February 23, 2012

Why you should always have coconut oil in your house


So I'm a huge lover of coconut oil. I've been using it for baking, cooking and most importantly making my popcorn and just recently read about how it can be used as a personal lubricate and that got me thinking "What all is this stuff good for?" so I thought I'd do a little research and find out. This post could be so much longer but I wanted to give you a general idea of all the major things you can use coconut oil for. It's great stuff, it makes your skin super soft, and I'm going to go home tonight and try it on my ends (they are dry the the desert!). If you're not convinced already that you need to get some of this stuff read on and you will be soon!  

Hair Care:
Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair.


Skin Care:
The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. It's great as a moisturizer and general lotion. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.

Heart Diseases:
Coconut Oil contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

Digestion:
Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.


Immunity:
Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.


A few more things it's good for are your:

Liver
Kidneies
Stress relief
Dental care
Diabetes


These are the two brands that I've tried and they're both wonderful!


For more info and the site I reference, click here 

4 comments:

  1. I love coconut oil! I like Nutiva as well. I use it often in place of honey or olive oil.

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  2. I use coconut oil in a lot of my cooking. It's great!
    Not sure if I'm brave enough to try oiling my hair yet though. ;)

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  3. I have heard that coconut oil is so helpful to have! Where do you purchase yours? I should get me some.

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  4. Great post Amanda. I think it's also good to note that you should go for virgin and unrefined coconut oil to get the most out of it. I get mine from http://products.mercola.com/coconut-oil/ but I used to like Nutiva too.

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