They Said Coconut Oil Was Great for You but This Is What You Don’t Know

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, then you have probably heard of coconut oil and all of its amazing health and beauty benefits. But what is it about coconut oil that makes everyone rave endlessly about all of its awesomeness? Well, coconut oil is made up of 90% medium-chain saturated fatty acids. This is a combination of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and poly-unsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are easily digested, absorbed, and utilized in the body. These medium-chain fatty acids can also easily cross the blood-brain barrier in the unbound form so that your brain can use it as energy. Coconut oil has also been shown to help slow and prevent the spread of cancer cells, act as an anti-inflammatory, is anti-microbial, rich in antioxidants, improves nutrient absorption, and is non-toxic to humans and animals. Since coconut oil is good for your body, inside and out, here are some easy, at-home DIY health and beauty tricks you can do with coconut oil.

Aids in Weight Loss

If losing those last few pesky pounds has been keeping your spirits low, including coconut oil into your diet plan could help. The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil have been shown to help break down fat cells more rapidly. While it may seem silly to eat more fat to get rid of fat, the fat from coconut oil is a healthy fat. This healthy fat not only slows and breaks down the absorption of unhealthy fats, it aids in the absorption process of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. You can eat it by the spoonful or add a tablespoon to a smoothie.

Removes Age Spots

Unless you know the exact location of the fountain of youth, there is little you can do about the inevitability of aging. This doesn’t mean that you cannot age beautifully and gracefully, though. Coconut oil can be used as an effective and affordable method of ridding your face and body of age spots. Using organic unrefined coconut oil for daily use or after sun exposure can reduce the appearance of age spots on your face and body. Proper sun protection like sunscreen and hats can reduce the damaging effects sun has on the skin.

Relieve Stress

After a long day reach for a jar of coconut oil in lieu of your traditional nightcap beverage. Rubbing coconut oil on the temples in a circular motion can help relax the body and mind. The gentle aroma of coconut oil combined with the light massage will ease your mind and body into relaxation mode. The polyphenols in coconut oil and the medium-chain fatty acids are believed to be the reason why coconut oil is a natural stress reliever. The polyphenols increase levels of antioxidant enzymes, which reduce the inflammation levels and lipid oxidation levels in the body. Of course, this is just the scientific reason as to why coconut oil relieves stress. Everyone knows a light massage can really help you relax.

Heals Dandruff

If a dry scalp is something you suffer from seasonally or year-round, coconut oil can help ease the symptoms caused by dry scalp. Just massage a tablespoon of coconut oil into scalp once a week or as needed to relieve dandruff caused from dry scalp. It is safe to leave the oil in your hair overnight for maximum moisturizing benefits; otherwise, rinse oil from hair after it has been sitting on your scalp for 30 minutes to an hour. Timing will vary based on your personal needs and preferences.

Ease Digestion

Digestion issues can be an embarrassing and uncomfortable topic to talk about or deal with. If IBS or poor digestion has been impacting your life, coconut oil is here to help. Saturated fats in coconut oil help control the parasite fungi related to digestion issues. The fat in coconut oil helps aid in the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and the amino acids your body needs for all around great health. To increase coconut oil’s nutritional benefits, take with an omega 3 supplements for twice the effectiveness.

Healthy Gums

Oil pulling has been a natural way to promote healthy gums and teeth since the time of the ancient Egyptians. It is recommended to use 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil in your mouth before eating or drinking and even before brushing your teeth in the morning. Swish the oil around your mouth for five to twenty minutes each morning depending on how long you can stand the strange feeling. As you swish the oil around bacteria will stick to the oil in your mouth and eventually you will spit it out. Strangely enough, once you spit this oil out it will harden very quickly. This means you do not want to spit it out in any of your sinks. Just spit into your garbage can to avoid damaging your sink drain. Do this 3 times a week for best results.

Balance Hormones

Since coconut oil is a great source of lauric acid and saturated fats, consuming coconut oil during menopause can help rebalance the hormone levels in the body. Coconut oil has also shown to have a positive impact on estrogen levels as well. Be sure to talk to your doctor about adding coconut oil to your diet before making any changes. Another way to naturally balance estrogen and hormone levels is to monitor your grain and sugar daily intake.

Makeup Remover

After a night out, nothing is worse for your eyes and lashes than sleeping with your makeup on. If you get home from a fun night out only to realize the thing you just remembered that you forgot to pick up from the store earlier was a makeup remover, don’t sweat it. Coconut oil is a safe and effective way to remove eye makeup. Just dip a cotton q-tip or a cotton ball into some coconut oil and watch the magic happen. Not only will coconut oil remove makeup from your lids and lashes, it will also moisturize the skin around the eyes preventing fine lines and wrinkles from developing.