Green Routine: Coconut Oil

Lately I've been fairly fascinated with using homemade products to replace some of the things I buy at the store. I have a few concoctions I plan to share with you soon, but today I can't help but share my newest love: Coconut oil.

Not just for cooking! I started using coconut oil in the shower to shave my legs. Holy moly is it awesome. Coconut oil comes in a jar and is fairly solid at room temperature, but it melts at body temperature, so it glides on super smooth. Plus, it's so moisturizing that I don't need to put on lotion after I get out of the shower. Major score considering I usually forget to put on lotion anyway which results in less-than-silky smooth legs, especially during the dry winter. (If you can really call it "winter" in San Diego)

I got my jar for $6 at Sprouts, a local health food store, but I have also seen it similarly priced at Walmart and Trader Joe's. You can also buy it online from Amazon.

Apparently there are quite a few other household uses for coconut oil. Haven't tried them yet, but I might just have to! Did you know that coconut oil is antimicrobial, antiviral, antiinflammatory and antifungal?

• Use a small amount as a deep hair conditioner.
• Use a bit on your lips as chapstick
• Use it on bug bites to stop the itching
• Put it on a cut like neosporin
• Use a bit on a cotton ball as make up remover
• Use it on your skin like lotion. It's said to be great for psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis
• Mix with peppermint oil extract and rub on your skin as an insect repellant
• Use it on babies to help with cradle cap
• Deodorant? ...I don't know if I'm sold on that one.

And those are just a FEW of the topical uses. It also helps with quite a few ailments when ingested. That, and many more uses can be found here

The more I learn about common products getting the job done naturally AND cheaper, the more I wonder why I keep wasting my money on products filled with tons of chemicals. Don't you?


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