My Top 11 Uses for Coconut Oil

I realize that the blogging world is buzzing with ways to use coconut oil, and the big natural health bloggers have been extolling the virtues of coconut oil for some time. I probably have dozens of pins on Pinterest for the uses of coconut oil, and I have two ebooks on my Kindle about why it is so beneficial for people to use. I would like to share my journey into the wonders of coconut oil.

There is much debate in the medical and natural health world about whether coconut oil is the new wonder food and can doing everything from curing dementia to weight loss, or that promoting it's health benefits are akin to selling swamp land in Florida. One side says it raises cholesterol and is only healthier when compared to butter, the other says that it actually lowers the bad cholesterol and raises the good cholesterol.

I slowly stared using coconut oil to fry and sauté food when I began turning away from vegetable oils. I researched PUFA oils (poly unsaturated fatty acid), which are in omega-3 and omega-6 rich oils. I read about the dangers of getting oil from some omega-6 rich products like corn, seeds and soy without a heavy manufacturing process that exposes the oil to oxidation and chemical solvents. Then to keep the oil from going rancid, it is treated with more chemicals. To top it off, the oil oxidizes even more when used to cook at high temperatures, which can contribute even more to free radicals. Also, our bodies need less omega-6 oils than omega-3, so we may be eating more of the wrong kind of oil. So while PUFA oils are held up as healthy, low fat oils, they are not. There is also the issue that low fat may not be the healthiest way to eat. (source) In the end, I'm not sure that I want to eat oil that is not possible to obtain without heavy manufacturing. Just grind corn or grape seeds and you can see that there is no visible oil present, compared to the cream rising to the top of whole unhomogenized milk and when squeezing olives.

I still love olive oil (extra virgin oil is easily obtained without heavy chemical manufacturing) but it is not ideal for cooking because of the omega-6 content that can oxidize with heat. I have moved toward butter as a "real food", it also does not do well for cooking at higher temperatures.

Enter coconut oil. It has been used for centuries for nutrition and health by practitioners of ayurvedic medicine. For example, oil pulling involves daily rinsing of the mouth with coconut oil for healthy teeth and gums because coconut oil is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. It is also used for detoxing and a multitude of other health benefits.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is processed by pressing the "meat", which is cold pressed, to obtain the oil, although some heating occurs due to the pressure so cooling is required to keep the oil from heating up and therefore oxidizing. Some coconut oil is processed using extreme heating and chemical processes, but it is not labeled virgin coconut oil and is therefore easy to avoid. Because coconut oil is slow to oxidize it does not go rancid for a long time (two or more years), which is not the case for most oils.

I must admit that at first it took me a while to get used to the taste of food cooked in coconut oil. I have never been a fan of the flavour of coconut. As with anything new, though, once I gave it time I began to enjoy the flavour. I started talking to people about coconut oil and heard how they were using it. Some put it in smoothies, others use it for skin moisturizer.

What? Skin care? This sent me down a whole new rabbit hole. It was at this point that I was also researching ways to detoxify my personal care products like makeup, moisturizer and cleanser, shampoo and conditioner, and the two paths collided. I began using coconut oil for basically anything you could imagine. My bathroom counter now resembles my kitchen counter (because along with coconut oil, I use honey, apple cider vinegar and Himalayan pink salt for personal care products). My daughters have jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon with me and together we are continually trying it for new purposes.


Here are my top 11 uses for coconut oil:

1. Higher temperature cooking, such as stir frys and sautés 
2. Lard substitute in baking: my favourite is using when making homemade flat breads - I substitute butter or lard with coconut oil 1:1
3. Dry feet soother: massage clean feet with generous amounts of coconut oil at night, put on an old pair of socks and leave overnight. Buff the dry areas with a pumice stone to remove the dead skin. Repeat this as often as needed until the dry areas, such as heels, are soft and smooth.
4. Homemade dark chocolate: this is my favourite chocolate treat now and it is very quick and easy to make.
5. Face moisturizer: I rub a very small amount (perhaps a pinky nail's worth) of coconut oil into the palms of my hand to melt it, then I massage it into my face after washing. I prefer doing this at night time so that it has time to be absorbed into my skin (I don't like the oily sheen in the morning when I head out for the day). 
6. Skin conditioner: after a bath or shower, particularly in the evening, I massage the oil into my skin all over my body. 
7. Shaving cream: in the summer when I do shave my legs, I sometimes use coconut oil in place of castille soap for shaving. I can skip the previous step of moisturizing my legs after a shower as the coconut oil "shaving cream" leaves my legs silky soft.
8. Sunburn soother: I try to be careful in the sun, but occasionally I get too much and have a sunburn. Coconut oil not only moisturizes the skin after a burn, it soothes the sting of a burn. Reapply as frequently as needed (several times a day), especially with a bad burn.
9. Hair conditioner: I use the "no 'poo" method to wash my hair (either nothing but water to wash, or baking soda / apple cider vinegar) and but occasionally I need to do a deep condition. I melt a small amount (teaspoon or less) in the palms of my hands and massage into my scalp and hair. I leave it in my hair until the next time I wash it and put my hair in a bun or pony tail for the day. 
10. Mouth canker sore soother: I have found putting coconut oil topically on my canker sores (which I am quite prone to) soothes the pain. After the initial sting, the pain is gone for up to an hour, which is as long as other over the counter remedies work for me.
11. Bug bite soother: my oldest daughter discovered this one - whenever she feels a bug bite itching she applies coconut oil to the area and it relieves the itch and sting. She just reapplies when it returns. 

How To Detox Your Shampoo

In my quest to green my personal care products years ago I started buying "natural" shampoo, as in shampoo free of fragrances, sodium layryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureate sulfate (SLES), and a host of other toxic ingredients linked to endocrine problems, cancer and reproductive issues.

I had varying degrees of success with "natural" shampoos and there was always an adjustment period for my hair. Some left my hair feeling unmanageable and difficult to style, others did not clean to my liking. The one thing they all had in common was the cost - very expensive. I am not one to shy away from paying more for natural and organic products, but I felt unsatisfied with the results and therefore they were not worth the added expense, in my opinion.

As with many things on my eco journey, being frustrated was the key to the discovery of something better for me. Store bought commercial products were either toxic or ineffective or expensive, so I began searching for a more natural alternative - making my own!

Before embarking upon my No Poo journey. 

I was in need of a haircut at this point.

The Internet is full of posts on the no-shampoo, otherwise known as the "no 'poo", way to clean hair. Basically it is using baking soda and water to clean hair and apple cider vinegar to condition and tone. I'm with you if you're saying yuck or this wouldn't work for your hair. That's how I felt and I ignored this way to clean hair for several years. Hair can be a big part of our identity and we all now how a bad hair day can put us in a bad mood (or is that just me?). 

Well, I reached my frustration point again a little over six months ago and decided I had nothing to lose. I decided that this wasn't so crazy. One of the main ingredients in dry shampoos is baking soda, so I guess this made sense after all.  I have read all sorts of different recipes for this method but much like my cooking, I go rogue and just eye-ball the ratio of ingredients. I have found that approximately 1:8 or 1:10 baking soda to water to be just the right amount. I used to use a stronger solution but this made my hair feel very straw-like. It is surprising how little baking soda is needed for this. For the apple cider vinegar I use 1:2 vinegar to water.

My ingredients: baking soda, apple cider vinegar and water. 

Here's my No Poo method:

1. Wet my hair as usual.
2. Squirt the baking soda / water mixture onto my hair, being careful to tip my chin up to keep it out of my eyes. 
3. Gently rub my scalp, massaging the mixture around. There is no need to work it down to the ends of the hair.
4. Rinse hair with water.
5. Squirt the apple cider vinegar (ACV) / water mixture onto my hair, again being careful to keep my chin up. Trust me on this! Vinegar in eyes really stings!
6. Leave the ACV in for a few minutes. Rinse thoroughly.

This was taken several months after beginning my No Poo journey.

Other than a haircut my hair looks largely the same. I am pleased!

I like how soft the ACV leaves my hair and I really don't mind the smell. Then again I use white vinegar for most of my cleaning so I am used to it and now associate it with cleanliness.

Some people have said that their hair takes time to adjust to this and they find their hair feels greasier initially, especially if they wash their hair frequently. I have always limited washing my hair to at most three times a week (usual one to two) so I didn't notice any adjustment at all. In fact, I loved how my hair felt from the very first time. I know this isn't the case for many people so I was prepared for the worst.

Some Tips:

• I use a peri-bottle, like the ones mothers receive in the hospital post-birth, because they are easy to squirt onto my head. Initially I used jars to pour the mixtures onto my head and this did not work well (went all over my face because difficult to control). I purchased additional ones here at Luna Pads.
• I leave the ACV in my hair as long as I would commercial conditioners, if not longer. I wash at the beginning of my shower, go about my business, and rinse when I am finished. 
• I have found that if I use too much baking soda or leave it in my hair too long it leaves my hair feeling like straw.
• When mixing in the water I like to use warm, almost hot water to avoid a cold blast to my scalp while I'm enjoying a warm shower.

I use no poo to wash my three daughters' hair as well and they now prefer it, although they can still be lured by the fun designs, colours, scents and characters on shampoo marketed to kids. 

The only caveat I have is that I may need to do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair, and the same thing with my oldest daughter's hair, which is very thick. I'm going to try doing leave-in conditioner with coconut oil next time I wash my hair. 

Benefits of No Poo:

• non-toxic, which was my main concern trying this
• affordable: I buy my baking soda in the bulk section and although ACV can be somewhat expensive (especially if organic and unpasteurized) I am currently trying to make my own
• easy to make with ingredients found around the home

I'm happy I've made one more step off the consumer treadmill by making my own shampoo and conditioner with ingredients I have around my home.

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Update:

I have since experimented with using coconut oil to deep condition my hair and I can report that it is working well. Every so often, when I feel that my hair needs it, I massage a small amount of coconut oil into my scalp and hair. I leave my hair wet and put it into a bun or pony tail for the day. The next day (or the next time I wash it, as I sometimes leave my hair like this for days) I wash and dry my hair as usual and my hair is silky soft.

Occasionally I use the tiniest amount of coconut oil (less than the size of my pinky nail) in my dried hair because I have very wavy (frizzy) hair that needs lots of taming.

I use coconut oil for many other purposes as well.