You will never catch me without a jar of solid coconut oil in both my kitchen and my hygiene products.
There are not a lot of things I would say I cannot live without, but coconut oil is not one of them. Specifically solid coconut oil because when it’s solid it’s more versatile. Remember that meme that says, “I put that sh*t on everything,” yeah that’s me with coconut oil.
I discovered the magic of coconut oil a few years ago. I wanted to give my mom a nice Mother’s Day gift and decided to make her a bunch of body wash and bath scrubs from scratch. This was kind of a last-minute idea, so I quickly searched up a few recipes I thought my mom would like and went on a hunt for the ingredients. One of the ingredients was solid coconut, and I remember reading that and thinking, “where in the heck do you find that?” Turns out it was easy to find in the Target cooking and baking aisles.
Solid coconut oil is not some underground product, but I never knew how many uses it could have as a household item. After giving my mom her Mother’s Day gifts, I had a ton of coconut oil left over, so instead of throwing it away, I did a quick search for some ways to use coconut oil. My attempt to not be wasteful quickly turned into a slight obsession.
Here are some of the ways I’ve discovered to use coconut oil throughout the years:
1. To cook
One of my favorite late-night snacks to eat is popcorn, but I am not the biggest fan of the buttery, microwave kind. As an alternative I would just pop plain popcorn kernels on the stove with a little oil and salt, but then I found that combo to be bland and unsatisfying. One day, my cousin made me popcorn at her apartment and it tasted amazing. It turns out her secret ingredient was cooking with coconut oil. It gave the popcorn the perfect amount of flavor with a bit of sweetness, and without the sickening heaviness of using normal butter.
2. For my hair
I have very curly hair that is sometimes hard to take care of. I like to dye my hair, but sometimes doing so can make my curls go flat. I also sometimes suffer from a dry scalp, which can make my head itchy and flaky. I recently started using my solid coconut oil as a hair mask occasionally, and not only does it soothe the itchy feeling I get when my scalp is dry, but it helps bring my curls back to life.
3. For my face
I have loved adding coconut oil as part of my nightly skin care routine, especially as a fabulous make up remover. It also leaves my face feeling soft and super moisturized.
4. For my skin
Similar to how I use solid coconut oil on my face when it feels dry, I do the same with my entire body. I do not normally use it on my entire body all at once, but if a patch feels particularly dry or itchy, I will apply it there. Typically, I put it on my elbows and knees where I have extremely dry skin
5. For DIY home remedies
A few weeks ago, I had a nasty cold. The worst part of it was the sore throat I had. I looked up online DIY home remedies just to find some relief. I read an article that mentioned the usuals: tea, honey and a hot shower. After reading on, I was shocked to see coconut oil on the list, but I decided to give it a try. I added a spoonful to some tea with honey, and my sore throat was instantly better after I finished my cup. This remedy is now a go-to when I have a cold.
The practicality of coconut oil has me always having a jar on-hand. I only mentioned a few of the uses that work for me, however there are so many more out there. A good resource to find some other uses is “29 Clever Uses for Coconut Oil.” One tip it states is that coconut oil is good to use on your teeth for dental health. Who knew? Give solid coconut oil a try! I promise you will never look back.