IS COCONUT OIL WORTH THE HYPE?
I was very late getting in the coconut oil herd, I heard SO many great things about it. The main being how much of a lifesaver it has been to many women's hair. Now, my hair has gone through so much damage over the years, I couldn't even begin to tell you. I saw some results of using coconut oil as a hair mask and I thought "finally, something to give my hair hope!" I looked a little bit more into coconut oil, because I did find it strange, oil...to combat hair problems? But hey, I'm willing to try anything. I found out there are so many more benefits for using coconut oil, inside and out of the body.
USES & BENEFITS
I personally can't bring myself to ingest it, because of the texture, however the smell is amazing, even though coconut is one of my least favourite flavours/smells! There is some research that a teaspoon a day can combat problems such as depression, anxiety and it can help boost the immune system. Some people benefit from an energy boost from a teaspoon a day too. Now, if you are like me and don't like the thought of just scooping a spoonful out and eating it, you can use it in pretty much anything, substitute to any oil or butter, in smoothies, cakes, milkshakes, (all of which I have yet to try) there are so many recipes out there.
A use that I am also yet to try, again because of the texture, is as a whitening toothpaste, with or without baking soda. I will be giving this a go some time, as I currently use Beverly Hills Formula Perfect White Black Toothpaste, which has got great results.
Coconut oil is absolutely amazing to use on your body. Of course, it's important to not put too much on, in my experience, I have just looked like a walking grease ball, and the pets hairs - you may as well be one of them. I would never use coconut oil as a sunscreen as being a ginger, using SPF 4 is no better than using mayonnaise on me. But you lucky people who can get away with using such a low factor, you can protect your skin against the sun whilst smelling like coconuts. What's not to like? On that note, I have heard it can be used as a tanning oil too. As I previously said, I personally can't test either of these due to my vampire-like skin, unless I decide I wish to be a lobster one day.
Seeing as coconut oil is great for skin, it sounds like a great idea to use it in a home-made soap. There are quite a few ingredients for this, but there are plenty of recipes online if you are interested in doing so. Coconut oil is also great for skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema or acne. I don't suffer with any of these, but I have used it on spots when I've had breakouts, which leads me on to my next topic.
WHAT I USE COCONUT OIL FOR
When I've had a breakout of spots (especially painful ones), I tend to use coconut oil as an overnight face mask, it helps soothe the skin around the spot and doesn't make it feel so tight. As coconut oil has antibacterial benefits, it draws the spot out quicker and prevents spreading. It has been the best thing I've ever used on my spots. Since using it as an overnight face mask, I have noticed a huge improvement in the redness in my face. I have suffered with redness for as long as I can remember, and since I started wearing makeup, I'd try my best to cover it at all times, nowadays I can go makeup free without huge anxiety about my tomato face (I also had help from other face products, too). For days I do wear heavier makeup, coconut oil is the best makeup remover I have ever used. Not only does it remove makeup without it leaving black, stubborn smudges all around my eyes, it has also helped lengthen my eyelashes, as coconut oil is great for growing hair, so it only makes sense it would help eyelash growth. Speaking of hair growth, coconut oil has been the main benefactor of my hair growth in the past year. I also use coconut oil as an overnight mask on my hair, and simply rinse and shampoo the next day. I will speak of the results further down.
So, you know how great coconut oil is all over the skin, because I haven't mentioned that yet(?) I do love to use it after I've shaved my legs, it's so soothing and makes my legs so soft after (but just remember you're trying NOT to turn into one of your house pets).
I love making homemade stuff and when I found how great coconut oil is, I thought about my other problem areas. I suffer with chapped, dry lips a lot of the time. So I made a lip balm with peppermint essential oil. You can use any essential oil, it's only for taste. I'm yet to try a lemon lip balm, which is on my to do list! Another (major) problem of mine is migraines, and high pressure headaches. I use pressure points on and around my head to deal with these normally. But I did find out, mixed with any sort of mint type essential oils, peppermint, tea tree oil etc. it can be a 'miracle cure' for aches and pains. I thought I may as well try on my head. I used both peppermint and tea tree oil, and probably made it stronger than need be (self confessed mint addict), and gently massaged it in to my pressure points when I got any type of headache. I was genuinely surprised at the results. It relieved the pressure I constantly feel on my head, neck and eyes. It worked faster and better than paracetamol/ibuprofen! This is the go to product for me and my boyfriend when one of us is aching and in need of a back massage!
Another problem is, I have the worst cuticles, and such brittle nails. So I started massaging coconut oil into my cuticles and down my finger nails, I did noticed a massive difference, then I stupidly wore false nails over Christmas, which I know makes my nails even more brittle, duh. So, I'm restarting that little experiment.
My last use for coconut oil is a simple one, but one I have only tried once, only because I prefer the smell of spray/roll on deodrant. I had run out of all types of deodrant one day. What sort of woman am I? Anyway, I had read months before that coconut oil can be a substitute. So I tried it. It did genuinely work, but by the end of the day, I couldn't smell the coconut oil, so it does do the job of deodrant, but I don't use it everyday because I just love the smell of deodrants (Is that really weird?).
WHAT DID NOT WORK FOR ME
I briefly spoke of hair growth before, and it has really worked as a hair growth mask. However, the main reason I started using coconut oil as a hair mask, is to sort out the frizziness, the thinness, and just the overall damage to my hair. Here, is where it did not help me. I tried all different ways. I done overnight hair masks, I done just a few hours before I rinsed, I used it just as a stand alone conditioner before I shampooed it out. Maybe I didn't stick to it long enough, but I didn't see any result at all and I did it for a fair few months. I think my hair is just doomed to be damaged forever and a day. Another way I have tried is after blowdrying my hair, using a tiny amount rubbed in between my hands and just smooth over the ends, as I have more volume on the bottom than on top, which does work, to a certain point. It doesn't make the ends soft and bouncy. More smooth and solid, even using the tiniest amount. I have found another product which has been a godsend for this particular problem, which I will review soon in a hair care routine post!
So, I do believe it is worth the hype. To an extent. Or I may just be a bit bitter that it didn't help my original problem. I am very glad I picked it up that day over a year ago, as it does have so many uses which I'm still using to this day. But, I do not believe it is a *miracle* cure to everything like everyone claims it to be. It's...above average, I'd say. Aside for the headache miracle cure, that did blow my mind.
As I just said, I will be doing a hair care routine post soon, to follow on from this post and how I (eventually) found a collection of products that work for me, as coconut oil does on it's own for some. (Not jealous at ALL.)
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