Oh Coconut Oil, Where Have You Been All My Life?

What can you use coconut oil for? Oh, let me count the ways!
Image: Shutterstock

Perhaps I’m a bit behind the times, but I only just recently discovered coconut oil. Actually, I was introduced to it about a year-and-a-half ago during a vegan cooking class, but I didn’t make an effort to really try it out until a few weeks ago. And now, I can’t help but wonder why it’s only just crossed my radar—because it’s kind of amazing.

While I tried it out cooking acorn squash (with this salad, which I want to eat ALL THE TIME), it can pretty much be used for, well, anything. Here are just a few ways in which you can utilize this amazing oil, which is extracted from ripe coconuts (Note: you’ll want “virgin” or “refined” coconut oil because it’s non-hydrogenated):

1. As cooking oil. It can be cooked at very high temperatures, with a smoke point of 450°F. It’s also has medium-chain triglycerides, which are easier on your digestive tract.
2. As a daily energy supplement.
3. As coffee creamer.
4. As lotion.
5. As makeup remover.
6. To prevent stretch marks or lighten age spots.
7. As a topical treatment for yeast infections.
8. As a hair de-frizzer.
9. As a natural conditioner.
10. To soothe skin conditions like eczema.
11. With apple cider vinegar as a natural lice treatment.
12. In homemade sunscreen.
13. In various (delicious) recipes, savory and sweet.
14. To help regulate the thyroid.
15. As a natural diaper cream.
16. To condition and soften shiny leather.
17. In a salt scrub.
18. To help soothe a sore throat.
19. As a natural deodorant.
20. To soothe skin issues and hot spots on pets.

These are just twenty examples to show you a wide variety of possibilities. Check out this blog entry on WellnessMama.com for a list of 101 uses of coconut oil. It’s really amazing what one natural product can provide! Have you tried coconut oil? How do you use it? Are there any of the above options you’re planning on trying?