Coconut Oil Benefits 101: Health Facts & Beauty Tips

(Image via Amazon)

Hapari's Take On Coconut Oil Benefits

Three cheers for COCONUT OIL! The often deemed ‘cure-all’ food item can be found gracing almost every grocery store around the country. What’s crazy is, even a few years ago, the term ‘coconut oil’ would have elicited ‘ehhh... huh?’ reactions from most of the public. Now, it’s being hailed as an all-healing wonder ingredient used for everything from cooking to moisturizing skin.

So, we did some digging to see if the so-called miraculous coconut oil benefits hold up to the hype.

Coconut Oil Health Facts

Many users swear by coconut oil and claim the health benefits can do everything from help with more trivial health concerns like losing a few pounds to seriously substantial claims like slowing alzheimer's and reducing heart disease. While we LOVE coconut oil for skin usage, there is reason to doubt the extraordinary claims about coconut oil when digested.

According to WebMD, “Neither the American Heart Association (AHA) nor the U.S. government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines suggest that coconut oil is any better or preferable over other saturated fats.”

(Image via Coconut Oil)

Conclusion: While the beauty world spurs on the coconut oil movement, it’s probably not a good idea to substitute this new medicine for the real thing (aka traditional medicine.)

Coconut Oil Beauty Tips

(Image via Pure Coconut Oil)

Don’t worry though, coconut oil isn’t bad, and there are definitely advantages to using the oil (it just can’t cure cancer — sorry.) Some of our favorite uses involve using the oil as:

• Moisturizer: Coconut oil serves as a great moisturizer. You can use it as both a facial and body moisturizer, on dry nail beds, cracked lips, and dry skin patches like around elbows, knees and ankles.
• Highlighter: The oil can also be used as makeup. The subtle gleam and shimmer-texture of the oil make it perfect to use as a cheek highlighter. And unlike some makeups, it won’t clog your pores and cause breakouts.
• Scrub: We can’t wait to try this one ourselves - combine coconut oil with sugar for a homemade, all-natural, body scrub. Use to exfoliate skin and reduce stretch marks and age spots.
• Tanning Oil: Mix coconut oil with water and warm in the microwave. (Note: the coconut oil is solid when housed at 76 degrees Fahrenheit or below, but becomes liquid at higher temps.) Pour into a spray bottle and squirt on skin to keep skin supple while being outside.
• Leave-in Conditioner: After washing hair, apply a dollop of coconut oil to hair. Start by rubbing in at the ends and work up towards the scalp area. Let sit overnight and wash out in the morning. The coconut oil helps rejuvenate dry, limp strands and leave hair full and soft.
• Wound Care:  It’s thought that coconut oil has natural antibacterial properties so many people suggest using coconut oil similarly to creams like Neosporin. It’s thought to help guard against infection and help close minor cuts, calm burns and reduce infection.

Let us know, do you use coconut oil? Do you have any feedback on coconut oil benefits? Will you start after our study of the health facts and beauty uses? As always, we love having you as part of our Hapari community and would love to hear from you!