Coconut Oil in Skin Care: The Multipurpose Beauty Product in Your Pantry

Everywhere you look lately, people are extolling the virtues of coconut oil in skin care. In addition to being a wonderful substitute for butter or oils when cooking, it has a multitude of beauty uses as well. Because of its chemical structure, coconut oil penetrates skin and hair better than other oils, meaning it is absorbed quickly and without leaving a greasy feeling behind. Here are eight ways to use coconut oil in skin care you can do at home

1.     Lip Balm

Coconut oil is a completely edible, so it’s easy to see why it makes a safe lip balm. Not only is it tasty, it helps create a barrier to keep moisture in so the delicate, thin skin of your lips stay smooth and supple.

2.     Makeup Remover

Ditch your greasy, gunky makeup remover and try coconut oil instead. Just put a some on a cotton pad and watch it remove even the most stubborn waterproof mascara and 24-hour lipstick like magic! As a bonus, it will leave your skin moisturized without needing to use a separate moisturizer.

3.     Moisturizer

Speaking of moisturizing, coconut oil is great to use on any dry skin on your body. Elbows, knees, even feet can benefit from the fatty acids in coconut oil and your skin will smell like a tropical island.

4.     Cuticle Oil

One area that can be easily overlooked when moisturizing is your cuticles. If the skin around your nails is looking a little rough, smooth on some coconut oil before bed and cover with gloves. By the morning, they’ll be smooth and soft again.

5.     Shaving Cream

Shaving cream can be a pain because it can rinse off before you have time to finish shaving your legs. Coconut oil is a great alternative because, since it’s an oil, it doesn’t rinse away. It lubricates your razor blade allowing you to get a nice close shave and leaves your legs silky smooth when you are done.

6.     Body Scrub

What do you get when you mix equal amounts of brown sugar and coconut oil? A natural body scrub that smells (and tastes) delicious! Use it in the shower to smooth away rough, dry skin and reveal beautiful, smooth skin. Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties, so it works great to help slough away rough skin on your feet while helping to keep fungal infections at bay.

7.     Face Scrub

The skin on you face is delicate, so a sugar scrub would be too harsh. However, you can exfoliate your face with coconut oil and baking soda instead. Mix together in the palm of your hand, rub onto you face in a circular motion with your fingertips, and rinse with hot water. Be prepared to accept compliments on your fresh, glowing complexion!

8.     Sunburn Treatment

Some people claim that coconut oil is good for sun protection or as a tanning oil. Neither of these are smart ideas because coconut oil does not offer SPF protection and applying oil to skin before sun exposure can cause nasty sunburns. However, if you do apply SPF and still end up burnt, coconut oil in skin care use can be used to help moisturize your skin and minimize peeling as your sunburn heals.