Since discovering the many health benefits of using coconut oil, I’ve used little else in my cooking, but this often-overlooked marvel also works wonders for your skin.
The secret is lauric acid, something found only in breast milk and coconut oil. If you’d like to read up on the science, there’s no better place to start than Bruce Fife’s excellent book The Coconut Oil Miracle
You can buy cheap deodorized, refined coconut oil from Asian supermarkets, but for cooking and skin care I recommend you choose an unrefined, organic product from a reliable source. For suppliers, check out coconut-oil-uk.com
The simplest way to use coconut oil is straight from the jar, but as coconut oil is a saturated fat, it goes hard in cold weather and melts in warm. That can make using it a bit of a challenge. So it’s worth taking the time to create something a little more luxurious and user friendly.
You can do this, without spending a fortune, from your kitchen table – as you can see from these five fantastic coconut oil skin treat recipes I tracked down.
Whipped coconut oil body butter
from The Nourished Life
Brainwave! Use your food mixer to whip up coconut oil to make it easier to use in cold weather. Full recipe
Coconut sugar body scrub
from Paisley Boulevard
Simple, but surprisingly effective. Leaves skin fantastically smooth and smelling heavenly. Full recipe
Massage bar with coconut oil
from Frugal Kiwi
Add the contents of a couple of Vitamin E oil capsules to make these solid massage bars even better for the skin. Lovely! Full recipe
Easy bath melts
from Eco Yogini
You’ll need to lay your hands on a few more ingredients for this one, but nothing too difficult to find. Full recipe
Rose, Coconut and Epsom Salts Bath
from The Bath Tub Diva
A wonderful combo to relax, invigorate and pamper. Swap the rose oil for lavender for a soothing night-time bath. Full recipe
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If you have a favourite coconut oil skincare recipe of your own, please feel free to add it to this page by leaving a comment.