I hate to sound cliche but coconut oil is everything! No, seriously. It is everything. It remains a prime staple in my house for so many reasons. Besides cooking with it, I use it on my hair, skin, nails, and so much more. And I don't know about you, but I love anything that has multiple purposes (and healing properties to boot).
Let's start with the obvious, coconut oil is superb to cook with. It has a very high smoke point (the fat-burning temperature) of 350 degrees for unrefined versions and 400 degrees for refined versions. And because it is rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), it doesn't require bile salts to be digested. What are medium-chain triglycerides, you ask??! Good question. It's a fantastic saturated fat. Now, I know what you are thinking. You thought saturated fats were bad for you, right?! Nope! Most processed fats are bad for you, that's for sure. But certain healthy fats (such as coconut oil) are necessary for good health, and they have healing properties (like I mentioned earlier). Coconut oil is 60% medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and research has shown that MCT is very advantageous for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's. Coconut oil is also beneficial for the overgrowth of bacteria and yeast because of its microbial properties. [Ballantyne, 2017]
Coconut oil is a powerhouse because it has saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. Just to give you a quick breakdown coconut oil has 86.5/100 grams of saturated fat, 5.8/100 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 1.8/100 grams of polyunsaturated fat. And I know you are reading those numbers wondering what in the world does that mean for you intake-wise. Once again, you ask very good questions. The simplified answer is, 10% to 15% of your caloric intake should come from saturated fat. You may think that's a lot of fat to consume daily, but your entire body (from head to toe) needs fat to function. The main organ that functions magnificently from fat is the brain. Yes, your brain needs fat to function, and lack of sufficient fat plays a role in memory issues as we get older (remember my mentioning that neurodegenerative stuff earlier? [No pun intended on that remember part]. [Ballantyne, 2017]
I know you have seen various versions of coconut oil at the store and wondered what in the world are they. Well, I'm here to help clarify that for you. It all boils down to how the oil is extracted from the actual coconut. Virgin or extra virgin oil is extracted from the meat of the coconut and usually still has that coconut scent. Sometimes virgin/extra virgin can be cold-pressed, which means the coconut meat is dried first then extracted. Then we have refined coconut oil, which may involve bleaching or chemically extracting with solvents. The scent is usually removed during the refined process.
Now that you are proficient in coconut oil, let's talk about my favorite ways to use it. Besides cooking with it, I love to moisturize with it. I ditched lotions a few years ago and never looked back. It started with putting coconut oil in a spray bottle and spritzing myself from head to toe when I got out of the shower (I tend to air dry, don't judge me). I loved the results so much, I transitioned to using it on my face. And when I tell you the facial glow is amazing, it is. It's not overly greasy looking, it's just very glowy like I just came from a spa. Coconut oil even has a sunblock aspect to it. It's around a 20% sun blockage (which is better than nothing at all). Let me preface by saying that moisturizing with coconut oil may not be for everyone. You have to know your skin type and how your skin will react to using oil. So if you are just starting with oils as a moisturizer, transition slowly, and please discontinue if you have a bad reaction. Please don't run and tell your doctor Aziza said to lather yourself in coconut oil knowing that you may be allergic. Proceed wisely and with caution.
I also use coconut oil as a make-up remover. I don't know about you, but I don't put make-up on every day, so when I do I may go overboard with the mascara (it's my fav) and find myself annoyed trying to take it off at the end of the day with soap. I put coconut oil on a cotton ball and within seconds, it's off. Thirdly, I like to use coconut oil as a deep conditioner for my hair. Especially in these dry months, after shampooing I will apply coconut oil to my hair and slap a plastic cap on to let it marinate. I will either sleep in it overnight or jump under my hairdryer for about 20 minutes. This is another "proceed with wisdom and caution" method. Some people's hair doesn't respond well to coconut oil. If that's you, again, don't run to your doctor saying I told you to do it. This is what works for me.
And lastly, I started transitioning away from traditional deodorant many years ago. Through trial and error (much error, may I add) I decided to try coconut oil. I was already using it on my hair and body, so dabbing a little under my arms didn't seem too farfetched. This was an experiment I initially tried in the house before going out into the world. Once I realized the coconut oil wasn't letting me down or offending anyone in my household, I took the brave step of trying to work out with it. Boy was that a nerve racking time. But surprisingly it worked. I have since started adding essential oils to the coconut oil to give it a little fragrance (my favs are rose and vanilla). I have a few other uses for it, check them out below.
Noir Nutrition
by Aziza Lucas, NTP
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