I have been a fan of coconut oil for quite some time. It was actually my mom who introduced me to this super versatile product. Growing up she would rub coconut oil into my hair and scalp as a hair mask and once it was washed out throughly, it would leave my hair feeling so silky and smooth.
There are endless number of uses for coconut oil and here are a some of the ones which are part of my daily life. My current favourite is the Lucy Bee fair trade extra virgin coconut oil. I met Lucy briefly at the Body Power show this year and she is lovely and very passionate about her product and educating people on the health benefits of this great product. The thing I love about this product is that its fair trade and ethically sourced.
Lucy Bee’s Coconut oil is available at Sainsbury’s, Amazon and Whole Foods to name a few. The 300ml jar is normally £6.00 from Sainsbury’s and lasts me for months. I do tend to try to source the 500ml jar as it lasts me longer. I usually have one jar in the kitchen and another in the bathroom. What I love about this product is that it actually smells of coconuts…its LUSH, I absolutely love the smell of this product. I have purchased other coconut oils in the past and the smell is not as intense as this one, in fact some don’t even smell of coconuts at all.
My jar in the kitchen is used daily. I have a very strict diet, where I try to eat the correct ratio of carbohydrates, protein and fat on a daily basis (apart from cheat days of course haha) which have been calculated by a fitness instructor at my local gym based on my weight and what i want my goals are. I like to get my good fats from nuts, avocado or coconut oil which is one of the quick and easiest ways for me. I can add a spoon full into fruit/veg juices or just eat a spoon full, which some people find disgusting but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I also love to cook, fry and bake with it, it adds a very subtle taste to some dishes and best thing is it has no cholesterol unlike other oils, butters etc so I know its good for me.
As with my jar in the kitchen, my jar in the bathroom is used daily. I am currently using Benefits They’re Real Push-up Liner which I LOVE and this stuff does not budge, which is great but not great in the evenings when I’m knackered and my eye liner refuses to come off with most face wipes and cleansers I use. I’ve tried my Liz Earle cleanser, Simple face wipes but still couldn’t get it all off even though the Liz Earle cleanser does a pretty good job. After a bit of research i read that people were using coconut oil to remove eye makeup. I gave it a go and I have never looked back. Regardless of how heavy my eye makeup is the coconut oil seems to remove it. I take a pea size amount in my palm and let it melt and then just dip my clean fingers in and rub it directly onto my eye lids, lashes etc. I rub till I can see and feel that all my eye makeup has come off. Be warned you will look like something that resembles a panda haha. Take a cotton pad and gently wipe the makeup off. I then continue with a cleanse with my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and there you have it…super squeeky clean and not a sign of any eye makeup.
As I suffer from dry skin and hair throughout most of the year, I have incorporated coconut into my shower routine. It’s such a quick and easy way to moisturise my skin daily and there are no added chemicals, fragrances etc, just a simple product to moisturise your skin. I have found that coconut oil is such a great moisturiser, I can skip a moisturise a couple of times a week and still have super soft, moisturised skin. I tend to apply it onto wet skin whilst I’m still in the shower and then pat dry. I have continued use the coconut oil as a hair mask to add moisture into my hair. I apply it to my hair a couple hours before a shower and really massage it in, can also be left over night but just remember to put a towel on your pillow before you go to bed. I then wash it out with shampoo at least twice, it can be difficult to wash out and if you haven’t washed it out properly your hair will appear to look greasy when its dry.
It doesn’t stop there haha…there is another use for this beauty in my life, oil pulling. Again, some people find this disgusting but I’m fine with it. It does involve swishing coconut oil around your mouth, teeth etc for up to 15/20mins. So, a bit of background, oil pulling is an old Ayurvedic technique used to eliminate bacteria from your mouth and tongue and some people have said that their teeth even appear whiter after regular oil pulling. I have to admit I have noticed a slight difference in the colour of my teeth but don’t expect to see a drastic change. For myself it was a slight change over several months. There are many techniques on how to oil pull, I tend to follow the steps on Lucy’s website and it seems to work for me. Here they are:
- Soon after waking, before eating or brushing your teeth, swish your mouth with 1 – 2 teaspoons of coconut oil.
- If solid, it will quickly soften. Take a teaspoonful and then bite into it to melt it.
- Swirl and swish it around in your mouth, basically as you would with a mouthwash.
- Push & pull it through your teeth and around your gums. This is thought to activate the enzymes which draw out toxins.
- You can do this for anywhere from 5-20 minutes ( I tend to do this for 10-15 mins depending how rushed I am for time)
- Do not swallow the oil – the idea is to get rid of the ‘nasties’. Once you finish, spit it out into a bin as the oil will solidify in your sink and may block it.
Lucy has recently released a cook book with plenty of healthy recipes which I can’t wait to get my hands on. It is available on Amazon, click here to check it out.
Also, click here to visit the Lucy Bee website. Theres plenty more information about coconut oil, how to use it and loads of great recipes online to get you started.
