Coconut Oil: Fad or Fab?

Ever since I saw the many different uses for coconut oil, I was hooked! Something you can cook with, moisturize your hair and skin, style your hair, etc.

What could be better?

My husband knew I really, really wanted some, so he surprised me a few weeks ago! He found it on Amazon for cheap cheap! I think the entire container was around $6 with a few dollars shipping. I was pleased. Everywhere else I saw was upwards of $15.

This is my favorite!

Cooking:

I steamed some cabbage with coconut oil instead of my usual olive oil. While it tasted delicious, the flavor was too strong for that dish. I probably won't be using it for my cabbage again.

I give this one an 8 out of 10 for potential.

Here's a neat website with Coconut Oil Recipes

Moisturizing:

To be honest, I loved the smell of the oil on my hands, but I didn't notice too much of a difference from regular lotion. I wasn't paying too much attention to how long it lasted. I was also cooking and washing my hands a lot that day, so I'm not positive about how long it lasted. I'll have to try it during the Wintertime when it's much drier.

You can also wash your face with it! I'll have to try this one!

I give this one a 9 out of 10 for the obvious benefits of moisturizing. Friends tell me they rub it all over their body after a shower. Others have told me they shave with the oil. I tried this and shaving with the oil was the best shaving experience ever!

Hair:

I soaked the oil in my hair for about 3 hours. It only recommends at least two hours before washing, but I think I forgot it was in there :) I soaked it into my ends where I normally condition and threw it into a bun. I've heard some people massage it into their scalp, but that seems like a little too much moisture and oil for me. I washed my hair as normal, and then did another washing on the ends just to be safe. To be honest, I'm not super impressed. I accidentally missed a chunk of my hair, and it was a little greasy and limp.

I give this one a 7 out of 10. I may be biased, though. My hair is naturally soft, so maybe the coconut oil is unnecessary. I've never dyed my hair, but friends of mine that do dye their hair love it.

There are so many uses for coconut oil! These are just the obvious uses I've heard of. I stumbled across this website that gives 101 Uses for Coconut Oil.

Neat tips I saw on the website that you can use coconut with!
-Eye makeup remover
-SPF 4 sunscreen
-Massage oil ;)
-Frizzy hair calmer
-Chap stick
-Allergy symptoms (rub on the inside of nose) Oh my! Trying this one!
-Increase milk supply for breastfeeding mothers
-Good source of energy
-Deep frying

Overall, I love the oil! Not only is it healthier than most oils, butters, etc., it is so versatile! I learned a lot from the 101 Uses website. I can't wait to experiment some more!