Going nuts for coconut oil Via Shutterstock
Recently, a friend told me that I could tame my 12 year-old son’s unruly locks by rubbing a little coconut oil into his hair. Considering the price of many hair creams, I figured it would be worth a try. I researched coconut oil online and discovered that it is being hailed as the new miracle cure for just about everything. There are articles suggesting that it can reverse Alzheimer’s, and cure HIV, athlete’s foot, cellulite, yeast infections and bad breath in dogs (not that any of these claims are substantiated). A fire crew even used it to release a trapped dog’s head from a metal gate.
I put coconut oil to the test – and what I found surprised me.
- Hair balm. So I rubbed a very small amount of coconut oil in my hands, then ran them through my son’s “morning hair.” The result? Greasy hair! Ugh! I only used a small bit, but it looked pretty bad. Couldn’t wait to wash it out!
- Conditioner. After my son’s greasy hair incident, there was no way I was putting this stuff in my hair, either as a before-shampoo deep conditioner or to tame my hair after blow-drying. I have done enough hot oil treatments and deep conditioning treatments over the years to know that my thin hair will only wind up flat and greasy. But if you’ve got dry, thick hair, it might be worth a try. I would caution that a little coconut oil goes a long way!
- DIY toothpaste. I followed the instructions I found on various posts and mixed coconut oil with baking soda to form toothpaste. What did I end up with? Greasy toothpaste! It wasn’t unpleasant, but I think I’d rather just brush with plain baking soda next time or try a whitening toothpaste using hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
- Foot cream. So I lathered the coconut oil on my feet and then put socks on top. It seemed to soak in fairly fast. Overall, not nearly as effective as petroleum jelly or Eucerin Original Healing Soothing Repair Cream, but it’ll do in a pinch.
- Eye makeup remover. Works just fine if you like oily eye makeup remover. Personally, I prefer the non-oily makeup remover, so I’ll stick with that.
- Facial moisturizer. I rubbed it on my face before bed, afraid that I would wake up to acne-spotted skin. In the morning, however, my skin was still very moist and smooth, with no breakouts. During the winter when the air is especially dry, often I wake up with dry spots on my face, despite intense facial moisturizers (that weren’t cheap). Next time, I’m reaching for the coconut oil!
- Facial mask. Per several internet posts, I mixed coconut oil with honey and slathered it on my face, letting it sit for fifteen minutes. Smelled kind of yummy. But during that fifteen minutes, I found that the oil kept dripping down my neck, which was most unappealing. After I washed off the mask, my skin did feel very moisturized, though.
- Cuticle cream. Works like gangbusters! I don’t know why my cuticles get so dry, but this is a terrific solution. I’m not too thrilled about my hands being all greasy, however, so if that’s the kind of thing that annoys you, consider applying it with a cotton swab.
- Alternative to margarine or butter on toast. This sounded really unappetizing to me, but I figured I’d try it once. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it quite a bit. And when I took a look at all the suspicious-sounding, unpronounceable ingredients in my diet margarine, I think I’d feel a whole lot better about spreading a little coconut oil on my toast instead. It’s a much healthier alternative!
- Alternative to butter or shortening when baking. I already use coconut oil for baking since my son cannot tolerate dairy or soy. I especially like to use it in chocolate cake because it gives it a nice, subtle coconutty taste, kind of like a Mounds bar.
- Cleaning retainers or mouth guards. Because of the antibacterial nature of coconut oil, it has been recommended for cleaning dental accessories such as retainers or mouth guards. Why, though, I don’t know. I can’t see that it got either particularly clean. Perhaps the cleaning was not visible to the naked eye.
- Oil pulling. This ancient practice which is supposed to promote oral health is all the rage now. But after reading a blog post all about one writer’s experience with oil pulling, the practice seems nothing short of gagworthy to me. But you may find it worth giving a try, if only to see what all the talk is about.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I made a scrub using coconut oil and sugar. Two parts sugar, 1 part oil. Works great as a body scrub!
I used it in place of margarine on everything, in baking, I do the oil pulling about 6 days a week and also use it on my skin – love it!
I saw something recently about using coconut oil in oatmeal. I haven’t tried it, but the person who mentioned it said he has been eating that regularly for breakfast & it is quite tasty.
Laurie – Do you use white granulated sugar for your scrub, or brown sugar?
Chris – I also use coconut oil in baking and now in place of margarine when I think of it. I made scrambled eggs this morning and wish I had thought to use it instead of margarine. Glad to hear your take on oil pulling!
Carole – I wouldn’t have thought about using it in oatmeal, but sounds like a good idea!
Hi Rachelle,
These looks like a great use of coconut oil! I might try using it on my niece’s hair, she has these dry thick locks and my sister is willing to try anything to make it all better. Thanks for sharing this!
I use coconut oil as a body lotion. After my shower I dry off lightly so I’m still a little damp then rub coconut oil over my entire body just as I would a normal lotion. My skin is super dry no matter the time of year. Also it has a natural SPF of 4. I don’t use it as a sunscreen but think that’s a. Ice built in plus! I’ve also cooked with it and it’s not even a very strong flavor at all of coconut. I’ve used it in wet/damp hair and loved it. I also used it as an over night hair treatment. Washed my hair in the morning and didn’t have any problem with greasy hair afterwards. Also it’s an anti viral so when I feel like I’m getting a cold I will mix a teaspoon with a tablespoon of honey and teaspoon of cinnamon I feel it lessens the length of my cold and soothes my throat! I love coconut oil!!!!
Your write-up is a lot more balanced/realistic than most things I’ve seen about coconut oil so far.
My sister uses coconut oil for a bunch of things — hair, skin, cooking, etc. — and has been trying to get me to use it as well. I’m skeptical, though.
I’m just not a fan of that oily/greasy feeling on my face/hands, and I certainly wouldn’t want to add oil to my hair. I might try putting on my legs one day, but that’s as far as I’d go.
In terms of food, though, I bet coconut oil could really enhance the flavor of certain things (like chocolate cake, as you mentioned). And if it makes a dish healthier, so much the better.
Thanks!
So many people are not aware that fast hair growth amino scalp therapy shampoos (of course without any sulfates, parabens or DEA) are a thing. People now may enjoy longer hair and attain more alternatives. Definitely worth exploring.
When you’re studying hair loss, damaged hair, preventing hair disorders, fast hair growth, hair care generally, almost the same ideas apply.
For the most part, you should try to steer clear of hair products and treatments that use chemicals like parabens, DEA or sulfates.
What’s healthy for your hair is healthy for your skin also.
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