Natural Beauty: Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has experienced something of a popularity rise recently, and for good reason. Anyone who peruses Pinterest for a few minutes is likely to stumble across another proclaimed beauty use for this miracle food. However, many people, myself included, are wary of applying any type of oil to their skin for fear of worsening their already oily/combination skin. Even my (former) dermatologist told me to stay away from any and all oils, claiming they would only exacerbate sebum production (I know, I know, that is literally the grossest word imaginable).

So, I went and purchased all the oil-free Neutrogena products I could find (thanks, Walgreens!) and began slathering my skin in their powdery, sebum-reducing goodness. Needless to say, this was not a Kleen beauty practice. I bet you can guess what happened next... after months of Neutrogenism, I started to notice that my skin was actually worsening! I hopped on my laptop for a little light research and stumbled across the Detoxifying Mecca that is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Check it out here. Disclaimer: you might become addicted, spending countless hours meticulously sifting through each and every one of your personal hygiene products only to throw them away, and then commence the search for less icky, EWG-approved ones. And yeah, there's an app for that.

I'll save the cosmetics post for another time because today I want to tell you about all the glorious benefits of something that many of you already have in your pantry: coconut oil.

1) You can use it as an effective, much cheaper eye cream to reduce the appearance of dark circles and fine lines.

2) It's literally the most divine body moisturizer known to man, especially when used fresh out of the shower because it locks dat moisture in!

3) Dry, cracked feet? Just slather it on those puppies before bed and put on your fluffiest socks and you will have feet like a baby's bottom when you wake up. No joke.

4) All nat-u-ral makeup remover... (particularly handy for stubborn under-eye makeup).

5) Mixed with a little baking soda and cinnamon, it can be a great facial scrub! Sayonara, St. Ives...

6) One of my personal favorite uses for coconut oil is as a shaving lotion. I haven't purchased shaving cream in years...actually probably never because I'm cheap. :)

7) If you're one of those people who cares about the appearance of their nails, unlike me because nails are overrated, then it can apparently be an effective cuticle cream...

8) At a farmer's market last spring I found this shnazzy deodorant made from virgin coconut oil and other natural ingredients. No aluminum or parabens here!

9) My friend Laura has touted the relaxing and detoxifying benefits of adding a few drops/spoonfuls of coconut oil to a hot bath (water must be above 76 degrees to avoid solidification), but unfortunately I can not verify this because I haz no tub.

10) Because of it's antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties, it is an effective cleanser for your body and face and many natural companies utilize it in their soaps. I LOVE this one and it makes for highly entertaining shower reading!

11) Although I have yet to try it, it can even replace your insect repellent when mixed with other high quality essential oils.

12) And last, but not least, coconut oil has long been heralded for its hair conditioning properties. It seems to be particularly useful for frizziness, African hair, chemically-treated hair, and dandruff.

Coconut oil is definitely much more economical than buying a separate product for every skincare and beauty need, plus it's free from those icky toxins that pervade the mainstream options. There's probably about a million more uses out there, but these are the ones I tend to see the most. Feel free to let me know if I missed any!

--Keely