You may love shredded coconut in many of your best recipes. That sweet, nutty taste and wonderful aroma can make almost anything more exotic. However, you may not know that the delicious coconut produces an oil that contains tons of benefits for your skin and health.
Coconut oil provides skin health benefits when used systemically or topically. Consumed in food, coconut oil has beneficial fats that keep you energized and helps your body to fight harmful microbes, and coconut oil is a natural way to rid your body of toxins.
If these toxins are allowed to accumulate, body organs, including the skin, are adversely affected. The immune system becomes less active and the whole body is more susceptible to ill-health and disease. This is most readily apparent in the appearance of the skin.
Feel the Difference Coconut Oil Makes to Your Skin
Applied externally, coconut oil has a multitude of uses and benefits. One way to use coconut oil is to simply apply it to your body after a bath or shower and you’ll soon notice the supple difference in your skin. Once absorbed into your skin, coconut oil is able to penetrate on a much deeper level than most store-bought cosmetic products.
Treat Cold Sores
If you’re prone to annoying and painful cold sores, dab coconut oil on them to halt the pain, speed the healing process and reduce the chance of discoloration or scarring of the skin. The fatty acids contained in coconut oil include antimicrobial and disinfectant properties to protect against these types of infections.
Use as an Alternative to Soap and Shaving Cream
If you’re tired of shaving your legs only to end up with unsightly cuts and abrasions, try coconut oil instead of soap or shaving cream. It’s inexpensive and contains ingredients that will help your legs look smooth and hydrated – but never greasy.
Natural Eye Make-up Remover
Removing eye makeup can be a problem if you have to scrub and rub the sensitive eye area. However, put a bit of coconut oil on a cotton ball and gently remove the makeup. It’s a wonderful alternative to harsh eye make-up removers, as the natural oil leaves this delicate area smooth and rehydrated.
Natural Body Exfoliant
You can’t beat coconut oil as a body scrub. Simply mix the oil with some coconut sugar and you’ve got the perfect remover of dead skin cells for your face or other areas of the body.
Hair Care
It only takes a small amount of organic coconut oil to make your hair shine and let its true luster beam through. It also tames fly-away strands and helps to eliminate annoying split ends.
Dermatitis Problems? Try Some Coconut Oil
Sufferers of the skin condition, dermatitis, swear by using coconut oil for skin cleansing and moisturizing. Coconut oil is a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial moisturizer and can help clear many of the skin conditions you may encounter.
Coconut oil has health benefits that go far beyond its appeal as a natural skin care product. However, there is now doubt it excels in this area, so you can certainly enhance your own beauty regime with this oil.