Coconut oil- the natural beauty staple

Coconut oil is probably something that the vast majority of us now have sat on the kitchen counter or in our kitchen cupboards right now.. as for me, I have about six jars of the stuff stashed away in my kitchen! Coconut oil has been around for quite some time now and to be honest, I think there is still just as much hype surrounding it as there was a year or so ago. It really is an incredible product and something that has become incredibly popular in the health and wellness industry.

Something that I think has made coconut oil increase in popularity, is its’ multiple health benefits when used in cooking and the fact that it has a high smoke point in comparison to other oils. Not only that, but coconut oil also tastes great (if you like coconut) and is so versatile: you can cook with it, spread it on toast, add it to porridge, smoothies and even use it to make raw desserts like protein bars and cakes! So, we know coconut oil is a firm favourite in the kitchen, but that’s only just the beginning.

My first actual experience with coconut oil, was as a cosmetic product and I used it as a hair treatment for my scalp. As a teenager, I used to suffer with a dry scalp and no matter how many different shampoos and various other products I tried, nothing ever seemed to make any difference. Not only that, but buying all of these endless amounts of products cost a fair bit of money, as well as lots of them probably being packed with various different chemical ingredients. I tried coconut oil on a bit of a whim really and couldn’t believe the results. I simply massaged the coconut oil through my hair and allowed this to soak in for about 10 minutes, then washed my hair as normal. This made my hair and scalp feel so moisturised and nourished, with no flaky or dry skin in sight. Not only was this a lot more affordable than lots of the other products I’d been previously testing out, but it’s completely natural and a single ingredient product, which I love!

So, other than using it as a hair treatment, there are actually countless other ways that you can incorporate coconut oil into your beauty regime, to help treat your skin naturally and possible save a few pennies as well! Here are some of my favourites and the ways that I typically use coconut oil in my daily routine:

Makeup remover- did you know that coconut oil is also great for removing makeup? I like to massage the oil all around my face and then rinse everything off with some warm water and a flannel. It’s so gentle on the skin and also leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated.

Body scrub- one of my favourite coconut oil beauty recipes is a coconut salt scrub. Simply mix some coconut oil with some sea salt or pink salt and use as you would a normal body scrub.

Moisturiser- Perhaps one of the most simple ideas, but very effective! I love using coconut oil as both a facial and body moisturiser for when my skin feels like it needs a little bit of extra hydration.. and it leaves you smelling of lovely tropical coconuts!

Lip balm- Now that we’re coming into the colder months, a lot of us might be more prone to getting dry skin and chapped lips. Coconut oil is a great moisturiser for you lips too and seeing as it’s something that you can eat, you know it’s safe to be putting on your lips and tastes nice too! (well I think it does anyway!)

We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this post from Charlotte of Charley’s health and that you’ve found some of these little tips helpful. If you try any of these out, or have any other ideas that we haven’t mentioned on here then we’d love to here about it so leave us a comment down below.