10 Amazing and Not-So-Amazing Things You Can Do With Coconut Oil

It’s in our water, cooking oils, beauty products and Piña Coladas.

It’s official: Coconut is getting around like the high school prom queen. 

But there’s a good reason for that. Coconut oil is an amazing and cost-effective ingredient that has plenty of awesome qualities. It lends to good hair and skin care, stress relief, weight loss, a healthy immune system, proper digestion, dental care and stronger bones.

As if that doesn’t lock it up, it’s also cheap, versatile, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, and delivers a solid amount of antioxidants. That is, as long as you’re spending the extra buck to buy raw, organic, virgin coconut oil in its purest form. After all, the food manufacturing industry has a knack for tainting nature’s best with additives, preservatives, and pesticides.

Now, without further ado, Alex and Siobhan of No More Dirty Looks, serve up the yay’s and nay’s for coconut oil.

Ten Do’s and Don’t’s for Coconut Oil

DO use to cook at high heats. Because some oils are not safe at high temperatures, try swapping in coconut for roasting and frying. It works great for potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussell sprout, carrots, asparagus, broccoli rabe, red onions and other veggies, too.

DO use to highlight cheekbones. Sweep a little on top of makeup (sounds weird, go with it) and leave it alone. It looks like your skin but glowier, which is why Rosemarie Swift, of RMS Beauty, uses it in her amazing Living Luminizer, “Un” Cover Up, and Lip-2-Cheek pots.

DO use to shave your legs. So good! You get a real close shave and don’t have to worry about moisturizing after.

DO use to deep condition wrecked split ends. There’s a reason lots of conditioners use coconut oil: According to this study, coconut oil is better able to penetrate hair than mineral oil. (Shocking!) If you don’t want to cut off the damage, coconut oil helps in conditioning the dead ends. Knowing full well there is no way to physically repair fried ends—I even confirmed this with a cosmetic scientist named Colin, who isn’t a clean guy, but he’s nice and smart—I’ve been loving this method:  Once a week, I sleep with a handful of coconut oil in my hair. I rub it in, comb it, pile it in a loose bun on the top of my head, and call it a night. In the morning, I shampoo and it seems to make a big difference in the look and feel of my ends.

DO use to take off your eye makeup. Put a little on a cotton ball or a piece of toilet paper, and sweep it over your eyes gently. It even works on waterproof mascara.

DO use as a personal lubricant. Saucy! Let’s be brief: It totally works by yourself or with a buddy, but it’s not compatible with condoms (oil + latex = babies).

DON’T use as a face moisturizer. I do not like this. I’ve read about acne-prone women who have used it to great effect because it’s naturally antibacterial, calming and moisturizing, but I won’t put coconut oil—or any product that contains it—anywhere near the part of my face that breaks out (hi, chin?!) I tried the oil-cleansing method when we were writing our book, and I got the absolute worst cystic acne ever. This might not have been the oil’s fault, but did I want to wait another month to find out? Hell to the no.

DO use as a body moisturizer. See above (shaving). I recently met my friend Jessica at yoga, and before class started she yanked up her pant leg and told me she’d been using coconut oil on her whole body. How’d they feel? S-o-s-o-f-t. And for the record, the smell doesn’t linger.

DON’t use as a daytime hair tamer. Awesome on your ends, but I wouldn’t put this on the top of your head—especially if you’re blonde. It makes your locks look really, really greasy.

DO use for gluten-free and vegan baking. It’s a staple. It tastes really good and is the only thing that can mask the chalky taste you get with most gluten-free baking. (Mmmmm … Babycakes )

What do you use coconut oil for at home? Leave a comment and tell us what works, and what doesn’t.

Alexandra Spunt and Siobhan O’Connor, Guest Beauty Bloggers
The authors of No More Dirty Looks, Siobhan and Alexandra are natural beauty experts and consultants who are passionate about safe and sustainable beauty. Siobhan is the senior editor at Prevention magazine, while Alexandra is a freelance journalist and marketing consultant in Los Angeles. Together, they have helped educate consumers on what’s in their personal care products with appearances on the Today Show, The Doctors, Treehugger and the Huffington Post; and features in New York Magazine and TIME magazine. Learn more at Nomoredirtylooks.com.