that may be in the pan. Then, place the pan in a 325 degree preheated oven for seven minutes. Coat the warmed pan with coconut oil using a rag, and proceed to wipe most of the coconut oil off the pan until only a thin coat is left. Place the pan back in the oven for an hour and a half, and then turn the oven off and allow the pan to cool.
Coconut oil can also be used as a wood polish when combined with a couple other simple ingredients. To make a polish, just melt the coconut oil and thoroughly mix it with a small amount of lemon juice and white vinegar. Apply the mixture to a clean cloth and wipe the furniture to give it a smooth finish.
If you are trying to remove a stubborn sticker or sticker residue, coconut oil is a good solution for that as well. Mix equal parts coconut oil and baking soda, and apply the mixture to the sticker or residue. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it off with a towel. On the internet, there are tons of other ways to use coconut oil for household tasks.
Clearly, coconut oil is an incredible product of Mother Nature, and it can continue to surprise you with potential uses. It may just be the one thing you need to replace many of the products in your daily life. To learn about the health benefits of coconut oil, visit the Coconut Research Center.
