Ok, just to get this out of the way first off - I'm not some hippy dippy wonk who is obsessed with naturopathy and thinks western medicine is bad. I'm a normal person who believes in medicine but also believes that for minor ailments and irritations, it's better to try natural home remedies first. They're typically cheaper, already in your home, and effective.
Shit like capsaicin for blocked sinuses, honey and hot lemon water for a sore throat, ginger or fennel seed tea for an upset stomach, Epsom salt baths for achy muscles... this shit works so why pop a pill or pay out the ass for an over the counter product?
Anyways, now that we've established that, here is a list of ways that I use one of the cheapest, most versatile products available from your local grocery or bulk goods store - coconut oil.
1. Face Treatment
I use just a tiny bit every morning and night. It's an amazing Moisturizer, but the best part is that I've found it also helps keep the acne that's plagued me all my life at bay.
At first it seems kind of counter intuitive to put oil on your face to fight acne, but coconut oil contains anti-bacterial properties which actually help to clean your pores. By keeping your skin well moisturized, it also slows your natural oil production.
It soothes and calms inflammation, which reduces the redness and soreness associated with acne. If you're like me and get painful cystic acne, this is a godsend.
One of the major issues with a lot of anti acne treatment is that they dry out your skin and cause it to produce excess oil, which gets trapped in your pores with dirt and gunk, causing more acne.
As I get older, I'm also concerned with aging. The best defense against aging skin is staying moisturized! Using coconut oil on my face is an all around win!
2. Treating dry, flaky patches of skin
I'm not sure if I have an actual condition such as rosecea or psoriasis or something, but I do sometimes find dry, flaky almost scaly patches of white skin on my arms, particularly during winter months. Even besides the scaly patches, my skin just gets super dry in winter, to the point where it's really itchy and almost painful.
Coconut oil is the only thing I've found to date that effectively treats those patches. It's like fucking magic.
3. Hair and Scalp Conditioner
I only do this about once a week in the winter and a bit less in the summer. Rub some coconut oil between your hands to heat it up and then run it through your hair and on your scalp.
Doing this has completely eliminated my dry, itchy scalp and it also leave my hair suuuuuuuper friggin silky. I used to spend a lot of money on hot oils and dry oils from the drug store trying to treat itchy scalp and never got the result I wanted until I tried coconut oil.
Warning - it does leave your hair a bit greasy and is a bit of a pain in the ass to wash out, which is why I only do it once a week. Worth it tho if you suffer from a dry scalp.
4. Vaginal Irritation
Whether the issue is dryness or an infection, there's a good chance coconut oil will help.
For me, I've found that ever since I started using my nuva ring, I end up with a super irritated, unbearably itchy vaginal area during and after my period. It's happened the last 4 cycles. I tried salt water, but that stings and it only helped a bit. Finally, I read you could use coconut oil for yeast infections and BV and I thought, why the fuck not?
I tried it after my last cycle and holy shit, it works! Like, almost instantly! It gets rid of the itch right away and after a couple days of using it both inside and outside the affected area, the irritation was gone COMPLETELY. I'm 100% back to normal!
Again, like the acne thing, this is probably due to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. There have been a few clinical studies that have shown coconut oil fights candida, the bacteria that causes yeast infections, without upsetting the vaginas natural good bacteria. Because it's such a great Moisturizer, it relives itching immediately upon application.
I've read of other women making coconut oil pills by rolling it into little balls and freezing them. Then they pop one up in there when their period starts or after it ends and it completely eliminates the post period irritation. I'm going to try that next month I think.
5. Lubrication
Whether you're making love or masturbating, lube is your friend. Even if you don't think you need it, it's always a good idea to use it.
I recently started using coconut oil instead of store bought lube during sex with my boyfriend and I like it a lot better. First off, it smells nice. Second, it tastes nice. Third, it's actually good for my vagina (see above). And fourth, it feels better. Add to all that the fact that it is just so friggin cheap and it seems kind of silly to use anything else!
Conclusion
So, there you have it folks. Five great ways to use coconut oil besides eating it.
No, coconut oil doesn't cure cancer. "Oil pulling" probably doesn't do shit. Eating it and slathering it all over yourself won't protect you from disease. But it will moisturize the fuck out of your dry skin, scalp and hair, it will help fight off bacteria that causes acne, yeast infections, and other irritations. And it will work as a great lubricant for sex or masturbation.
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