*The Coconut Oil Cure All*

I feel like everywhere I turn people are talking about the benefits of  using Coconut Oil as a cure all for almost everything!   So I picked up some Organic Virgin Coconut Oil at Trader Joe’s the other day and was a little confused when I saw it in a jar in a solid form?

After doing a little reading I found out it’s because of its high saturated fat content. But here’s the deal- it’s the RIGHT kind of saturated fat.

I opened the jar to the most divine scent- smelled like vacation!  But when I tasted it I was surprised that the flavor wasn’t as coconut-ty as I expected which I guess is good for those non-coconut lovers out there. And maybe helps to lend itself better to some of the different uses?

One of my friends loves spreading it on her toast instead of butter… here are some other ways to work it into your life…

Some Obvious Uses:

*Cooking – Coconut Oil can sustain high heats, so try subbing in a little the next time you sauté something.

*Baking – I recently substituted 50% coconut oil (I heated slightly to make it liquid) 50% vegetable oil in a carrot cake (recipe called for vegetable oil) & it turned out so moist & delicious!  (And my husband who doesn’t like coconut LOVED the cake.)

Some Not-So-Obvious Uses/Benefits:

*Hair – Use a little on the ends of to add shine & condition dry or damaged hair.  You can also rub onto your scalp to keep it free of dandruff, lice & lice eggs! (Wow- keep this in mind next time you get a call from the school nurse)

*Skin – Helps with dry skin (makes sense when you think about the coconut scent of the yummiest smelling sunscreens) but is also supposed to delay wrinkles and sagging of skin from aging.  (Um, yes please!)

*Heart Health – Coconut Oil contains lauric acid which helps prevent of high cholesterol and heart disease.

*Metabolism – It contains short & medium-chain fatty acids that help in shedding excess weight and is known for increasing metabolism.

*Aids in digestion – by helping the body in dealing with various bacteria and parasites that cause indigestion.

*Immunity Boosting – Coconut Oil has antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties to help boost immunity.

*It’s good for your teeth – Coconut Oil helps with the absorption of calcium & is known to stop tooth decay!?!  (If you have a minute, Google “Coconut Oil Pulling.“)

Coconut Oil is also known to be beneficial for the liver, kidneys, bones, and diabetes by controlling blood sugar.

The list really goes on and on…

I’m a fan of the “Everything in Moderation” mantra… but I’m going to start trying to work a little more Coconut Oil into my family’s diet!

Click here to watch a Dr. Oz video segment about it.

Do you use coconut oil? Please share any tips / uses you might have!

(Info on the health benefits of coconut oil from www.OrganicFacts.net. Image from hybridrastamama.com)

(Disclosure- I’m not a doctor nor a dietician, I’m just learning about the benefits of this wonder-oil & thought I would share with all of you!)

23 comments

  1. I bought some recently but have only used it once….in a recipe by Dr. Oz! I need to use it more!! Of course I bought it at albertsons and then saw it 2 days later at trader joes for half the price!

  2. Just this weekend I met a pregnant mom who has been using coconut oil on her belly to avoid stretch marks! This really is a cure all!

  5. Make sure to buy organic, unrefined, virgin oil. It had so many great uses! We use it for many of the things you listed.

  7. I just bought it last week! Cant wait to use it. Any more recipe ideas for cooking?

  8. I have been using it on my face for the past month and my skin looks so much more fresh and smoother. Also just the color of it looks better. When I don’t have makeup on my skin color is much more even.

  9. Also a great addition to smoothies (especially for crazy delicious Vitamix smoothies). Swiss Chard or spinach, vanilla, coconut oil, carrots, oranges, beets, blueberries, apple, ginger. Voila.

  10. I made deodorant using coconut oil and it has been working amazingly! I never thought I’d be one to use homemade body care items, but the few things I’ve tried have worked better than anything I’ve bought.

  11. Works great for diaper rash.

    In the kitchen I use it for baking. Perfect for greasing muffin tins!

  12. These are great tips, I can’t wait to try them. After a trip to the allergist for my little one, we had been using olive oil as our moisturizer which has been great. I’ve been hearing a lot lately about coconut oil. Time to give it a try…

    1. Heather- be sure to check with your allergist to make sure it’s safe to use on your kiddos skin. I’m not sure if there is a coconut allergy but would hate if s/he had a reaction! Good luck!

      1. Thanks Susanne. We just had all our tests and coconut is fine thankfully. Always something to think about though. We are just learning to navigate around allergies. BTW, thanks Jen for the TJ recommendation, it’s way cheaper there than Sprouts!

  13. My son has eczema and we heat it to liquify it then put it in his bath. It leaves his skin so soft I want to try it for myself sometime. Use caution: It makes the tub very slippery.

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