6 Self-Care Uses for Coconut Oil That Can Save You Money

With the raising price of self-care products I found a simple and easy way to have one product take care of several beauty uses. Many people use coconut oil
for cooking and baking. However, coconut oil can also be used as a beauty product and it can replace many of your expensive self-care products you are using now. Imagine the money you can save by using coconut oil not only for cooking but as a beauty product instead of those chemical laden self-care products on the market today. I have taken my own personal list of ways I use coconut oil as a beauty product and sharing it with you so you can save money and have a healthier version of the products you spend lots of money on.

• Moisturizing foot cream: My secret to transforming dry, callous chapped feet into baby smooth soft feet without buying an expensive foot moisturizer is mixing coconut oil with shea butter to create a luxurious foot cream that will deeply moisturize your feet. Rub the cream on your feet and slip on some socks and BOOM!... Smooth moisturized feet!
• Sugar body scrub: If you’re like me, you use a body scrub to exfoliated dry, rough skin. Save your money next time you need to exfoliate and reach for your sugar jar and mix the sugar with your coconut oil to create a fantastic coconut scented scrub. The coconut oil helps retain your skin’s moisture and the sugar scrubs away the dead skin. It’s a win - win combination!
• Body moisturizer: This is a super easy way to moisturize your body. After a shower take a small amount of coconut oil in your palm and rub all over your body. This works great during the winter months when your skin is dry and chapped from the cold weather.
• Lip balm: Coconut oil makes a great lip balm! It helps keep dry chapped lips moisturized, and kissable soft.
• Conditioning Treatment: If you suffer from dry, brittle hair from the use of blow dryers, curling and straightening irons, then your hair may benefit from using coconut oil as a monthly conditioning treatment. Massage a small amount of coconut oil into your hair, roots and scalp and place a plastic cap or warm towel over your head and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. After, follow up with your normal hair washing routine. The results, beautiful, soft shinny hair at half the cost of store brought conditioning treatments. Note: (Use a small amount of coconut oil. Too much oil will cause your hair to look greasy).
• Shaving cream: As an alternative to shaving cream, coconut oil maybe what you’ve been looking for? For you gentlemen out there who are tired of getting razor burns and rough skin from shaving, try using coconut oil the next time you shave. Coconut oil will protect your skin while you shave and it leaves your skin silky smooth and moisturized. Your lady will notice the difference and so will you!
• Wrinkle buster: Forget about spending hundreds of dollars on the latest fad wrinkle cream! Coconut oil helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Dab a bit on your finger tips and smoothly apply under eyes and areas where fine lines appear to help keep wrinkles at bay.

Simplify your life and stretch your dollar with the many uses coconut oil has to offer your day-to-day beauty routine. When used in place of expensive self-care products, coconut oil wins, hands down! It provides your skin with healing and super-hydration that other expensive beauty products can’t match. Next time you go shopping for your beauty and self-care products remember a jar of coconut oil goes a long way!

Oils & Fats (Article by Institute of Integrative Nutrition)

Not all oils and fats are created equal. Heavily processed, hydrogenated, “trans” fats and oils that are used in prepared, packaged foods can be extremely damaging to the body. However, fats and oils from whole foods and other high-quality sources can steady our metabolism, keep hormone levels even, nourish our skin, hair and nails and provide lubrication to keep the body functioning fluidly. Our bodies also need fat for insulation and to protect and hold our organs in place.

A healthy percentage of high-quality fat in a meal satisfies and leaves feelings of energy, fulfillment and warmth. When there are excess fats and oils in the diet, especially heavily processed fats, symptoms can include weight gain, skin breakouts, high blood pressure, liver strain and an overall feeling of mental, physical and emotional heaviness. Signs of insufficient high-quality fats are brittle hair and nails, dry skin, hunger after meals and feeling cold.

There are many sources of healthy fats and oils. For sautéing and baking, try butter, ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil, because they do not break down when used at high temperatures. When sautéing and stovetop cooking at moderate temperatures, try organic extra virgin olive oil. Oils like flaxseed, sesame, toasted sesame, walnut and pumpkin seed are best used unheated in sauces or dressings on top of salads, veggies or grains. Other healthy fats are found in whole nuts and seeds and in their butters like almond butter or tahini. Whole foods such as avocados, olives and coconuts are great sources of healthy fat, along with wild salmon and omega-3 and omega-6 organic eggs. Experiment with these healthy fat sources and see which agree with you and leave you satisfied.

When selecting oils, buy the highest quality organic products you can afford, since cooking oils are the backbone of so many dishes. Good words to look for on the label are organic, first-pressed, cold-pressed, extra-virgin and unrefined. Words to avoid are expeller-pressed, refined and solvent extracted.