FTC Disclosure: Delicious Obsessions may receive comissions from purchases made through links in this article. Read our full terms and conditions here.
<<Update 03/20/12 — Make sure you take some time to read through the comments on this post. When I first wrote this post back in January 2012, I thought 52 uses for coconut oil was amazing. Little did I know that my readers would leave double, and probably even triple that many new uses in the comments!>>
Really? 52 different ways to use coconut oil? How is that even possible?! Well, it is and I’m sure there are ways that people use it that aren’t even on my list! I use so much coconut oil in my house! I go through one and a half to two quarts a month. Not only do we use it for cooking and eating, but we use it for a variety of other things, many of which are on this list! What is your favorite way to use coconut oil?
DISCLAIMER: Please note, these uses are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. They are simply testimony of people who have used coconut oil for various things and have had success. Also, please remember that what works for one person may not work for another person. It is always wise to consult with your doctor before changing your diet. In the case of pets, it’s a wise idea to consult with your vet before changing your pet’s diet.
52 Uses for Coconut Oil
- Eat a spoonful when you need an energy boost.
- Use it as the base for a homemade body scrub.
- Use to condition your wooden cutting boards.
- Use as a super conditioner on your hair (apply to dry hair, leave in as long as possible and then shampoo as normal).
- Use as a styling agent if you have really dry hair. Just rub a tiny bit on your palms and apply to your hair and style as normal.
- Keep a little container in your purse for lip moisturizer.
- Add a spoonful to your dog or cat’s food. CO is great for our furry friends!
- Replace nasty, unhealthy vegetable oils in your cooking and baking with CO.
- Make healthy Magic Shell ice cream topping.
- Use it for oil pulling (learn about oil pulling here).
- Use a tiny dab on your underarms for a natural deodorant.
- Use coconut oil instead of shaving cream.
- Add to your bath tub for a moisturizing soak (a couple drops of peppermint oil is wonderful!).
- Use as a makeup remover.
- Use it to help sooth chicken pox, shingles, or other rashes or skin irritations.
- Use it to treat athlete’s foot, ringworm, or other fungal or yeast infections.
- Take a spoonful with your vitamins to help improve absorption.
- Spread a thin layer on cuts or burns to speed up healing.
- Take up to 5 spoonfuls per day for improved thyroid function.
- Add a spoonful to your smoothies for extra nutrition and flavor (here, here, and here).
- Use on the delicate tissue around your eyes to help prevent wrinkles and sagging.
- Use as the base for homemade toothpaste or lotion.
- Use in place of massage oil.
- Use on your baby’s diaper rash or cradle cap.
- Use to help reduce visibility of stretch marks or to prevent stretch marks.
- For nursing mothers, use coconut oil on your nipples to prevent cracking and irritation.
- For nursing mothers, consuming coconut oil will help increase your milk flow.
- Apply to bee stings or bug bites to soothe and heal the wound.
- Women can use in the nether regions to relieve yeast infections, dryness, and/or discomfort.
- Eat a spoonful with each meal to improve digestion.
- If you’re prone to nosebleeds, coat the inside of your nostrils with coconut oil regularly.
- Helps soothe and heal hemorrhoids.
- Take to help reduce or eliminate migraines.
- Use as the base for homemade vapor rub.
- Mixed with peppermint, lemon balm, rosemary, or tea tree oil makes an excellent insect repellent.
- Mix with baking soda for a non-toxic “Goo Gone”.
- Use to help detox the body during a cleanse or fast.
- Use as a metal polish, but always test a small area first.
- Use as a leather moisturizer.
- Season your cast iron pans.
- Use to oil your pans and baking dishes instead of pan spray.
- Got gum stuck in your hair? Try using coconut oil to remove without cutting your hair.
- Use instead of WD-40.
- Use as a personal lubricant (not safe with latex).
- Take a spoonful to help with heartburn, acid reflux, or indigestion.
- Use as a natural sunscreen.
- Mix with a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice and use as a furniture polish (always test a small area first!).
- Mix with butter and toss your popcorn in it.
- Use on cracked or rough heals to help smooth them out.
- Massage into your nails and cuticles to help strengthen them.
- Use as the base for homemade chocolate candy (like peanut butter cups).
- Take a couple spoonfuls every day to help overall immune function.
Want even more uses?
Check out my latest list of 70 more uses for coconut oil
Check out the printable list of 122 Uses for Coconut Oil
Check out these fun graphics with different ways to use Coconut oil
What is your favorite way to use coconut oil? Do you use it for anything that’s not on this list? Leave me a comment below!
Delicious Obsessions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Read our full terms and conditions here.
I had a bad reaction to paint fumes and pollen a couple of weeks back and my allergies were terrible for days. I finally took a hot bath with Lavender oil and Epsom salts and rubbed the inside of my nose with coconut oil, and the runny nose stopped instantly. I could not believe it!I slept like a baby that night and was back to normal in the morning.
So happy to have found coconut oil and all the good things it does for our bodies.
Wow! That is amazing. I don’t know if I would have thought about that. Perhaps next time we have to paint, I’ll keep my nose slathered with CO and see if it helps! Thank you for sharing your story!
I have a solution for you with regards to paint fumes. Before you start to paint, add a tbs or two of vanilla to your paint and stir well. If you’re using a light color paint, put clear vanilla only. Otherwise I have used regular vanilla without any change in the paint color. I can paint and sleep in the same room that night!
You’re still breathing in the harmful fumes, even if you mask the smell with another scent!
I use coconut oil for cooking and skin, but wow, I will consider the other uses as well! Timely post, I am currently having tropical traditions coconut oil (for canadian residents) giveaway at my blog.
That’s great! Who knew that CO was just a versatile product, huh?
We use cloth diapers on our baby, coconut oil is safe to use on the diapers and is great for clearing up mild diaper rash =)
Awesome! Since I don’t have kids, I didn’t know for sure that it worked (though I couldn’t imagine it not working)! Glad you can voice your approval!
I definitely second for safe with cloth diapers. I put it on my baby’s skin every diaper change to help keep his skin soft and it keep diaper rash away.
To remove oils from fabric soak item in Epsom Salts. Massage therapists use Epsom Salts to remove the massage Oils from their towels 🙂
Also good to put on a newborn baby’s bottom before the first poos, will keep the meconium from sticking like tar to the babe’s skin.
Great tip!! Good to know and I’ve filed that away in my “future mom” folder 😉
awesome idea!
Awesome list!!!
Be sure to use unrefined as the refined will stain. Plus…refined isn’t good for you anyway. 🙂
Kristy
I didn’t know about the staining. Interesting. Some refined coconut oils are fine and retain the nutrients that virgin coconut oil has, just without the coconutty flavor and taste. I often recommend expeller-pressed oils to people who don’t like coconut flavor. Just make sure you do your research on how the company processes their oil. Many will use solvents and chemicals, but there are some who do not.
Does organic, expeller pressed coconut oil mean it’s virgin? How do I find out if this is chemical expelled or not? And where would I find the virgin stuff? Thanks
Hi Pat – If it is expeller-pressed, it is not considered a virgin coconut oil. I use both expeller-pressed and virgin coconut oils in my kitchen. I buy my coconut oil online from Tropical Traditions. I have tried almost every brand out there and I find theirs to be the best tasting and best quality, IMO. I use the virgin coconut oil for most things, but I do use the EP oils when I don’t want any coconutty flavor.
If you are evaluating companies, it’s important to find out how each company processes their oil and ask them if they use any chemicals, solvents, or bleaches in processing. Most non-virgin coconut oils on the market have gone through a deodorizing process and sometimes that involves chemicals or bleaches. You want to make sure you ask the company specifically how their coconut oils are produced.
Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is handmade in small batches (not made by machine). Their expeller-pressed is made by machine, but it is steam deodorized and no chemicals are ever used.
Does that help?
I am unable to print this off about the coconut oil. Any clues?
Hi Charlene – You can find the printable version here: http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/08/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-printable-images-now-available/
Should unrefined oil be used for all the other uses, ie: cooking, eatings etc thanks
Excellent! Folks are always asking me what they can do with coconut oil – this is a wonderful primer. Love it!
Glad it is of use! I can’t believe there are so many different ways to use coconut oil. And there are probably lots that aren’t on here! Fun stuff!
Hello, I stumbled upon this post thanks to my sister pinning it for pinterest 🙂 Looks like my kind of place! Do you have any suggestions as to where to buy and what brands of coconut oil to purchase? I am really interested in using it in our home but am totally clueless.
Hi Skye! So glad you found me! I hope that the info you find on here is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions along the way – I’m more than happy to help. Regarding coconut oil, my favorite brand is Tropical Traditions. I love their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. Right now, they’re running a 2-for-1 sale on their pint jars, so if you wanted to give them a try, that might be of interest. Here is the link to the coconut oil: http://tinyurl.com/858c4zt.
I love the company – they have great products and great service. I’ve never once had a complaint in all the years I’ve been a customer. Let me know if you have any other questions!
you can also try soaperschoice.com. They have tons of different oils. I buy the organic extra virgin coconut oil in the 7lb bottle. Great price and quality stuff.
also mountain rose herbs has a great price on their gallons of extra virgin cold pressed… I love it…
Trader Joe’s sells a 16 oz jar of cold-pressed, unrefined, non-hydrogenated coconut oil for $5.99…it’s an absolutely incredible product.
I buy mines from trader joes as well. I’m from the west indies and coconut oil and water have been used for centuries.
How I wish there were a Trader Joe’s around here! That is such a good deal 🙁
yes that is such a great deal! I got one on sale for $7.99 at Sunflower Farmer’s Market out here in UT, I wish we had a Trader Joes out here to be able to get a 16oz jar for $5.99!
I work at costco and we sell it for 15 dollars for a 54 ounce jar
its organic and virgin
I use louanna coconut oil that can be found at most grocery and/or health food stores. I’m only 15 and I use the stuff like its a life saver! I love louanna just because its so easy to find and comes in big containers!
As a musician, I use coconut oil as a natural guitar string lubricant and string cleaner. A friend showed me it years ago. It works great. There’s another use for coconut oil for you!
That is awesome! I would have never even thought of that. Thank you for sharing that tip!
Stops pain and smells good. I use it on lower back or feet-whatever hurts.
I love the smell (and the taste) 🙂 I love using it to massage tired feet!
Did the CO taste good? How u do it to eat it? Did u mix i?? i want to try it I have thyroid problems! Thanks!
I personally love coconut oil and use it in anything. You can get virgin, which will retain the taste and smell of coconuts, or a refined, which will be neutral. Use it in place of other cooking oils. I always recommend that over just eating it by the spoonful. Makes it easier to incorporate into your diet. If you go with a refined oil, make sure you research the company to ensure they don’t use any chemicals, bleaches, or solvents during processing. Hope that helps!
I mix it in my coffee. You do have to keep stiring but it was good.
Try mixing your hot coffee (2 cups) and coconut oil (2 tablespoons) in a blender, along with some grass-fed butter (also 2 tablespoons). Blend until frothy. Delicious and keeps you full for hours. No sugar or cream required. It’s called Bulletproof Coffee.
Excellent for skin abrasions, athlete’s foot(with a drop of oregano) ..kills bacteria and viruses almost on contact…. great with sex!!….;>)
Hi Andrew – I hadn’t thought about adding the oregano oil in with it for athlete’s foot. Good to know. I have oil of oregano and I use it every now and then for various things. It’s pretty potent stuff, so mixed with CO, you’ve got a double whammy! I’ve also had a lot of people tell me it’s great for getting frisky! I would have never considered that before! 🙂
Just out of curiosity. Is there a recipe to use with CO for sex or just CO?
From what I’ve been told, you just use it as is. I have yet to try it. Honestly, it makes me a little nervous, but I’m not sure why … one of these days … 😉
My wife and I use quite often works wonderful!!!
it’s awesome for sex…just sayin.. we found it in our local grocery store, bought a 3 oz travel sized squeeze bottle and pop it in some warm water to liquefy and it’s ready! 🙂
Use for intercourse is just as is for a natural lubricant. I actually had this recomended by my doctor!
🙂
Wow! I hadn’t heard of this before. My husband and I tried to get pregnant for a year w/o any lube b/c we were told it’s bad to use if you want to get pregnant. Now we’re on that bandwagon again. I’m gonna try this. Wow again. This little tip may help us out quite a bit! 🙂
@ Cheryl – almost totally off topic, but to help conception use a soft cup after “trying”. It’s a menstrial cup, instead of pads or tampons, it will hold all the juices where they need to be. We tried & gave up & then used the soft cup…BAM 1st month PG…thought I would pass that on…
If you are trying to convince, coconut oil shouldn’t be used as it will harm sperms. If you are trying to conceive, use coconut oil regularly, but during ovulation don’t use anything, or use egg whites because it mimics cervical mucus needed to keep tge sperms healthy.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Just straight CO works great! We keep a small jar in the bedside table. Especially good for post menopause dryness.
I’ve been hearing a lot of women mention this recently! So amazing how many things it’s good for! 🙂
CO is the perfect lubricant and can also be used as an oral lubricant; it does not give you yeast infections as other sugary oral lubricants may. Just use as is, it’s soft, slippery, sensual and it’s great for your skin! Win win win
Great tip! 😉
I heard it helps for cholesterol…..I wonder if it’s true?
I have heard that as well. I eat a ton of coconut oil and my cholesterol levels have been fine! 🙂
Coconut oil will not help cholesterol levels. It has the highest ratio of saturated (bad) fat to poly and monounsaturated (good) fat. Surprisingly, it is worse than the animal fats including butter. If you are looking for a healthy butter substitute, coconut is not the right choice. Olive or sunflower are very good choices, with high mono and poly-saturated fats that can lower cholesterol.
I have been doing a lot of research on this study and have found the information to be otherwise. There are many scientific websites, books, and studies available that show this. However I will put a quote that has the information wrapped up more concisely: There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease. The only “proof” is one four-decades old study. The study used hydrogenated coconut oil.
It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates “trans fatty acids” (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coconut oil.
In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut milk or coconut oil that you eat…Coconut Oil as Saturated Fat
Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and “saturated fats are bad for you.” Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.
This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol, there are also good saturated fats.
Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.
When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be emulsified by bile salts in the small intestine before they can be absorbed into our body. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids, such as those in coconut milk, are absorbed directly through the portal vein to the liver, where they are immediately available to the body.
In other words, most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is easily digestible and converted into quick energy. And these types of fatty acids are less likely to cause obesity because they are immediately used by the body and have no opportunity to be stored.”
Just some food for thought!
Thank you for sharing this info Karyn! Much appreciated! 🙂
I have also read about this in many places, and you are correct.
I have been using this only for a few days but already I feel better. I have colitis and have been eating activa every morning it helps greatly, unfortunatly I found I now cannot have milk products so the colitis has flared up and intestines started hurting. Co has calmed my intestines down we will see how it goes, so far great. Thanks
Hey Teresa, I know this is bit late, but try some probiotic pills. you might look into the GAPS diet, my husband has had a lot of relief and healing from it. good Luck!
You’re completely right Karyn – there has been a misconception regarding coconut oil going back decades – it is not bad for cholesterol & it is not fattening. I have even read research where farmers were feeding it to their cattle years ago to try & fatten them up, but in fact it only made the cattle leaner.
You’re right Karyn. This site helsp to explain where all the confusion came from: http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller38.1.html
Also, my training/expertise is in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Coconut oil is fine in moderation. It’s better to eat CO than any trans- or hydrogenated fat for sure. But it’s definitely not the same as animal fats either.
Wow! Such a great, complete and concise answer! Thank you, I am printing that out to give my mom who has chronically high cholesterol!
When I read this post it felt like deja vu, I have posted very similar words on other sites. lol
A heart surgeon supports that saturated fat and cholesterol aren’t the problem – inflammation is. He said inflammation is the reason cholesterol sticks to the arteries. In the absence of inflammation that cholesterol would flow on past as it should.
I can attest to what he says about the low fat high carb diet causing diabetes. My diabetes wasn’t caused by high sugar intake. Yes I did eat some sweets/soda but it wasn’t an everyday thing. I pretty much followed the so called healthy low fat high carb diet that included mostly whole grains. I love bread, potatoes, pasta – all things that turn to sugar in the system. I also used mostly canola, which I have since found out it very bad for us.
I now control diabetes without meds by following a low carb, high fat diet. My fats consist mostly of butter, coconut oil, lard (rendered myself to avoid trans fats), beef tallow. I don’t skimp on the fats, I actually eat less food because the fats fill me up faster than carbs did.
I’m not at all concerned about cholesterol because the heart and brain need it, but for those who do have some concerns my cholesterol went from 201 to 167 in 4 months on this diet. Saturated fats (even from red meat) do not cause cholesterol.
I forgot to post the link for the surgeon:
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/12/030112_World-Renown-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease.shtml
Hi Travis – Saturated fat is not the demon that the medical community has deemed it. I always recommend people watch this video: http://chriskresser.com/the-saturated-fat-myth-debunked-in-two-minutes-and-thirty-five-seconds.
There is a lot of re-education that needs to happen here in America in regards to what is healthy and what is not. Your sunflower oil is going to be high in Omega 6’s, which will lead to inflammation if we consume to many of them. Most people get WAY more Omega 6’s than they need and not nearly enough Omega 3’s, so that’s why I recommend people not use oils like sunflower a whole lot. I do think sunflower oil is better than canola and soy, but it would not be my main source of oil. Just my thoughts. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Not true. Coconut Oil is a Medium chain fatty acid. It is essential in fighting cholesterol! It has been proven (by myself and others) to help lower cholesterol. While it is high in fats, it is good fat, not the bad kind that raises cholesterol.
Amongst many of those things I use it for my mascara brush cleaner. Also, I take a brand new mascara brush (or disposable) and rub it in coconut oil and use it to strengthen my eyelashes. Its also kills Bactria on contact which is why it is good to rub on pimples and other unsightly blemishes.
Good tips! My sister uses it for makeup remover. I hadn’t thought about using it to strengthen eyelashes. Thank you for sharing! I love hearing all of these different ways to use it! 🙂
It’s a great hair conditioner and your eyelashes are hair, so it’s naturally great for them too. I’ve been applying it to my lashes a few times a week and the results are that my lashes are in much better condition.
Apparently it’s also really good for stimualting hair growth (if you use it for a long period of time) so if you’ve over plucked your brows and they’ve not grown back quite all there, it might be worth a go using that each night over them.
Great tips!!
wondering if co cream from dollar store is anygood ? I saw it in another site to mix for hand cream with other ingredients
I have never used co cream from the dollar store, but I don’t personally don’t trust products that I find there, so I would skip it. That’s just me though! 🙂
I use it when grilling chicken, when grilling anything really! I also use it as a replacement for butter on my morning toast! So much healthier. My skin has also never been softer since I started using it to moisturize!
Yum, yum, yum!!! Love it! Grilled chicken sounds SO good right about now! 🙂
I grilled salmon in a skillet with just a little it was great.
No rigorous studies yet, and Coconut Oil is shown in anecdotal studies to be helpful in slowing and even reducing some dementia symptoms.
Was recommended by our vet for an elderly dog, and it really helped her.
I actually heard that recently. Fascinating!!
Yes, my dad has demitia and could not do the clock. He can now put the numbers in the correct places.
That’s great news! Thanks for sharing!
By ingesting it? Like a spoonful a day?
Yes, a couple of spoonfuls a day is good or you can mix it into other foods like oatmeal.
How is it given for dementia?
Hi Debbie – I would recommend checking out this website. There is tons of information on there about coconut oil and dementia/Alzheimer’s. Here is a link: http://coconutoil.com/coconut-oil-research-alzheimers/
Yes, I heard it was good for helping Altzeimer patients and even reducing symptoms.
Coconut oil is amazing! The uses are endless.
Isn’t it? I learn new things about it every day!
Use on a damp rag to clean a scummy shower! No scrubbing! Spray with white vinegar & wipe dry! Easiest clean shower ever
!
Interesting. Great tip, Jen. I already use vinegar for cleaning, but I’d never thought to add some CO. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
We had lice in my house this week and I read online to use olive or coconut oil instead of the pricey toxic shampoos… I used coconut oil on mine and my 2yr old daughter’s hair and it killed them all and left our hair smelling and feeling great!
Wow! What a testament to the strength of CO!! Thank you for sharing your tip – I would have never thought it would help with lice. Amazing!
It makes sense that it would work. Instead of poisoning the lice (and us?!) it would work to coat their bodies so that they can’t eat or breathe.
I was going to add a smiley after that, but it didn’t seem appropriate somehow after talking about lice-murder. LOL
hahaha! I think we can all be happy about lice-murder! I know I would be at least! I’ve heard of 3 people in the last week who have had kids sent home with lice and they’ve used coconut oil and it really has worked. Crazy, but it has! And, here’s that smiley face: 🙂
That’s so good to know. We have never had lice, but I have always been afraid of getting it and then using those shampoos. I’ll remember this! Thanks!
I wish I had known this when our foster daughter came to live with us 8 yrs ago (we’ve since adopted her). I had never had lice and I went through 1-1/2 bottles of the lice shampoo in 3 days. I’ll definitely pass this onto my friends. Thanks!
Same here! When my sweet son came to me from cps he was a year old with horrible lice that spread to my daughter and I befre I relized we had it. That medicated shampoo is AWFUL but I’ve kept what we had left just in case. SO thankful I can now toss that stuff and use something SO MUCH BETTER! LOVE THIS!
do you put it in your hair like a shampoo or do you wash your hair with your regular shampoo after you let CO set in your hair… we had a lice break out and it was awful…
Coconut scent is a deterrent for lice. I have found that the original Listerine works the best and quickest. 2 hours on the hair under a plastic cap, then wash with coconut shampoo and conditioner and use for the next month or so. I always use coconut shampoo and conditioner because it repels lice.
I tried the Listerine on my 5 daughters after going through many bottles of lice shampoo. It didn’t seem to do anything. But, my sister said it worked for her kids. Then I read about Tea Tree Oil. I just added about an ounce to their regular large bottle of shampoo and that took care of the problem. If I hear that anyone we know has gotten lice, I just add some TTO to our shampoo as a deterrent. Hopefully, we’ll never have it again, but if we do, I’ll try the coconut oil too.
Mayonnaise also works well for lice. Just slather it on your child’s hair, place a shower cap over it for 2 hours. Shampoo w/ regular shampoo, rinse w/ water and then a cup of white vinegar. Hair has a beautiful shine and it even kills the nits. We will definitely try to CO though! Thanks 🙂
I’ve never tried CO but just no name brand Mayonaise works GREAT leave on for a few hours then wash out..AMAZING
I’m glad CO works for lice. We haven’t had it in many years, but it is always a possibility. When we did have it, I had bought a small bottle of natural essential and other oils that you mix with mineral oil, but I’d rather use CO and not have to mix it. Thanks! 🙂
We did the same thing for my daughter. Her hair is very thick, long, and wavy. We left it in over night and she slept with her head on a towel.
I am SO happy to learn this!! My granddaughters have gotten lice a couple of times at school. One of them has really long, curly hair, and getting rid of lice from her hair is a PAIN. We’re going to try this next time (hopefully there ISN’T a next time!!).
Just going to toss my two cents out there. The Coconut oil works by dissolving the exoskeleton of the lice (their shell) and it also loosens the glue between the egg and the hair. After combing through with the coconut oil, I put the hair up in a shower cap and let sit for about two hours. Then wash out and rinse/spray hair with vinegar for a final one-two punch. I also think the vinegar gets rid of any remaining eggs…
I was looking for a moisturizer to use while pregnant, but even the ‘organic’ lotions had too many extra ingredients. Then it dawned on me to use CO. I used coconut oil on my belly when I was pregnant every night instead of ‘stretch mark cream’. I am prone to them, but didn’t get any new ones during/after pregnancy. (Use after baby too while body is changing back to normal!)
YAY! So glad to hear it worked so well. I love using it on my skin and can only imagine it’s great for pregnant bellies too! Good for you for keeping your toxic exposure to a minimum! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment 🙂
I’m wondering about the benifts of ingesting CO while pregnant. Is it safe or should I just use on my skin for now?
I am sure that CO is okay for mother and child during pregnancy – it is a huge part of life in the South Pacific islands (Philippines, too)! A little off topic, but coconut water is Nature’s gatorade, and much better for you! Lots of minerals from a natural source.
Currently adding it to my husbands diet since he has Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s. It is supposed to help the brain absorb the glucose it needs so the brain cells don’t die.
Hi Lorraine – Thanks for stopping by. I have been seeing a lot of things circulating about how CO is proving beneficial for Alzheimer’s. Amazing stuff and I really hope that it helps. Hopefully researchers can continue to do studies on it and perhaps help those who are suffering from those diseases.
My daughter found the Alzheimers and Parkinsons link and told me about this as my husband has Parkinsons as well as us both having Post Polio Syndrome. We are now on our second jar, dont know if its having any effect yet but what we read surely made it worth trying.We got our cholesterol levels down with a teaspoon of cinnamon in our porage a day and one cholesterol lowering drink.
Now we add teaspoon of CO as well… plus a good helping of berries becauase they are low glycemic load. I put my cholesterol drink in as well.. A large bowl of delicious tasting breakfast that does not raise my blood sugar…. Now daughter sent the list I am sure my husband will be sneaking the jar out to his workshop.
Hilary – thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope that you guys find success with it and that it helps you feel better! If you can get your medicine from food, it’s so much better than drugs. Thank you for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
How do you make the cholesterol lowering drink? My LDL is too high (192) and I have been taking Tropical Traditions organic green label CO off and on for about 2 years, and oil pulling once in awhile. Thanks!
Wow! I have only recently discovered the wonders of coconut oil for boosting energy when I started eating CocoNutz Fuel (I have totally noticed a difference in my energy level from the coconut oil in those), but I had no idea coconut oil had so many diverse uses! I will have to try out some of these things!
Isn’t it amazing!? I never knew there were so many uses and readers keep telling me about new uses each day! CO is some awesome stuff! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
What kind of coconut oil do you recommend?
I use the expeller pressed to cook with.
Hi Joy. Thanks for stopping by. I personally love Tropical Traditions’ coconut oil. I use both their virgin and expeller pressed. The EP is great for those who don’t like the flavor of coconut. I don’t mind the flavor of coconut, so I tend to use the virgin more than the EP. This is TT’s Virgin Coconut Oil Quart: http://tinyurl.com/87oabwc. This is their Expeller Pressed: tinyurl.com/83o2pjj. Hope that helps! 🙂
I mix in garlic with virgin unrefined coconut oil and it makes whatever I’m cooking taste buttered! Veggies, popcorn, meats whatever that combo is on is butterlishous!!!!
Love it! I love anything with CO and garlic. Two of my favorite foods! 🙂
basmati rice with virgin CO and sea salt is INSANE! love, love, love!
That sounds delish!
I’ve noticed that the coconut flavor disappears when I cook my turkey sausage in it. It’s almost like tofu they way it picks up the flavors of what it’s cooked with!
I have been using coconut oil for so long now that I don’t even notice the flavor anymore!
I read that when u add salt to the oil it reduces the coconut flavor so that could be why
If you had some friends go in with you on th five gallon bucket you could get a big discount… down to 39 cents an oz!
That is a great way to save money! 🙂
Ummm… it’s the best female lubricant (*blush*) you can find!! Make sure it’s the organic virgin oil ( no pun intended)
Hahahha! Love it! 🙂
That’s how I’ve been using it for years! I had no idea there were all these other ways to use it.
Isn’t it amazing? I though 52 ways was pretty impressive, but readers keep leaving comments with brand new tips. I love it!! It’s incredible how versatile one product can be!
Just a quick FYI. Coconut oil has some wonderful properties, but is is VERY high in saturated fats (the bad kind). There is a lot of research being done on the type of saturated fat (lauric acid). It is better for you than other saturated fats (i.e. trans-fats), but it is still saturated nonetheless. For cooking, you can substitute it for those loaded with trans-fats, but use as a replacement only! But don’t trade it for a healthy mono- & poly-unsaturated fats (i.e. olive oil).
Hi Jamie – Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I have to politely disagree with you that the saturated fats in CO are the “bad kind”. You are correct that it is very high in lauric acid, which is also found in breast milk, and is a very important nutrient for the body. Saturated fats are not the devil that mainstream medicine has brainwashed us to believe. The right saturated fats, like CO, butter, tallow, etc., are necessary to proper cellular function and they do not cause heart disease. Quite the opposite actually, in that they help prevent it. Your vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola, etc.) are the culprits of heart disease. While olive oil does have a place in the diet (as long as it’s not heated), coconut oil should be consumed regularly. I’d recommend checking out the Coconut Research Center website or their Facebook page for more scientific info on coconut oil. They are run by Leslie and Bruce Fife. Bruce is one of the leading researchers on coconut in the world. They have fantastic information and a lot of it. Here are the links:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-by-Coconut/118415791512376?sk=info
http://coconutresearchcenter.org/
You might also check out this video. I love the simple explanation of the lies that we’ve been fed about fat and cholesterol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4
I’ve just recently discovered coconut oil and am loving all these tips and uses! So I’m clearly behind here, but is it bad to heat olive oil? I use it for cooking, quite often. Eek!
Hi Jessica! Great name! 😉 Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad this post is giving you some good info. It just keeps growing and growing. Every day, I’m getting new comments from readers with different ways to use coconut oil. It is amazing! As far as olive oil goes, you should not heat it because it has a very low smoke point. My friend Lea over at Nourishing Treasures wrote a really great post about the smoke points of pretty much every oil. It would probably be of great use to you: http://www.nourishingtreasures.com/index.php/2011/11/04/oils-safe-for-cooking-and-frying-smoke-points-for-oils-shortenings-butters-and-fats/
I disagree also, we have always used Olive Oil but it was not till we started using the CO wiht cooking my dh bad colesterol went down, olive oil has to be used at low heat and CO can be used at high heat without breaking the nutrients down. I went on a low sat fat diet per dr request using the fack butter etc.., never felt so bad in my life!!!! I went back to my CO and real butter used sparingly asa I am vegan and my blood pressure dropped in a week! CO is the best stuff ever! I use the unrefined organic CO
Thanks for the link. I was curious b/c one doctor told me to use coconut oil and then I am starting Dr. Fuhrman’s “Eat to Live” food plan from his book where he says NOT to eat oils at all and mentions coconut oil specifically as not to eat. I hate all the competing info. I will check out your link!
Thanks!
P.S. I’m going crazy on your Pin Boards! Awesome! I just followed you & added your blog to my Reader! 🙂
Thank you April! I’ll make sure I hope into Pinterest and follow you back! 🙂
It can get overwhelming, can’t it? I say just take baby steps, do your own research, and then make an educated decision that fits your beliefs. There’s no one-size-fits-all method of nutrition. It just comes down to finding what works for you! 🙂 Loving your comments! Hope to see you around here again!
I think some Drs have a vested interest in keeping people eating chemical laden lowfat poison, I done a lot of reading about the many benefits of CO it is brilliant , just remember Drs do not have long and healthy lives very often which should tell us a bit about how good the advice they try to feed us
Unfortunately, a few doctors are in for the Bucks and others are listening to the wrong sources (like Big Pharma). I know a doctor that I just love, but we must all check the information by doing our own research and being responsible for our own health. For example, most doctors will recommend gall bladder removal in the blink of an eye, fully knowing it will change their patient’s life for the worse (and not adequately explaining it to the patient). Yet, most doctors also do NOT know that gall stones can be gotten rid of in a matter of weeks. Always do your own research!
why are you not suppose to heat olive oil? Thats normally what I use in most of my cooking unless im being cheaper that day and get a smart balance mix.
does coconut oil have a coconut taste when used in cooking? Is it bad for people trying to lose weight (my step dad is currently on a diet)?
Hi Kristin – Olive oil has a very low smoke point, which is why you shouldn’t use it for cooking. The smoke point is the temperature where the fat or oil will start smoking and you want to avoid this because it damages the oil and can cause carcinogens. Virgin coconut oil will typically have a faint coconut taste, so if you want to avoid that, I would recommend an expeller-pressed coconut oil. It has most of the benefits of coconut oil, without the coconut taste. Be very selective with what brand of coconut oil you buy and make sure you research the company and how the oil is processed. Many commercial brands are highly refined, sometimes with toxic chemicals. I recommend Tropical Traditions because it’s organic and they do not use chemicals or solvents in their processing. This is their expeller-pressed oil, which won’t have the coconutty flavor: http://secure.ttpurchase.com/welcome.cfm?ptuid=A25B5706-1E0B-90B3-0EDA72851A8DFE57
Coconut oil has been shown to help with weight loss because of some of the unique properties of the oil. You might find this article interesting: http://www.coconut-info.com/weight-loss.htm
About C.O. and losing weight: there is a story I have heard (can anybody find a link to the original story?) that some farmers tried feeding coconut oil to cattle to “fatten them up”, but the cows got skinnier! Read this: http://www.hailmerry.com/blog/2011/02/coconut-oil-the-fat-that-makes-you-thin/
By the way, eating fat does not make you fat. Eating carbs makes you fat. See this: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/obesity/are-carbohydrates-fattening/#more-5035
Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Actually, I’ve read an article recently about the studies being done on olive oil, and although it is a great oil, you should never cook with olive oil. It turns into a carcinogen when heated. The article even stated that coconut oil is the most stable oil when heated.
I use it as the carrier oil for home made baby wipes. 🙂
Great idea!
It helps warts to dry up too. I use it on the ones on my face and it does seem to help. I highly recommend doing more than once a day though as my results with 1x per day are very slow. I recently discovered that you can whip coconut oil in your mixer and it will stay soft and fluffy even in cold weather.
Interesting. I’m not surprised though, considering it does have strong antiviral properties. I know athlete’s foot is one of the things that it helps. Thanks for stopping by!
I use a tablespoon in my hot oatmeal every day. A few chocolate chunks and Craisins make it a super tasty treat. Thanks for the list. We use coconut oil in my kids hair on a regular basis. It does an awesome job of moisturizing their dry hair and they smell yummy. 🙂
YUM – that sounds tasty! My sister has dry, super curly hair and the coconut oil keeps it healthy and under control! It’s the only product she uses!
How does she use it on her curly hair? Does use it as a conditioner and a product? If she uses as a product, does she use it on her dry hair? or wet? And is it used as a curl enhancer or prevent frizz?
If you’re referring to my crazy, curly-haired sister :), she uses a little bit rubbed into her hands when her hair is still wet. It helps define the curl and control the frizz. That’s the only thing she uses that I know of. I have really fine hair, but it does get frizzy. I add a small amount to my dry hair sometimes. I put a teeny tiny bit on my hands and rub it around and then lightly run my hands through my hair. Just enough to control frizz and add a tiny bit of shine, but not enough to make it greasy.
I love the idea for your hair. How do u use it? Like as a conditioner, leave it in for a few mins and then wash it out? Or a different way?
Michelle, I use it two ways. As a deep conditioner I saturate my hair with it and sleep on a towel. For daily light conditioning, I rub some on my hands and smooth it all through my hair. It helps define my waves as well as calm down those fine hairs that foof out. 🙂
Hi Jessica,
Used coconut throughout my pregnancy for stretch marks, didn’t get one!! But my newest use is for my face. I suffered with cystic acne in my early twenties and heard that nutmeg could help with the scaring. Been mixing it with CO and rubbing it on my face in the a.m., leave on for 15 then shower as usual, I’m not sure which is doing a better job, the results are amazing!!! We also use it on Little ones Bum for redness, works so much better than the sesame oil we were using. Love your BLOG!!
Hi Cortney – thanks for stopping by. That is a great tip. So, you’re using the nutmeg mixed with the CO? I’ve never heard of that, but it’s good to know! I’ll have to remember that. Thank you for your kind words and for leaving a comment! 🙂
what brand of coconut oil i have awful cystic acne scars and redness all over my face and its so discouraging.
It’s awesome for detoxing your body. Use it for oil pulling, just don’t swallow it after oil pulling cuz it’s filled with the toxins your trying to get rid of.
It is great for detoxifying. I know a lot of people who do intermittent fasting and on their fast days, they do water and coconut oil for that very reason. It is also the oil that I use for oil pulling, though I haven’t been religious about doing OPing regularly. Thanks for stopping by!
OK, silly question. What on earth is oil pulling?
Not a silly question at all! 🙂 My friend Lydia recently wrote a post about oil pulling: http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2012/01/whats-all-this-about-oil-pulling/
I read the article on oil pulling but I need to confirm. YOu put the melted/watery oil in your mouth and swish it around for 10-20 minutes. How do you not gag or swallow it. I’m interested but I really don’t want to waster my time doing it wrong.
Thanks!
Yes, use melted coconut oil. If you’re new to oil pulling, start with 5 minutes or so. It will take awhile for your muscles to strengthen to the point where you can do 10 or 20 minutes. Always start with less oil that you think you’ll need, because it doesn’t take much for your mouth to get full. Make sure you don’t swallow any of it. Because of the cleansing, it pulls all sorts of nasty bacteria, etc., from your gums and mouth, so you don’t want any of that ending up in your stomach. Start small and work your way up. I have been a big slacker and have not kept up on it recently. I need to get back in the saddle! 🙂
I just read all of this on oil-pulling — I have had an impossible-to-get-rid-off gum infection/ abscess for 2 weeks — antibiotics barely touched it. So I tried this, just now, and the abscess is gone.
THANK YOU!
Cinnamon toast is AMAZING with coconut oil in place of butter, this is coming from an butter lover! Get your bread ready by spreading a helping amount of coconut oil, then sprinkle cinnamon/sugar mix on the bread, place on cooking sheet and put in the oven with it turned on broil, watch closely and take out after the sugar starts bubbling and before the toast burns. Trust me, you’ll be wanting more than a couple slices! Sooooo good! And just wanted to add, since you’re into natural healthy stuff, you really need to get into food grade diatomaceous earth, that stuff is 10 times more amazing!
YUM! I love cinnamon toast. And, I love DE too! Though, I haven’t written a post on DE. I think I should do that! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
I love coffee in the morning & used to add cinnamon with it but cinnamon doesn’t mix well with liquids. I got the idea to try putting a bit of CO in the coffee with the cinnamon & it works!
I love cinnamon in coffee! Well, I love cinnamon period! I add it to the coffee grounds before I brew it. Then, the coffee is infused with cinnamon. I use a lot and I use the Vietnamese cinnamon, so it’s super strong! YUM! http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/04/my-love-affair-with-saigon-vietnamese-cinnamon-and-9-reasons-cinnamon-rocks/
Is it better to use refined or unrefined coconut oil? Dos it make a difference?
The virgin coconut oil is going to be your unrefined version. It’s going to have a coconutty flavor and smell that some poeple don’t like. I’ll be honest, I never noticed it, but I do know people who are sensitive. Tropical Traditions offers an expeller-pressed version that has been refined a little to remove the scent of coconut oil, but you still get the health benefits. IMO, I think it’s always best to go unrefined, but if you don’t like the coconut flavor, then expeller-pressed is the next best thing.
the flavor that co adds to food is WONDERFUL… we use it for all our cooking… fried chicken in co is just the BEST ever!
My wife recently suggested I rub it on my freshly tattooed arm (a full sleeve) in place of the Bepantham and it worked a treat. Helped with the healing process and added a nice shine to the tattoo without being thick and gluggy like the other stuff. I used to use paw paw cream but found it blocked the hair folicles and caused in-grown hairs. The CO didn’t.
Yes! My hubby does that too when he has a new tattoo and loves it. It really does help heal the skin. So glad you’re having good success with it. It’s such a great product. Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
I use Coconut Oil mixed with Baking Soda for a Moisturizing and Brightening Facial Scrub. I also use it for several of the uses you have listed. Thanks for the info!
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing your tip!
how much would you mix?
I’m not sure, since I haven’t done it yet, but maybe a tablespoon of each?
Awesome Thank you…
hi,
i have been using VCO since years for my cooking and beauty regime.
Baking soda (1/4 tsp) + VCO (2 tsp) … makes an excellent exfoliant. Apply it all over your face and neck, your knees and elbows. Keep for 15 mins.
Then dab normal water on the areas, and apply powdered oats + chickpeas powder mixture (make the mixture like a lotion). Use your knuckles and rub all over the areas in circular motion..then wash off with normal water. Pat dry.
No need of any moisturiser the whole day. Feel the difference.
This can be done every weekend.
Thanks for this list! I have actually used most of these tips–though, admittedly, not all of them–for about a year now. We love the results we get when we use CO on our skin and hair, so we stopped buying even organic Whole Foods lotions and conditioners. The biggest benefits for us have been the decrease in my outbreaks of eczema; my ten-year-old’s outbreaks that the pediatrician called acne, but the dermatologist called allergic reaction along her hair line; and most excitingly, my dog’s terrible skin reactions–we had an outbreak of fleas until we moved last Spring, but the reactions stuck around. I started feeding him a tablespoon a day and rubbing it on his itchy spots and they are gone! He is a much happier little guy now!
Awesome success stories! I need to be better about feeding it to my dogs more often. I do OK, but there are many nights I forget. I know they get a lot of benefit from it too. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Oh, and there are a few on that list that I have yet to try as well. I’m not going to say which ones … 😉
When you feed it to the dog do you melt it or just put it in the food as a hunk (for lack of better term)?
I’ve done it both ways. Depends on how lazy I am that night 😉 If I don’t melt it, then I at least try to put it in there as smaller hunks, rather than just one big one. The dogs love, love, love it. They gobble it up no matter how it comes! 🙂
I’ve found coconut oil to be a really effective (and totally nourishing) appetite suppressant. It satiates me instead of starving me! Take 1-2 tablespoons, depending on your weight, about 20 minutes before a meal. (For a lot more detail on this, read “Eat Fat, Lose Fat” by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig.
Yep! Big fan of that book and CO has been shown to help with weight loss, not just because it keeps us satiated, but the medium-chain fatty acids help assist in the metabolizing of fat. Love CO! 🙂
My son used to get thrush with his excessive use of the binky (yeast in the mouth). I rubbed coconut oil inside of his mouth and all over his binky, and the thrush disappeared. We informed his doctor about the coconut oil (found the idea on the internet; looking for ways to cure it naturally and not have to give him more antibiotics). His doctor was very impressed and said he would have to remember the coconut oil trick to share with other patients.
Interesting! What a success. And, doesn’t always feel empowering when you teach the doctor something? 🙂
I have just recently found coconut oil and did not know there were so many uses for it. I have a question that may be a stupid, but oh well, the coconut oil I purchased is very hard so how do you soften it for use as a moisturizer, conditioner, and etc?
Yes I am interested in that answer too.
If you warm it up to about 70 degrees or higher (I may be wrong about the exact temp. but it solidifies when colder and is liquid when warm.), it will be easier to use, or you can set aside a jar only for face/body use and use a spoon to scoop it out– Then it is easily crushed and applied topically. Hope that helps! 🙂
Even better is to put some in your mixer and beat it until it is fluffy. Then put in a container. It will stay soft even in cold weather.
I’m definitely going to try that!!
Coconut oil solidifies at 76 degrees and lower. So if you just hold the amount you want in the palm of your hand it will liquify beautifully. My husband and I have been using coconut oil for almost 6 years now, and we have never had any issues with our health or food. We love it and use it as one of our main cooking/baking oils. I love the flavor it adds to chocolate cake. Awesome!
I just found this page via someone’s post on Pinterest. It’s very interesting and confusing. I have high cholesterol, only a few points away from having to take medication, which I really really don’t want to do. As per my dr.’s orders, no butter, peanutbutter, anything with high saturated fat. I always thought coconut oil was bad because of this. I’ve seen a lot of different blog entries lately touting the goodness of coconut oil and I have wanted to try it but have been afraid. Maybe I will have to reconsider!
Saturated fat is not the devil that mainstream medicine has made it out to be. The proper saturated fats, like CO and butter, are actually very good for you. You can find a lot of info on Google about it, but this is a great post from Chris Kresser (he always puts out great content) and the video in here is one of my faves: http://chriskresser.com/the-saturated-fat-myth-debunked-in-two-minutes-and-thirty-five-seconds. I hope this helps! It’s all a learning process and you need to do what you think is best for you. I’m definitely not a doctor, so I can’t tell you what to do, but I do encourage you to do some research on the topic and see what you think. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Very interesting link. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
So Good to read of smart enlightened comment on all the nonsense about fat and cholesterol etc
My husband is a diabetic and was told by his doctor last June that his lipids were in the “dangerous” range and recommended he go on statins. We instead completely revamped our diets, went low-carb and ate all the butter, coconut oil, and olive oil we wanted with any meals (along with bacon, eggs, etc.) In 6 months his HDL (the good stuff) increased by 50% and his triglycerides decreased by 50%. The doctor was stunned and disbelieving of his diet but told him to keep doing what he was doing because it was obviously working for us. I don’t adding coconut oil will do the trick by itself – you must cut the carbs in order to improve the cholesterol numbers.
AWESOME news RoseAnne! So wonderful to hear. You know, the more we hear about carbohydrates, the more I think we should really be cautious with them and make sure the ones that we are eating are high-quality, slow digesting ones. The fat has never been the problem with all of these diseases. It was the advent of processed foods that created the issues we are dealing with!! Thanks for stopping by and sharing such happy news!
Jessica, have you read Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis? I think you’d really enjoy it.
I just discovered your blog yesterday and am loving it. Now I’m stalking you on pinterest, too. 😉 Thanks for your hard work!
Hi Chris – Thanks for your kind words! I have not read Wheat Belly yet, but it’s on my list to read this year. I look forward to seeing you around. So glad you found me! 🙂
O man, I love this stuff! The coconut is amazing! Eversince I starting drinking coconut milk and cooking with cocnut oil I have lost weight effortlessly and have been bladder infection free! I useit to remove makeup when I’m to lazy to wash my face. It definitly shrinks pores and smoothes wrinkles. Unlimited uses! Oh and yes, makes for great sex=-O
Isn’t it awesome!? I haven’t used it in the bedroom yet, but there have been so many people who swear by it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
This stuff is amazing. I have just started using CO for my dogs (all four). They get a small spoonful everyday. Jake (15 lbs, almost 10 years) is recovering from an allergic reaction to gluten and has a full body yeast infection. The biggest progress he has made has been an apple cider vinegar/ water solution (50:50) and coconut oil. After he is dry I follow by a coconut oil rubdown over his entire body. I do this everyday. The ACV solution is a disinfectant and the CO is an incredible anti-bacterial and anti fungal. Thank goodness for coconut oil. I am even taking it now. Wow!
Oh thank you thank you thank you… I am going to try this on my doberman… he is in so much pain from his skin and i hate it for him…. I will try to post updates if this works…. again thank you soooooo much…. plus I also wonder if it will help with his weight…
I hope it does help! I know people have had a lot of success with feeding CO to their pets! Keep me posted! 🙂
Such and awesome testimonial. So happy to hear it’s helping everyone, bot two-legged and four-legged! CO is truly amazing! I learn something new about it every day. Thanks for stopping by and posting
My dog has valley fever, which is a fungus. He has been on fluconazole and I want to try something else because I feel it is to hard on his liver. Do you think giving him CO will help?
For your face, do you use refined or unrefined CO? Do you know which one is better?
Thanks!
Michelle
I like to use the unrefined because I love the coconutty smell. But, either one would be fine.
I use CO to clean my hands and brushes after using oil based paints. It doesn’t leave your hands dry and smelly like mineral spirits does. After the paint dissolves, just wash your hands with soap and water.
@Kristen– read Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories and you will stop worrying about cholesterol. Women live longer with high cholesterol. Your doctor is behind on the research.
I have extremely dry skin as does my 13 yr old daughter. we use it as a nightime facial moisturizer. it has also cleared up my daughter’s teenage blemishes. We love it!!!!!
Appears to actually reverse Alzheimers symptoms! Watch this youtube video about a doctor who has been treating her husband, who has advanced Alzheimers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVD7ZuCe3vY
Here’s a video about how it can help the mind!! https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=3397546704176
I have been using it successfully to remove my eye makeup!
One of my favorite uses for coconut oil is to scramble my eggs in it. I love the flavor it gives them! Highly recommend it! Coconut oil is one of God’s greatest inventions! Curious how well “oil pulling” genuinely works? Any thoughts or proven research/testimony? I’m actually swishing with coconut oil now…for almost 20 minutes now. Only planned on doing it once a day tho..not 3 times!
I purchased CO from a vitamin website. I just received it and am not sure this is what you are talking about. Mine says Coconut Oil (skin and hair nutrient). It’s a solid instead of a liquid (which is what I thought you were talking about). Do you think this is the same as what you use? If not, where did you get yours?
Thanks
Yes, it is a solid. you can buy it at the grocery store. If the regular shops don’t care it try a Whole Foods type store. Here is an article on how to whip it so it is easier to get out of the jar. http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2012/02/homemade-whipped-coconut-oil-body.html
Thanks for your reply. I should have asked if I would find this oil in the make-up/lotion area or the grocery area of the store.
My FAVORITE lube for those intimate moments. Not sticky, doesn’t ware off. And if you have a little extra on your hands, then use it to work in a bit of a massage. Made what used to be messy and yuck a wonderful addition to “the act”. Needless to say, the boyfriend loves it too :). Here is an article on making whipped coconut oil, so it doesn’t turn to a solid. http://www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2012/02/homemade-whipped-coconut-oil-body.html
I’ve just started using coconut oil. Twice now I’ve felt a sore throat coming on, so I let a spoonful of CO dissolve on my tongue and coat my throat, and both times the sore throat was gone by the next day! Yay for coconut oil!!
Thanks for the tip….I’ll try this since my throat just starting hurting.
Can you buy this in stores at all? And if not this brand, any other brand available in stores such as Walmart Target sallys etc?
You can sometimes find coconut oil in your grocery stores. You will definitely be able to find it at a local health foods store or Whole Foods. There are also many places online to buy it. You can check Amazon.com or Tropical Traditions.
I buy mine at Trader Joes. A 20oz jar of organic virgin is $5.99
This is awesome. I am going to try all 52!!
I use about 1/2 Tbsp in a microwave popcorn popper, add 1/3 c popcorn and heat for about 3 minutes. Pure heaven and so fast and easy!
I was told that before you go in for your Group B Strep test while pregnant to “lube up” your area. 🙂 It will prevent you from being positive.
Really? hahaha! I’ve had a lot of people say it’s fantastic for down there (though, I must admit I’ve never tried it). Dr. Oz even recommend on his show that menopausal women use it regularly to help with dryness and irritation they may experience.
Claire, I’m puzzled as to what the benefit would be. If you have Group B strep, and just “trick” the test you are setting yourself up for a potential health issue (or rather I should say your baby).
CO has anti-bacterial & anti-viral properties. So it probably kills the group B strep – better than antibiotics!!
I hadn’t thought about that, but you might be right!
I LOVE all these bits of information. I have just started using CO and used it as a conditioner for our hair. It worked beautifully. I guess my question is…when you say take a spoonful in some of your suggestions, do you simply mean straight from the jar as a solid and eat it? Or do you melt it down and then drink a spoonful? Is there a difference? Sorry for the questions.
Hi Jennifer – No worries about the questions. I love questions! 🙂 I personally just eat a spoonful, straight from the jar. I don’t mind the texture or flavor, so it’s pleasant for me to take. I know some people might get grossed out eating a spoonful of coconut oil, so if that seems too weird, you can also just eat it with food, melted over veggies, melted in tea or coffee, or added to soup. Any way that you can incorporate it into your diet is fine. But, if you don’t mind the flavor/texture of CO, then a spoonful every so often is a great way to ensure you get it worked into your diet.
I found your link someone posted on Pinterest. I was curious since I just bought some Coconut Oil for the first time ever for a recipe I wanted to try. Now I’m thinking I’ll need a LOT more! It seemed a bit costly though. The brand I got at the store was $7.99 for 14oz (I got Tree of Life Organic Refined.) You seem to use it for a lot of things, so how do you get around the cost?
I have horrible winter dry skin, so I’m going to give it a shot tonight. I’m curious though…just scoop it out and rub it on the dry spots??
Thanks for the helpful info.
Thanks for stopping by Lisa. I use CO for pretty much everything. I go through about a quart a month on average. The best way to buy it is in bulk. I get mine from Tropical Traditions when they are running sales. Sometimes it’s 2-for-1 for the gallons. It has a long shelf life if stored in a dark, cool place, so I never worry about stocking up. Tropical Traditions also runs free shipping sales every now and then too, which brings the cost down even more. Here’s a link to their Virgin CO that I use: http://tinyurl.com/87oabwc. Their price right now for a gallon comes out to about $19.00 a quart, but I’ve gotten it as low as $13/quart when I watch the sales (and that includes shipping).
And yes – it’s great for dry skin. I like to apply right after I get out of the shower to seal in extra moisture. I just grab a little bit and rub it into my skin. My hubby had some really bad skin problems several years ago and CO was the ONLY thing that cleared it up. It’s amazing stuff!
Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks, Jessica! Today was “play with CO day” at my house. I used it to condition my hair, I ate a spoonful (I was way curious),I moisturized my face with it, and dabbed it around my eyes (I have horrible dark circles. This stuff rocks!! I swear my skin looked better after using it twice. Thanks for sharing all these tips. Very helpful!
YAY! That’s awesome! So glad you’re having a good experience. Please feel free to come back and share more or ask more questions 🙂
I just wrote a funny explanation but t didn’t go through.
So the short story is it can be used as a goo gone on surfaces with a finish, like TVs and also can be used to remove excess wax from ur skin after waxing!
Oh darn! I wish I could have seen your funny explanation! 🙂
Great tip about using it as goo gone!
Just pinned this on Pinterest…http://pinterest.com/mymomrecycles/clever-tips-and-hints/
You should do an edit to your post about using unrefined coconut oil, though. The refined stuff is really not very good for consumption… especially on a daily basis.
Hi Wendy – thanks for the pin!
Could you tell me what you’re referring to specifically? Refined coconut oil is fine to use as well, depending on how it is processed. You still get the benefits from it, just not the coconut flavor, which some people can’t stand. For people who don’t like the coconut flavor, I recommend that they use the expeller-pressed coconut oil from Tropical Traditions (http://tinyurl.com/83o2pjj). It’s not refined in the sense of how we view the word “refined”. Tropical Traditions uses no chemicals or solvents in their refining process.
Now, if the refined coconut oil has been processed using chemicals and solvents (which some are), then yes, those should definitely be avoided. 🙂
I have read all the comments (I think) and did not see any questions about coconut oil for migraines. Would you mind elaborating about that or providing a website where I could research it more? I have hormonal migraines and I have tried all sorts of things to prevent them but to no avail. I would much prefer a natural remedy versus a prescription one so any advice would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much!
Hi Lavelle – thanks for your question. The first remedy I think of when I hear of migraines is feverfew. Have you tried that yet? I have several members of my family, including my mom, who suffered for years with terrible migraines and one thing that really helped them was supplementing with feverfew. Here’s a couple links about that, in case you want/need to know more. Also, if you have a local health food store, you could stop in and talk to one of the employees who works in the vitamin/herb department and ask them as well.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/feverfew-000243.htm
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/headachemigraine/a/Migraine.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2163686_use-feverfew-treat-migraine.html
In regards to coconut oil, this is what I have found:
This is a forum, so I’m not sure about the authenticity of the info, but it might be worth checking out: http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/migraines2.html
I know a lot of people who use CO to help them get into and maintain a ketogenic diet: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?p=472
Oil pulling has been shown to help with migraines: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/article%20oil%20pulling.htm
From what I have read, it’s the addition of CO to the overall diet that has helped people. Are you on Facebook? If so, there is a great page you should check out. It’s called Health by Coconut and it’s run by Leslie and Bruce Fife. Bruce is one of the leading coconut researchers in the world. Leslie runs the FB page and is very active on there, so she could probably provide you with some more detailed info. The oil pulling article above is from their website. Here is their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-by-Coconut/118415791512376?ref=ts
I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂
Don’t forget ginger for instant relief from a migraine. I just read about that in a magazine from my naturopath.
Good tip! I had never heard of that before, so thanks for sharing!
Feverfew in a capsule for migranes. Takes them away in 20-30 min. If it is still hanging around a little, take 1 more and it will be gone. The next time you should only have to take one and them you will no longer get them. Suffered from them for years.
Sure wish I would have known about this migrane cures. I suffered for years with hormonal type migranes. Now I can help others who suffer.
I cook with it, make mayonnaise with it (combined equally with olive oil), and make a lotion bar with it (combined with shea butter, beeswax, and vitamin E). I use the lotion usually once per day and have had no winter dry skin (or cracked heels). We are currently vacationing in FL and despite long exposure to the sun I only came up a little pink (so perhaps the mixture has sunscreen properties. I use it from my face to my feet and I have had more compliments on my complexion in the past month than I have had in many years.
Isn’t it amazing!? Such great testimonials from people. And every day, I learn new ways to use it! 🙂
Do you have a “recipe” for the lotion bar that you would share? That sounds awesome!
LOVE coconut oil as a body moisturizer!
I’ve had terrible acne since I was a teenager (now, 26) and am so afraid to try ANYTHING new on my face. Do you have any additional info on how to use the CO as a acne solution/face moisturizer? do you use it 2x day, apply liberally, etc.?
Hi Mallory – thanks for the question. I personally use it on my face after I get out of the shower in the mornings. I just spread a thin layer all over my face and let it soak in. It really helps seal in the moisture. I’ve never had any issues with it causing blemishes. However, I am only one person. I have heard some people say that it has helped their acne, but I have also heard some people say that it had made things worse. I think it depends on the person and the type of coconut oil used. You want to make sure it’s a very high-quality, organic, virgin coconut oil. I bet a quick Google search would yield quite a bit of info. Hope that helps!
I have been cooking with coconut oil for about a year now. I love it in everything. I love even more this wonderful list you have compiled. I recently attended a class with a naturopathic Dr concerning ADHD and Autism. One of the key things she discussed is the lack of Essential Fatty acids in people with those disorders. My son is one of those. She said getting any kind of good fat such as CO or Olive oil in any way into their bodies was good. Even just rubbing it on their skin, as the skin absorbs so much. Since then I have convinced my son that getting his feet rubbed with coconut oil is awesome! He agrees and I think his future wife will hate me for it. I have also started using it on my feet, they are so dry all the time and the CO makes them so soft. I am particularly interested in it as a sunscreen. I do not like using commercial sunscreens. I want something natural. Can you elaborate on this? My family and I are headed to FL for 10 days at the end of March! Thanks so much again for your info!
I’ve been hearing more and more about the benefit of using CO for ADHD, autism, and Alzheimer’s. There has to be a link there seeing how much press it’s been getting recently. Well, at least press in the holistic networks at least. But, I do think that mainstream medicine might even be seeing the Alzheimer’s benefit. It’s great that you have found benefit in it in regards to your son. And you comment about the future wife and the foot rubs made me laugh! 🙂
Your question about the sunscreen made me realize that I only have the testimony of myself, friends, family, and readers that it works. I did a quick Google search and found the following info, which I hope is of help:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/278326-how-to-use-coconut-oil-as-a-sunscreen-deodorant/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/278326-how-to-use-coconut-oil-as-a-sunscreen-deodorant/
http://www.foodrenegade.com/should-you-use-sunscreen/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/8-natural-ways-to-prevent-a-sunburn-and-sunscreens-not-one-of-them/#axzz1n4JRH2Pm
Great ideas! New things for me to try 🙂
Have you heard of this working for bad psoriasis?
Hi Amanda – Funny that you mention that because I just came across this video tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U98G7mtRBA. Bruce Fife is one of the leading coconut researchers in the world. Here’s Bruce’s website, which could have more info: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/. Bruce and his wife Leslie are bother very nice people, so you could even send them an email if you wanted more info. Hope that helps! 🙂
I typed out a long response and it didnt save! Boo! thank you for the sunscreen links. I will be looking at them for sure. Excited to use this stuff more and will look into your bulk purchase locations as well, as I am paying about $6 for a pint right now~! Thanks so much Jessica!
I have been using the co on my lips for 2 days. They are now more dry than ever. Fine for my hands and cuticles. Any ideas?
Hmmm. Interesting. I can’t say I’ve ever had that happen, but now that I think about it, I mostly use chapstick that has coconut oil in it, but it’s mixed with other ingredients like beeswax and cocoa butter. I honestly don’t know why it would be drying your lips out and not your hands and cuticles. Let’s see if any of the other readers can chime in.
Susan, a couple things come to mind, re: feeling like your lips are drier since using CO. Coconut oil absorbs into our skin, so it doesn’t sit on top like we’re used to feeling with other types of lip balm. There’s also the possibility that you might be licking your lips more than you’re aware, just from the new product/the taste. Also, there might be some exfoliation going on with the coconut oil on your lips – dry skin coming off that was previously just being remoistened and laying down.
You could try just applying the CO more frequently, or you could try combining it with something more emolient (that coats the surface but doesn’t absorb) like a tiny bit of shea butter, or a little bit of castor oil (castor oil is the main type of oil used in commercial lip balms, lip gloss, etc. – makes the color hang on longer). I have a mix I threw together of mostly CO with a bit of melted shea butter and a very small amount of castor oil. It goes on like lip gloss, softens wonderfully, and stays on for quite a while. HTH 🙂
Hi! I have seen a lot of people commenting on uses for babies. But since coconuts are tree nuts, shouldn’t parents be careful with the use of coconut oil in the event there are nut allergies? Nut allergies are so dangerous and most drs say to wait to introduce nuts til 2 years old so I was curious if anyone had any additional info. Thanks!
Hi there Tigerhelly – That is a very good question and I don’t have a solid answer for you. I threw a post out on Facebook and asked readers if they knew. Here’s the link to that: https://www.facebook.com/DeliciousObsessions/posts/10150619886068820?notif_t=feed_comment
From my initial Google search, I have found conflicting info. Some sites say that coconut is not a nut, so you don’t need to worry about it. Other sites say that it is considered part of the tree nut family and people with tree nut allergies should be careful. There were a couple comments on the FB post above that while coconut oil itself would probably be fine for people with nut allergies, there could be a chance that there was some cross-contamination during processing, so you’d want to make sure you contact the brand and ask questions.
I’d say to be on the safe side, you should ask your doctor or allergist before use, just to make sure. I hope that helps! 🙂
I have a severe tree nut allergy and I do not react to coconuts at all. I have a friend, though, who does. Allergies are a very individual thing. Personally, I don’t think you need to be any more careful with coconut than with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, fish, bees, or anything else. Live your life without fear.
I have a tree nut allergy, and I have no issues with coconut at all, but everyone is different. I’d use it with caution until you’re sure it’s ok
I used CO (oil pulling) for a week before going to the dentist and had wonderful results. The dentist said he didn’t need to clean my teeth because I had no plaque or tartar and my gums were healthy. Please remind your readers to spit the oil in the trash because it will clog up sinks.
WOW! That is great! Thank you for sharing!! 🙂 P.S. Yes, I do remind them to spit it in the garbage, not the sink or toilet. 🙂
I used coconut oil when my children were little as a sunscreen. Inexpensive and quite effective.
I think more and more people are moving in that direction. I am going to try it this summer. I keep forgetting to put it on my skin when I’m outside. I need to be better about that!
I use it in making soap. 30% is used for the fat content. Makes great soap.
I haven’t ventured off into soap making yet, but some day I will attempt it! 🙂
I used coconut oil for LOTS of things…How do I follow you on pinterest? thank you!!!!
Hi Terri! You can find me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/deliciousobsess. I love that site — so addicting! Hope to see you there! 🙂
Hey, I know someone else mentioned using them for lice so on a related topic…we use them to keep fleas and ticks off of the dogs. Much more natural than all the chemicals 🙂
Great idea! I’ll have to make sure I pass that around to all of my dog loving friends too!
Wondering how to use it for flea & tick control? We have 2 great dane & if we have to put it on their coats I may have to start my ow CO refinery! If they just have to eat it on a reg basis then I may have too refine it too.
HAHA! That could get pricy! I have not tried it for flea and ticks, but I will try to ask around and see how others are using it. One thing I just thought of — have you tried Tropical Traditions’ CO for pets? Here’s the link to it: http://secure.ttpurchase.com/welcome.cfm?ptuid=DD4D523A-1E0B-90B3-0E75B7EB67D2B8D3. My dogs love it and this might make it more affordable for you 🙂
i just saw where it helps cure Alzheimers:
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS
I use it to detail the inside of my car with a soft cloth instead of the smelly products from the car aisle. It feels like cleaning your car at the beach, pop in a little Bob Marley in the CD player and cleaning the car is not so bad. = )
Hey Jessica! Wow, I’m so impressed by all the uses for coconut oil you have posted up on here.. Also impressive of how many people out there are finding great use for it.. I am a Pacific Islander (the Cook Islands to be exact) and have been using CO all of my life as well as my childrens’ lives. I so appreciate now my parents giving me this gift because I hated having to put it on my skin, in my hair – being fed tablespoons of it in the morning as a child!! haha but now see the benefits it is having on other people.. Well done you for putting it out there so others can benefit as well.. keep up the good work! Gotta Love COCONUT OIL!!
I read through most of the comments and found them very helpful! One thing I could add is it is amazing on ear infections! At the first sign of an ear infection, tilt your head to the side and put a few drops in (or a small chunk if you don’t want to melt it… your body heat will soon melt it). It usually only takes one ‘dose’ if you catch it at first sign of pain, but if you didn’t, add a few more drops later…. it takes care of even the worst ear infections without ever having to go to the doctor’s office. Got to love it!
totally #53 – use as a diaper cream!!! keeps away yeast infections and is cloth diaper safe 🙂
I’ve been using Coconut Oil as an after shower moisturizer for the past year or so. My 20+ year old stretch marks have completely vanished and my skin has never been more soft. LOVE THIS STUFF!!!!
Wow! Thanks so much for all the input! I can’t wait to try it. My nautrapath advised me to use it to help my hair grow.
I put a tablespoon in my coffee every morning and night – drizzle it on anything I would put olive oil on when cooking, use it as a moisturizer under my make up and put a dab under my eyes before going to bed. I have a friend who swears it helped her pass a kidney stone she has been trying to pass forever.
Found TT recently. Can you explain the difference between the virgin CO and the Coconut Cream Concentrate sold on TT?
The coconut cream concentrate is ground up coconut meat. It’s wonderful stuff, thought TT has been out of it for quite some time. 🙁 The coconut cream isn’t a cooking oil. You’ll want to eat it as a food. I like to mix it up with cream cheese or nut butters and spread on crackers or toast. It’s also great melted into your oatmeal or hot cereals.
Hello! Stumbled upon this link via Pintrest. We just started using CO at my house. Trader Joe’s started carrying it recently! So far we’ve mostly used it for moisturizing skin. I also used it on my baby’s cradle cap, and it cleared up almost immediately! I’m very excited to start using it more! I’ll have to follow on Pintrest. 🙂
So glad you stopped by! Welcome and I hope to see you again! 🙂
We recently used it for lice cleansing on our kid’s hair. Soak their hair in it for 30 min or longer to drown them out, and gain the added benefits of really smooth and soft hair. Works great, and you can use often without worry about pesticides on your skin/near your eyes/etc.
It’s great for your lips, better than chap stick.
I have eczema really bad all over my body since I gave birth to my children. I went to numerous dermatologists and they all put me on steroids and creams but it was making me gain weight! I seen a woman in a grocery store and she told me to use CO on my rashes. At first i was very leery about the idea but i started putting it on every night and my eczema is all gone just scars now!!! I am so mad that the doctors couldn’t have told me about it, kind of makes me think they just wanted money!!! Oh well, any ways i suggest this stuff for anyone suffering with eczema!!!
I use it in place of shortening in my pie crusts–especially delicious for coconut cream and pumpkin pies.
I just used it to get rid of lice and it worked so amazingly! I just put some in my hair, enough to make it a little oily, then combed out as much lice as I could. The lice came out so easily. When I washed my hair they were still coming out just with my hands! I have super thick longish hair, so lice are usually hard to get out, but this made my life so much easier. I’m also going to soak my hair in the oil overnight just to be sure I got rid of them all.
Use coconut oil on kitchen scissors for cutting sticky things such as marshmallows or dates.
Fantastic idea! I just ran into that issue with dates recently! Perfect!
They say it is good for treating lice naturally too! Something about it the lice don’t like, and it makes combing easier too!!!
I’ve been using CO for my baby’s skin since he was born. He gets a CO massage every night and it’s all we use for diaper changes too (cloth diapers) and he’s never had a rash in his almost 2 years of life.
I do have a question though. I usually buy it at a local multi-ethnic grocery store. It’s really cheap there and they carry a tonne of different brands. How do I know which ones are safe? Are there issues with chemicals or pesticides with any of them? They are all in the food aisles, but now that you have me convinced to start eating it too I’d like to be more careful with my purchase.
i use coconut oil to make my hair shiny. just a little dab goes a long way. i also use it as a substitute for butter on whole wheat toast. it tastes delicious.
There’s a wonderful video of a medical doctor who reversed her husband’s pretty advanced Alzheimer’s disease by feeding him coconut oil. Well worth googling if you have anyone suffering from that hideous disease.
You can find certified Organic Coconut Oil on Amazon. That is where I purchase mine.
True. I buy it in quantity: 2 54-fl oz for $50. I’ll need to get out my calculator to figure out which has the better price. But, since I’m a Prime member, I get free shipping. It’s sold by Nutiva.
when you are talking of the 52 ways to use coconut oil, are you talking of plain 100% coconut oil like Luann or are you talking about organic coconut oil? I bought the Luann at the grocery store and my daughter says I need the organic kind from a health food store.
Hi Lynn – Thanks for the question. Whenever I speak of coconut oil, I’m referring to 100% organic virgin coconut oil. I do use organic expeller-pressed coconut oil too, but not as much as the virgin. I’ve never heard of the Luann brand – where did you buy it? I’m very selective on where I get my CO. Most of the CO’s on the market have been heavily refined, sometimes with chemicals and solvents, so make sure you do your research on the company and their processing methods before purchasing.
I’ve spent half an hour reading and taking in all the comments – amazing learning session! 🙂 As far as brands, I too tried LouAna my first go at it. Blecht! Definitely not the right stuff and have only used 100% organic virgin stuff ever since.
I have been very pleased with Nutiva brand products. I’ve purchased their “Manna” – which is heavenly coconut meat spread! Fabulous replacement for butter (and at least from what I’ve read about the processing, their hemp seeds are as high in quality as coconut products). Nutiva also has similar sales to the Tropical line Jessica referenced.
I’ve already emailed this thread to numerous friends who are concerned about alzheimers, dog skin sores, migraines, etc. I found you from Pinterest and will surely be following you, Jessica!! Thanks for such incredible info!
Thank you, Kim, for your kind words! 🙂 I am a fan of the Nutiva Manna. It’s yummy stuff! I sometimes just eat it by the spoonful!
LOVE CO! Just recently discovered it! I use it for my hair as I have a breakage problem. Definitely going to try a lot of the other uses listed! Awesome website!
Hi there! I loved reading your post, as well as all of the questions about CO. One of my best friends turned me on to using CO, but for some reason I still hesitate. After seeing this list, I’m going to use it more! I didn’t seem to find an expiration date on my big jar of CO; approximately how long do you think CO lasts?
Also, I’m hoping you or one of your readers could help me – do you think CO would be good to use on cold sores? I haven’t had a problem with cold sores in over 15 years, but recently I got a doozy. It’s almost healed completely now, but when I saw this post and the subsequent comments, I thought I should ask. What do you think? Thanks! 🙂
First, YES! Use it on cold sores! I had one pop up a few months back and I alternated using CO and Oil of Oregano and it cleared up in about half the time they normally do. For me at least, so I hope it works the same for you too if you try it.
Second, I have read that CO really can last forever, but 24 months should be an average. It doesn’t really go bad, you just start to lose some of the flavor and nutrients after longer than that. If it’s kept in a cool, dry place, I would say it would last much longer than 24 months.
I take L-lysine, an otc supplement of an amino acid for cold sores. have not had outbreak in YEARS. one daily for prevention, 2 if feeling that tingly, itchy, sore-coming-on feeling at site of outbreak.
L-Lysine is great! I have used it in the past too and it really does work. If you’re prone to cold sores, it’s definitely handy to keep on hand.
I take l-lysine daily (2x) and still get an occasional break out if I’m rundown or stressed. Zinc is also good to take to prevent or treat coldsores and applying Tea Tree oil to them helps as well.
I use CO as a moisturizer.I put it on my face before I put my makeup on.
At our house we put a nice spoonful of CO in our morning coffee. I like mine black and the CO adds a wonderful pleasurable richness to our morning brew!
Visited my doctor yesterday and he said that they are experimenting with Cocount Oil and Alzheimers. Can’t hurt to include it my diet!
we are using coconut oil as a supplement for my 4yr who has seizures – just started but hopeful for great results
I hope you have success with it! Best of luck 🙂
Great stuff! I can’t wait to get more use out of my coconut oil. I was mainly just using it for baking, works great for pastries instead of using lard or Cisco and it is soooo much more healthy.
Isn’t it great? I have also had really good success using palm shortening in place of vegetable shortening. It is a great substitute. I also use CO in my baking too!
I use it as a base for a homemade garlic salve that works awesome for coughs. Even can be used on babies (mine had RSV).
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
love the coconut oil,purchased mind from EARTHFARE the organic grocery store.
I am so in love with your site!!! I am just shy of 8 months pregnant with my second baby, and I have been using CO for my 2 year old’s diaper rash issues. I have terrible dry skin, and after reading your guests comments I went into the kitchen, and whipped up a good portion of CO and applied on my belly, boobs and sore achy calves from going up too many stairs yesterday… the tension in my muscles is easing already and my skin feels delicious! I have made it my personal goal to try all 52 uses at some point this year! And Im also a musician, and I plan on telling my guitarist friends that CO is a great sting cleaner!!!
Also after baby, I have a special tattoo planned… Im pitching my A & D ointment and using CO for that too! So there is 54 uses Im planning on! Thanks for your site Jessica! I’ll be following you from here on out!!!
Hi Leslie Anne! Thank you for your kind words! Congrats on the upcoming baby too! I’m really glad that you have found this post useful. I thought it was a long shot to find 52 uses for coconut oil, but little did I know there were gobs more! Every day, I hear a new way to use it from a reader. It’s so awesome! 🙂 I really hope that I see you around here some more and always feel free to email me or leave comments with any questions you may have! 🙂
Do you recommend/use the gold label or the green label from Tropical Traditions?
Hi Shelli – I have used both and love both. Both are going to be good for you and full of nutrients. I prefer the virgin, just because it will be the purest CO you can get, but it is more expensive. The green label is a great option to make your grocery budget spread a little further. Both are going to use organic coconuts are are not processed with chemicals or solvents. I love this chard on their website, because it explains the differences between each kind they sell: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/faq.htm#What_are_the_differences_between_all_your_coconut_oils
Thank you for this list. I just read the list, but intend to read the comments when I have some time available.
I recently used coconut oil with a drop of tea tree oil mixed in (very small quantities of each) on some athlete’s foot I had. Amazed! Only one treatment, and the small rash dried right up. I usually have to treat it with tea tree oil twice daily for a week.
Coconut oil is wonderful!!!
Marty – Great tip on the Tea Tree Oil. We do the same thing for my hubby, except we use Oil of Oregano and it works well too. I’ll try TTO next time and see if he notices a difference.
My dog had heart worm, I gave him a tablespoon of cocnut oil for three months and a year later he didn’t have heart worm nor lymes disease – go figure!!
CO is so versatile! Bought my first jar yesterday…How do you use CO for oil pulling, since it’s solid?
Hi Lisa – you can either out the jar in some warm water to melt down, or you can just take a small spoonful and hold it in your mouth for a few seconds and it will melt so you can start swishing.
I have read about positve effects with Alzheimer’s patients . Their brain can utilize the medium chain tryglicerides for energy easier than glycogen. A lot of the “new” drugs are just designer MCT’s.
I’ve been seeing more and more news on this. It looks so promising!
NEVER put any sort of oil on a new burn! It will seal the heat in and “push” the heat further down through the skin layers. Cool clean water…. that’s it folks 🙂
CO might be great the following day but please people…. just don’t reach for it the minute you accidentally fry a finger.
Good tip Katie. It’s great for soothing burns after the initial injury, but you’re right about sealing in the heat. I remember that now from all of my years in the restaurant biz. Thanks for stopping by!
we use it with a drop of lavender oil for piles and hemorrhoids. works wonders!!!!!!!!!!
I use CO for my psoriasis. After a shower, I rub extra virgin CO on my psoriasis and it softens the skin and does not stain my clothes. No heavy perfumes…I love it.
hi Jessica….i found you on Pinterest and i’m soooo glad! i’ve been cooking with CO and eating it for a while… however, i just have a few quick questions! i’d like to try CO on my face and was wondering do you leave it on all night and should you put it around your eyes too?
i plan to place an order for the quarts that are on sale right now at Tropical Traditions….is it a lot for the shipping? (i’ve been getting it at my health food store all along.)
also…i’d love you to write a thread on food grade Diatomaceous Earth. i’ve heard it mentioned a few times.
I love reading about all the ways you can use coconut oil. Do you use the same oil for cooking as you do on your body?? Sorry if this question has already been asked as I didn’t really have time to read all the comments! I plan to sneak it into my husband’s diet since he has high cholesterol. I should probably get the kind that doesn’t taste like coconut since he doesn’t care for that taste. I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s fresh pressed virgin whole kernel unrefined CO for myself and it tastes very coconutty.
How much tsp. or tbs. of CO should be taken daily? Also, if you are cooking with it or putting it on your body is that oil absorbed too, and does that count towards how much to take every day? Just wondering. Thanks Jessica or who ever can answer it.
I’m a homebirth midwife & I tell my clients to massage cocoanut or olive oil into their perineum daily, starting at about 7-8 months, to make it soft & supple so they don’t tear during the birth. Also use it at the birth, & on the newborn.
The most exciting thing for me is that it is the only thing that eliminates my son’s eczema! I put it on his spots every night and they disappeared within a week. I also use it to remove my make-up, fry eggs, put it on my dry heels, cuticles, & a yeast rash. Also, it’s true…it’s fabulous as a “bedroom helper”. 😉
Coconut oil is actually a lot worse for you than vegetable oils in cooking, an olive or canola oil is your best bet.
Aly – I have to respectively disagree. Most vegetable oils need to be avoided, especially corn, canola, and soybean. Those are all going to be GMO and very high in Omega 6’s, which lead to inflammation. Most people get way too many Omega 6s in their diets and that can lead to a host of health problems. Pretty much all disease starts with inflammation on some level. We should focus on getting enough Omega 3s and not worrying about the 6s and 9s. Coconut oil is also one of the best oils that can be used to replace vegetable oils for cooking and baking. Also, olive oil should never be heated because it has a very low smoke point and when heated can create carcinogens. Other great choices for cooking and baking are butter, lard, tallow, and palm oil. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
None if you can help it as far as consuming goes, I would apply it to your body like a heavy body butter, so about 2 loony sized dollops should be good for your whole body…
If its on the outside of your body it will just moisturize your skin, nothing will contribute to your daily intake unless it is consumed.
I bought some Lou Ann Coconut Oil. Good? Bad? Not sure if I should just pitch it and buy from Tropical Traditions. Help!
Hi Christy – I have been asked a few times recently about that brand. I had never heard of it until about a month ago when people started asking me about it. After some Google searching, I can say that it is a very low quality coconut oil, especially since it looks like the main brand that Wal-Mart carries. I am very selective on the brands of coconut oil that I use, simply because most commercial coconut oils are highly refined and many of the refining processes use solvents and other chemicals. According to the WM website, a 31oz container is only $5.00. That is a really good sign that it is super low quality. In regards to coconut oil, you really do get what you pay for.
My favorite coconut oil comes from Tropical Traditions and it’s the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. They use no chemicals and solvents in any of their oils. Actually, their virgin coconut oil is made the old fashioned way, by hand in the Philippines. Here’s a link to their virgin CO that I love: http://secure.ttpurchase.com/welcome.cfm?ptuid=263B9B09-1E0B-90B3-0EBDBEEE5415F435. Buying in bulk and keeping your eyes open for sales is a great way to keep costs down. They really are the only brand of coconut oil that I use, just because I love the quality and knowing that it’s made in a traditional way, rather than in a big factory.
You should be able to find other brands of coconut oil at your local health food store like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc., if you have one in your area. I tend to always order online because the pricing is so much better.
My advice when looking for CO is to choose your brand carefully and research how they process their oil and where the coconuts come from. You don’t want to use any brand that sells highly refined products. Also, price is going to be an indicator. A quart of high-quality coconut oil is going to run you anywhere between $15 on the low end or on sale, to $25+, depending on the source. Hope that helps!
You helped me decide what I’m going to do, thanks!!! If I’m going to start using CO in going to use the right kind. I’m going to cut my losses and toss the cheap stuff abd order from where you get yours. It’s on sale right now and I think I saw a code for free shipping!!
Christy – I’m happy to help! Let me know if you have any other questions! I always say you get what you pay for when it comes to food! 🙂
Walmart does carry Spectrum brand, which I believe is organic and expeller pressed. The tropical traditions brand sounds great (haven’t tried it yet), but this might be a good back up for you if you run out and are waiting for a shipment.
Good to know! I had no idea that they carried the Spectrum brand. It’s always good to have a backup! 🙂
My dog has lupus and has a terrible skin reaction on her snout; lost all her fur and it became one giant scab. For four months, we tried oral antibiotics, antibiotic ointments and anti-fungal medicines and had biopsies taken in case it was cancer. I heard about coconut oil and tried it. She responded immediately, within a day it was so much better. I now apply it twice a day along with emu oil to keep the outbreaks at bay. I can use it on her eyes as well (I tried it on my own first). It’s non-irritating. This is a great list!
I am so excited to start using this! I am highly allergic to so many skin care/hair products and am always looking for ways to keep my skin healthy naturally. I can see using this multiple times a day in my near future! Thanks so much!
Yay! Glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Some stuff in here i NEVER would have thought of myself (like smoothies!)
I did an article about this awhile ago, about how you can use it on your hair:
http://strangekitty.ca/winter-hair-woes/
I use to CO to help with yeast/vaginal infections…I was alittle skeptical when my doctor suggested it, but it works!!! I struggle with “girly” infections all the time, and it was great to find a natural, cheaper way to help!!!
Yes! I think that is one of the best ways that women can use it. So much safer than the OTC methods and it seems to work great!
These are wonderful uses for coconut oil, and manufacturers have continually replaced oils in products for coconut oil over the last few years BUT please make sure that your friends and family do not have a coconut allergy or tree nut allergy before serving food or using coconut for alternative uses. I now have to read labels before purchasing items,and can not count how many times I’ve eaten something with coconut oil or coconut in it at family/friends homes. My personal allergy starts with itching hands and feet, followed by swelling of extremities, then throat closing, similar to peanut or shrimp allergy. Just something for everyone to keep in mind. It is a shame such a versatile and natural item is off limits to me.
Thank you for your insight Kimberly. I know that it depends on the person. Some people with tree nut allergies are affected by CO, but others aren’t. It’s always good to ask if anyone has allergies when cooking for a group of people. I’m so sorry that you don’t get to eat CO! What a bummer! It seems as though we’re always allergic to the very things we want to use!
I am so interested in finding out about the use of co..This has been awesome. If using it in shampoo, do you add it to your regular shampoo or fix your own? Can it find the oil at GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe? We get a lot of things there now. Glad to know about the “pet” helps…AWESOME! Do you know if there is any help for arthritis? How cool would that be! Looking forward to your feedback.
Karen – I don’t use it on my hair, unless I’m doing a deep conditioning, but that’s because I have super fine hair and any bit of oil just flattens it out. My sister, on the other hand, has super thick, curly hair, and she uses a dab of it on her wet hair instead of styling products. It helps hold the curl and keeps it really shiny. I know Tropical Traditions has shampoo bars that use saponified coconut oil, but I have not tried them yet. They are on my list – http://secure.ttpurchase.com/welcome.cfm?ptuid=5C6E266B-1E0B-90B3-0E44264E7F50B387.
In regards to the brand of CO, I tend to be very picky. I love Tropical Traditions’ brand and consider it to be the highest quality out there. You should be able to find other brands of coconut oil at your local health food store like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, etc., if you have one in your area. I tend to always order online because the pricing is so much better. Most health food stores will carry at least one brand of coconut oil, however, the prices are going to be pretty high, compared with ordering online. I usually buy mine in bulk whenever possible to keep the costs down. CO has a stable shelf life of 24+ months, so I never worry about it going bad. I typically buy it by the gallon to get the best price. My advice when looking for CO is to choose your brand carefully and research how they process their oil and where the coconuts come from. You don’t want to use any brand that sells highly refined products. Also, price is going to be an indicator. A quart of high-quality coconut oil is going to run you anywhere between $15 on the low end or on sale, to $25+, depending on the source.
Hope that helps!
I use organic CO from Spectrum for body care. Do I use the same sort for eating? What about other uses? I’m not clear if they’re all the same or not.
Shonnie – You should be able to eat that as well. Do you buy it in the health and beauty section, or the food section. I just buy one kind of virgin CO and use it for my cooking and my skin care. Keeps it simple! 🙂
Not all brands will be created equal. My advice when looking for CO is to choose your brand carefully and research how they process their oil and where the coconuts come from. You don’t want to use any brand that sells highly refined products. Also, price is going to be an indicator. A quart of high-quality coconut oil is going to run you anywhere between $15 on the low end or on sale, to $25+, depending on the source. I personally like Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil and their organic expeller-pressed oil. The expeller-pressed oil won’t have any of the coconut scent or taste that the virgin does. I know some people don’t like coconut, so I recommend the EP for them. TT uses no chemicals and solvents in any of their oils. Actually, their virgin coconut oil is made the old fashioned way, by hand in the Philippines. Here’s a link to their virgin CO that I love: http://secure.ttpurchase.com/welcome.cfm?ptuid=263B9B09-1E0B-90B3-0EBDBEEE5415F435.
Hope that helps! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
This is so cool! My neighbor just gave me a jar of coconut oil the other day to add to my dog’s meals. She said it would help with his arthritis. I had no idea there are so many other uses. I’m going to have to steal some to rub into my hands and feet. My skin is extremely dry and cracks all the time. Even the heavy duty moisturizers don’t help.
If you cook with it, does it make your food taste like coconut?
Rachel – I feed my dogs CO too and they love it. I think it helps their coat and overall well-being. I have been hearing more and more people say that it helps with arthritis and achy joints when they massage it into those areas. I also deal with super dry, cracked skin, especially during the winter. I hate using lotions, because I don’t like the feel of anything on my hands, but I do try to massage CO into them each night. Also works great on the feet too! 🙂
A cardiac doctor just suggested a tsp of Coconut Oil each day to my husband for improved memory! Who knew!
REALLY? A doctor prescribed it?? AMAZING! We ARE making progress!!! Thank you for sharing!
I have struggled with acne breakouts since I was a teenager. I was on Yaz for a couple years which really helped, but I was tired of taking synthetic hormones, plus I was getting sick often from taking them. Since stopping I started to break out again, and my hair stylist told me to start using CO as a moisturizer/acne treatment at night. I have been using it for 3 days now and I am already noticing a big difference! This stuff is awesome! She said to eat 3 tablespoons a day too, but I can’t seem to eat it by itself..do you have any ideas on ways to eat it (without cooking too much..I’m a college student I don’t cook much :))?!
Hi Chelsea – Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad that you’ve been introduced to CO! It’s hard for me to get 3 tbsps. a day into my diet, if I just rely one eating a spoonful. So, I try to find sneaky ways to incorporate it. Here are a couple easy recipe ideas, that will get a decent amount of CO into your diet, without feeling like you’re just slurping down spoonfuls of oil! 🙂
http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2011/11/healthy-homemade-peanut-butter-cups/
http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2011/07/magic-shell-ice-cream-topping/
http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2010/12/maple-coconut-bars/
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have more questions!
I put a spoonful in my coffee in the morning. If you eat hot cereal, add some there. Or melt and then mix in yogurt. Mix in spaghetti sauce. In smoothies. Use instead of butter or cooking spray when you do cook – you’ll get a little bit from the pan onto your food. I make my own “ice cream” from frozen bananas – you could probably add it to the food processor with the banana and cocoa powder.
I have questions about the use of low quality CO. Awhile back I purchased some Moomtaz Coconut oil at an Asian grocery, 16 oz for roughly $7-10 (my memory is bad, maybe CO will help, lol). After reading your post and the comments (yes, all of them) I read the label and found the Moomtaz is “Refined, bleached (yipes!) and deodorized”. I’m guessing this is what you were referring to as poor quality, but my frugal nature prevents me from throwing it out. So, how does the cheap stuff stack up to say, canola oil for cooking? Isn’t it still a step up? Is it better or worse than not using CO at all?
I’m thinking I’ll save it for external use and maybe give it to my dogs (one has a bad reaction to fleas I was hoping the CO would help alleviate). I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
Thanks for the excellent post and I look forward to checking out your archives.
Hi Ivy – Thanks for stopping by and for the question. Price is always a good indicator of quality. I think I’ve replied to some other people’s comments about the average price for a quart of CO. I’m very selective on what companies I purchase CO from. Yours sounds like it has been commercially made, since it did say it has been refined, bleached and deodorized. That’s not good quality, and you’re going to lose a lot of the health benefits from it. However, I completely understand about being frugal. Waste not, want not. 🙂 I would say to just use it up and then focus on buying better quality oil from here on out. I know a lot of people would say to just toss it, but money is tight for a lot of us and I always feel so guilty if I throw things away. So, go with your gut. I’d say that the refined CO that you have is probably on the same level as the canola oil. You’re not really going to get much, if any, health benefits from it, but it’s not going to kill you to eat it up and then be done with it. No matter what brand you go with, make sure you research how they process their oil. Try to stick with virgin coconut oil if possible. Expeller-pressed is good too, for those who don’t like the coconut flavor. Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
This may be a silly question about “pulling”. The coconut oil that I have is a bit hard, or “stiff”. To do the pulling do you melt the oil first or just put the solid in your mouth? Anyone know? The pulling sounds very interesting!!
Yep! The oil will quickly melt in your mouth, so just take a small spoonful and let it melt before swishing! My friend Lydia wrote a piece on oil pulling recently, if you want to learn more: http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2012/01/whats-all-this-about-oil-pulling/
I love using a mix of CO, cinnamon and oatmeal to wash my face. I have always tended to have red skin but not when I use this mix. I also use it as a moisturizer after my shower…while still wet, rub on the CO then pat dry. Amazing!!!!
Awesome! What a great tip! Thank you for stopping by and sharing!
I read the linked article about whipping the coconut oil. I don’t have a whisk attachment for my mixer (sunbeam brand). Anyone know if regular beaters will work? Or a food processor?
I have yet to try whipping the coconut oil, but I think the regular beaters would work OK. It might not get as fluffy as it would with a whisk attachment, but it’s definitely worth a try!
We use coconut oil to cook with and I use coconut oil to soften my hands, clean my dogs ears and my husband and i both have used it on our behinds for hemorrhoids and fissures.
Doesn’t coconut oil so totally rock! I keep getting hits from this post – did you by chance yet read my post on coconut oil or link up to it? (plus a million ideas and uses)
http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2010/05/why-i-have-a-coconut-oil-fetish/
I use it as a weekly deep conditioning treatment for my hair and leave it over night. I also use it as a moisturizer for my entire body, my skin has never looked and felt better. Like many others have commented, my previously acne prone skin is finally clear! I can’t even imagine going back to synthetic moisturizers.
In regard to coconut oil as a hair treatment: I use 2 beaten eggs and 2 T. liquefied CO as a hair treatment once a week. Leave it on for about 2 hours then shower as usual. IT IS AWESOME!!
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already, but I have heard that coconut oil can also improve every day life for alziemers(sp) patients if taken twice a day.
I used to think breast milk was the most amazing substance God created, but I think it’s now first runner up! 🙂 I just read all (yes ALL!) of the comments and I have yet another use for y’all! Both of my sons recently had a minor eye infection so, rather than take them to the dr and get a drug, I rubbed cocount oil on their eyelids and almost like magic it cleared up overnight! I also read that people have had success treating pink eye with it (their infection was not pink eye it was something with the actual eye lid). LOVE this stuff!
???Question??? about brand/quality. #1 How would I go about researching the quality of a given brand? #2 We’ve been using Vitacost’s Organic Extra Virgin CO…sounds good, Organic and Extra Virgin (is Extra Virgin basicly the same as Virgin??)…but I want to make sure before I stock up! PLEASE let me if you have any thoughts asap, I need to order more SOON! 🙂
Mindy – great tip! So glad that it worked for your sons. Natural is always better if you can do it!
Regarding coconut oil brands, I personally use Tropical Traditions’ coconut oil. I’ve used both the Gold Label virgin and the expeller-pressed. I think their method of production ensures a high-quality oil with the highest level of nutrients. When looking for a coconut oil, price is going to b