First off, let me just say that coconut oil is bae. Yes, bae. It's beauty's secret weapon, and I use it nearly every single day. Here are four different ways that you can incorporate coconut oil into your beauty routine.
1. Moisturizer
Dry elbows? Coconut oil. Dehydrated lips? Coconut oil. I personally have eczema under my nose and on parts of my arms. You can bet on days that my skin is feeling like it's really in need of moisturizer that I can add a layer of coconut oil before adding on a product to lock in the softness (Aquaphor is a definite favorite). Head to toe, works like a charm. My only warning with this is to be careful if you use it on your entire face. While coconut oil does have acne curing properties, it can be very heavy and can sometimes clog pores if too much is used.
2. Oil Pulling
This one involves the oil being in your mouth, but bear with me. Oil pulling is said to pull out toxins, fight bad breath, cure hangovers and, over time, whiten teeth. Grab a tablespoon of the solidified oil, put it in your mouth, wait for it to melt, and swish it around for 20 minutes. Now, the first few times are definitely weird and depending on how squeamish you can be about the texture, you may have to fight the urge to spit it out immediately. It gets better with time, I promise. Plus, it helps that the coconut oil really has no taste and can be pleasant if you like the smell of coconuts. Like I said, 20 minutes every day for the best results.
3. Healthier Hair
As someone who has bleached every hair on her head, I can definitely say that I have dealt with dry, dead ends. To keep things soft between trims, coconut oil is the perfect solution as it is rich in fatty acids and is great for your hair. Coat your ends and any dry sections of your hair with some coconut oil and massage it into the strands (or scalp if you do not have naturally oily roots). Slap on a shower cap (or tie on a plastic bag) and keep it on for at least 30 minutes or even overnight. Remove the cap, wash your hair and enjoy your soft, luscious locks.
4. Makeup Remover
Seriously, this may be the best eye makeup remover you ever use. While I am a huge fan of using micellar cleansing water on my skin, oil is the number one enemy of makeup and even the thickest, darkest eye makeup stands no chance against coconut oil. You won't need to pull at your eyelids (which can cause wrinkles, yikes) to take off waterproof mascara and you can bet that it will take care of that matte liquid lipstick without any hassle. Prepare for the most satisfying raccoon eyes of your life.
The results are nuts — pun fully intended.
