It seems everyone has gone nuts over coconut oil (pun intended) and it’s for good reason. There are many uses for coconut oil and tons of surprising ways to incorporate this natural anti-aging ingredient into your daily beauty routine. What’s so great about coconut oil and how can you use it?
First, coconut oil is inexpensive and can be found in your grocery store. Now, I recommend and personally use extra virgin organic coconut oil and I suggest you do the same. You don’t want any additional additives – just pure coconut oil and it’s only a dollar or two more. You may also notice that it looks more like Crisco than an oil. Don’t worry, once you warm it between your hands or in the microwave, it quickly dissolves into a clear recognizable oil.
Some people swear by ingesting and/or cooking with coconut oil because it contains lots of easily digestible, fat-soluble vitamins: A (good for the immune system), D (for strong bones and teeth), E (anti-aging) and K (blood clotting), but that is for another post/time. Today we are going to just talk about beauty uses.
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Coconut oil is completely safe for most skin types. The Vitamin E in coconut oil has strong antioxidant properties for the skin and can provide some protection against UV rays (still wear sunscreen), free radicals and it aides in the regeneration of collagen for the face.
20 Anti-Aging Uses For Coconut Oil
So let’s explore the top 20 anti-aging uses I have found for coconut oil. Who doesn’t love economical and DIY beauty solutions?
1. Use as a hair mask. Rub some between your hands until it liquefies and coat entire head of hair with the oil. How much you need depends on the length and thickness of your hair. If you have dandruff, make sure to coat your scalp to rid yourself of flakes. Wear a shower cap to bed and wash in the morning. You can also add drops of peppermint oil, rosemary or lavender if you wish.
2. Use as a day and/or night moisturizer. Coconut oil fights redness and irritation so it reduces acne while moisturizing skin (great for those of us who are aging and still get occasional zits!). The fatty acids help reinforce the skin’s natural lipid barrier to lock moisture into the skin. Some claim if you put a little in the inside skin of your nose it helps stop nosebleeds.
3. Use as a facial exfoliator. Add a touch of sugar or salt to some coconut oil and use on face and/or body. If using on your face, just use a little sugar (I don’t advise salt as it is very harsh), rub gently. You don’t want to rip your face apart.
4. Use as an eye makeup remover. This has become my favorite eye makeup remover bar none.
5. Use as a body lotion. Who doesn’t love the smell of coconuts and the scent is faint enough that it doesn’t compete with your favorite perfume. (Bonus: it also makes a great leather moisturizer).
6. Use as a neck cream at night. I rub a little coconut oil in an upward motion on my neck right before bed.
7. Use as a bath oil. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil in to a warm bath water and soak away your problems and dry skin.
8. Take with your vitamins. I know I said I would not talk about ingesting it, but this also helps with beauty, I swear. A spoonful of coconut oil taken with vitamins helps absorption, digestion and skin glow from within. If the thought of eating it hard makes you uneasy, add some to your morning coffee or tea.
9. Use as a cuticle cream and for cracked heels. Use twice daily.
10. Use in the shower for shaving instead of shaving cream. Coconut oil helps the razor glide across your legs and hydrates skin in the process. Your legs will be unbelievably soft and smooth.
11. Use on stretch marks and other skin discolorations. Coconut oil helps fade both.
12. Make an anti-aging facial cream. Mix equal parts coconut oil with beeswax and shea butter and store in a container.
13. Reduce the appearance of age spots on hands by using as a hand cream, especially before driving.
14. Rid yourself of dull skin with this DIY mask. Mix 1 teaspoon of coconut oil with 1/3 cup Wheatgrass juice and 2 teaspoons of raw honey and leave on face for 5-10 minutes twice a week.
15. Make your own anti-aging mask. Again using 1 tablespoon of raw honey (which has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties that are great for healing the skin and keeping bacteria and fungus at bay) mixed with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Apply to face and neck and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Then eat (kidding)!
16. Make your own amazing eye cream. Mix two parts coconut oil, one part vitamin E oil, and one part evening primrose oil. Store in a eye cream bottle you already emptied (maybe an expensive one).
17. Make a skin tightening body scrub. Don’t throw out those coffee grounds just yet! By mixing coffee grounds with coconut oil you can hydrate, tone, reduce cellulite and feel energized in one DIY body scrub. Mix 1/2 cup coconut oil (soften in microwave) with 1/4 cup leftover coffee grounds. Pour the mixture in to a mini muffin tin and keep in refrigerator. Pull one out about a half hour before you shower. Makes a great gift to give to friends too.
18. Use to calm hair frizz. Use a very small amount or your hair will look greasy. I learned this the hard way. I actually just use what is left on my hands from moisturizing and run them over my hair to combat frizz and flyaways.
19. Make your own natural bug repellent. Mix a drop or two of tea tree oil in with coconut oil for a natural bug repellent safe for the whole family.
20. Use to heal wounds faster. Rub a thin layer of coconut oil on minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. The oil calms the area and creates a barrier against dirt and bacteria. No band-aid needed.
What is your favorite use for coconut oil? Are you going to try it?
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You may like to read more of my anti-aging beauty tips like 8 Best Anti-Aging Face Sheet Masks You Must Try! and 10 Amazing Anti-Aging Pumpkin Skincare Products.
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For me, at some point, coconut oil became indispensable. Although I didn’t even know about it 2 years ago. At first, I just fried everything in the kitchen on it. But then I realized how much this is a great product and that it can be used in many places. But after reading this article, I learned, even more, uses for coconut oil. It’s so cool that it’s also anti-aging! It’s such a useful product, I really want to make a scrub with it, and what I liked the most was the mask! She’s so simple! Thank you
Yes the ways to use coconut oil are limitless.
Oh wow. I have some. Maybe I need to try some of these.