Coconuts can do much more than just help serve as catchy lines in Coca Cola commercials (“put the lime in the coconut and drink it all together” – remember that one?). We’ve all seen coconuts utilized in a lot of different places. We’ve seen it used as milk for people that can’t handle dairy very well, and as one of the most popular flavors of foods and drinks available. However, folks might be surprised to hear about Coconut Oils range of benefits which may have never been previously thought of. For example, Coconut Oil has an array of cosmetic benefits. It can be used to treat your hair, skin, and acne. Coconut Oil also has dental hygienic benefits, and can even be used for your dog! But before we can talk about all of the amazing health benefits that Coconut Oil has to offer let’s talk about what exactly this oil is all about.
Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil, also known as Copra Oil, stems from the kernel of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm. It has a high saturated fat content which makes it slow to oxidize and therefore, less likely to spoil. That’s not all! There also two ways which Coconut Oil can be extracted: A dry way and a wet way. The dry processing of Coconut Oil requires Coconut kernels to be extracted from a coconut’s shell and dried using fire, sunlight or kilns to created dry copra which, when pressed, creates dried Coconut Oil. Wet Coconut Oil is produced by using raw coconut whose protein is used to create an emulsion of oil and water. Now that we know what Coconut Oil is, let’s take a look at some of its many benefits.
Coconut Oil for Hair
Coconut Oil For Hair
Move over commercial conditioners and shampoos. Coconut Oil is a more natural way to treat your hair that is extremely effective. It is able to do this because of its antimicrobial properties, Lauric Acid, and Medium-Chain Fatty Acids which strengthen your hair, condition it, and help it regrow. Specifically, Coconut Oil consists of a high concentration of antioxidants and antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. Therefore, when used on hair, Coconut Oil is effectively able to improve scalp health, fight infections and fungus, support hair growth, and add volume and shine to your hair minus the harsh chemicals that typically come with most hair products that you can buy at the local drugstore.
Coconut Oil is also highly beneficial for your hair in a number of very specific ways that include promoting hair growth, fighting dandruff, lice treatment, and lice prevention. In terms of promoting hair growth, when it gets massaged into your scalp, Coconut Oil is capable of improving your blood circulation, thereby supporting hair growth. A great way to use Coconut Oil to help promote hair growth is the following procedure: Massage Coconut Oil into your scalp gently for around 10 minutes a few times a week. After doing this, place a shower cap over your head and let your body heat work with the Coconut Oil to improve your scalp health. Afterwards use a gentle cleanser for best results.
Coconut oil is also able to fight dandruff most effectively due its high concentration of vitamins K and E. Furthermore, Coconut Oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids such as lauric acid that are able to do an especially good job at tackling dandruff, especially if the root cause of that dandruff is fungal. Coconut Oil also does a great job of preventing and treating lice because it is able to penetrate through the hair shaft to repel lice and prevent its eggs from attaching to hair.
Coconut Oil for Skin
Coconut Oil For Skin
Coconut oil doesn’t only do a great job treating your hair – it can also do a great job at helping promote some of the strongest, healthiest skin possible! Coconut Oil is able to accomplish tremendous wonders for your skin due to the saturated fats contained within it, all of which are able to help your skin stay moisturized with its fat preventing moisture loss through the skins pores. Coconut Oils saturated fats are then able to give your skin a smoother, more even, and healthier tone. There are some even more specific ways which Coconut Oil is able to help your skin:
Coconut Oil as a Body Scrub
Coconut Oil can be used as a body scrub. This can be done by simply mixing Coconut Oil with Coconut Sugar. This can be applied a few times a week.
Coconut Oil as a Cold Sore Treatment
If you are more prone to cold sores, using a Coconut Oil cold sore treatment may be a fantastic option for you! When dabbed on cold sores, Coconut Oil can help healing at a much quicker rate than they normally would, relieve you of any pain caused by them, and limit any scarring or discoloration which may result.
Coconut Oil as a Body Oil
Coconut oil makes a great body oil if your skin gets seriously dry. All you need to do is rub it in your hands to warm it up. After this you can use it instead of body lotion. Mainly apply this body lotion onto areas like your knees that are prone to get drier than other parts of your body. Try Jojoba Oil to experience another great body oil!
So you’re probably thinking to yourself right now, how can Coconut Oil help me lose weight? After all, didn’t we mention earlier in this article that the saturated fat content in Coconut Oil is no small thing? Worry not! Nonetheless, Coconut Oil is able to help you lose weight- here’s how it does it! You might be aware that the faster your metabolism is, the more calories your body will be able to burn. Coconut Oil is able to make your metabolism work faster because it contains mainly Medium Chain Fatty Acids. These Medium Chain Fatty Acids are metabolized differently than other types of acids and are able to be more quickly metabolized by the body. Furthermore, these Medium Chain Fatty Acids are able to cause the body to have a quicker metabolism and convert calories into fuel for immediate use by our body’s muscles and organs.
Besides for the Medium Chain Fatty Acids, Coconut Oil also has other tremendous weight loss benefits. One of these benefits is that Coconut Oil is what we call thermogenic. Thermogenic refers to how, when something is eaten, it has the ability to increase the amount of fat burning that goes down in your body. Coconut Oil is able to accomplish this more easily than other oils.
Coconut Oil for Acne
We mentioned that Coconut Oil can do wonders for your skin. But Coconut Oil also has other benefits in this general department of skin care, specifically in its wondrous ability to treat your acne. A lot of people worry about using an oil to treat acne, as we’re often told that oil is bad for facial skin and causes acne. While this is generally the case, as crazy as it might sound, Coconut Oil is an exception and is capable of working as a highly effective acne treatment. Here are some of the reasons why:
Coconut Oil is Rich in Fatty Acids
Coconut Oil is the main source of some of the most powerful antimicrobial agents found in your food capric and lauric acid. When these acids are applied on your skin, some good microbes, when presented on your skin, convert these acids into Monocaprin and Monolaurin. This process is then able to replace the protective acid layer on your skin which is removed by constant washing and wiping.
Coconut Oil is a Great Source of Vitamin E
The Vitamin E contained within Coconut Oil is able to treat the actual root cause of acne as opposed to just the behaviors that lead to its appearance. Additionally Vitamin E has the ability to reduce natural hormonal fluctuations that lead to your sebum gland becoming hyper active and is able to reduce your acne overall.
Coconut Oil is Anti-Inflammatory
Because it is soothing to the skin and highly penetrating, when it is applied to your skin, Coconut Oil is able to reduce inflammation from acne that your skin already possessed. More than that Coconut Oil is able to heal any sort of open wounds caused by severe cases of acne.
We’ve talked a lot about how coconut oil can help do a good job at giving you some great treatment for your acne and skin, but Coconut Oil can also do a great job at helping you with your dental health. The main way which Coconut Oil can help you maintain those shiny pearly whites is through Oil Pulling. Using Coconut Oil to Oil Pull is a great way to remove bacteria from your mouth and help you have healthier teeth and gums. But how is Oil Pulling even done? Mainly used in Ayurvedic medicine, Oil Pulling is a detoxification procedure which is accomplished after swishing a tablespoon of oil, in our case Coconut Oil, in your mouth for 10-20 minutes.
The Coconut Oil detoxification process consists of the sucking of toxins out of your mouth, resulting in the creation of a clean antiseptic oral environment that allows dental liquid to flow properly and prevent cavities and disease. Oil Pulling has been used for centuries as a remedy for a number of different conditions. These include curing tooth decay, healing bleeding gums, getting rid of bad breath, decreasing inflammation, calming down throat dryness, treating cracked lips, boosting your immune system, strengthening your gums and jaws, heart disease prevention , reducing inflammation, and more. Coconut Oil is one of the most effective oils to use in this process, as it more effectively whitens teeth and rids the mouth of bacteria than other oils. Try Coconut Oil for Oil Pulling over other commonly used “Pulling Oils” like Apricot Oil, Sunflower Oil, and Argan Oil.
Coconut Oil for Dogs
Coconut Oil For Dogs
You’re not the only one at home who may stand to gain from Coconut Oil. Dogs may also benefit from a lot of natural oils or ingredients as part of their diet too. For example, it has been said that it may actually be beneficial for dogs to eat some Omega-3 oils like fish oil on a regular basis because it contains fatty acids essential for their diet. Coconut oil is also important for your dog’s overall health and even essential when your dog is pregnant and in their early years of development. Coconut Oil can also be beneficial for your dog in a number of other ways too:
Clear up your dog’s skin from conditions that include eczema and flea allergies.
Can reduce your dog’s allergic reactions and improve their skin health
Eliminates dog odor.
Protects your dog from fleas, ticks, and mites.
Can help eliminate parasites found in your dog’s stomach.
Promotes weight loss.
Is able to treat yeast and fungal infections.
Helps your dog build stronger muscles.
Where to Buy Coconut Oil
Like the other essential oils, there are a few main places where you can buy Coconut oil from stores both on and offline. Once you find a place to buy your Coconut Oil you also need to make sure you are getting the most effective brand. For example, it is recommended to use Virgin Coconut Oil over Refined Coconut Oil because Refined Coconut Oil usually consists of chemical solvents. However, if you do not clean off small drops of these chemicals properly they could end up getting mixed into your Coconut Oil. This will expose you to the chemicals that you are trying to avoid by using a more natural product and therefore, it makes sense to avoid Refined Coconut Oil at almost all costs.
Conclusion
Coconut Oil, like many other of the other essential oils, is a great way to treat a variety of your different cosmetic needs such as your hair, skin, and acne. It is also can be used to help with dental health and can have tremendous benefits for your dog. However, assuming that you stick with Virgin Coconut Oil over refined Coconut Oil, one of the greatest benefits that comes from using Coconut Oil is that unlike a lot of personal care products, it has the ability to help without using all of the potentially damaging chemicals, sulfates or parabens that these other products tend to include. This ensures a more natural treatment for your hair, skin, teeth and, yes, even dog!
Check back here at Innovative Private Label for more on healthy oils – like our Tea Tree Oil and Citronella Oil features!
