Five Uses for Coconut Oil – That Don’t Involve Food

Coconut oil is all the rage these days, a touted panacea to help improve everything from Alzheimer’s symptoms to the inability to lose weight. Truth is, I love coconut oil, but I only eat it sparingly – a couple of tablespoons per week, tops. It is, after all, a saturated fat and high in calories! That said, the lauric acid in coconut oil has some amazing benefits, including being anti-viral and anti-bacterial, so it really is tops in our house.

Here are some ways I use coconut oil a little less conventional ways.

  • As an all natural makeup remover. There is really no need to spend oodles on chemical concoctions to remove makeup. Coconut oil works really well for this. There are two ways to go about this: 1) Use it on a cotton ball, just as you’d use a liquid make up remover and “spot remove” or 2) Smear your face with a thin layer of coconut oil, and then heat a washcloth under hot water until you get it fairly hot, and wring out. Place the cloth over your entire face and let it sit there until it cools off, and then wipe any oil residue off with the cloth. I prefer the second method – it really leaves your entire face feeling soft and hydrated.
  • As a moisturizer with built in sunscreen properties. Just spread a thin layer over your face and neck in the morning after your shower. If you use makeup, you’ll need to wait 5-10 minutes for the oil to absorb before applying any makeup products, or, they really won’t take. Do this for a month and you really won’t believe how soft your skin is.
  • For healthy teeth and gums. Oil pulling is really coming into the general public’s knowledge, and, while it sounds ludicrous, I believe it really does work! I have had a nagging issue with a tooth that had a root canal for over a year. Nothing has been able to eliminate the consistent toothache – likely caused from bacterial issues – except for oil pulling with coconut oil. I was on some pretty serious antibiotics over the summer with my whole kneecap debacle, and even those antibiotics didn’t resolve the tooth issue. One week of oil pulling and the pain was gone – and has stayed gone for months. Oil pulling is touted for whitening teeth and improving gum health. This one really sounds like hokum, but, you don’t have much to lose by giving it a try!
  • Scar reduction. I have been applying a thin layer to a 6” incision I have on my left knee from surgery to repair it after I broke it last summer, and the scar has visibly reduced. Someday maybe I’ll share a picture with you guys…but, for now, you probably don’t want to see that!
  • Goo’ remover. Coconut oil is good at getting sticky things off of solid surfaces. Just smear on a dab on the sticky offender, wait a minute, and then wipe off the sticky!
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