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In fairness, I think I must start off with an important disclaimer: I am obsessed with all things-coconut, so to speak. Long before discovering coconut oil, I was already enticed by its exocit flavour and smell. I loved adding coconut slices to yoghourts, used it in – the rather few – cakes I bake, loved the body moisturisers and sun-creams which had coconut oil or aroma, for that matter, as a component. I think it teleported me to far-away exotic places I fantasied travelling to and associated coconut with summer, hot weather, tanning and all the good stuff which comes with sunny weather and balmy summer evenings…. But discovering coconut oil took things to a whole new level. I honestly lost count of how many times I repurchased  raw extra virgin coconut oil jars. To say that I am addicted would be an understatement.

It all started off quite innocent while slumping on my couch and browsing the web on my phone, I watched a net-a-porter video in which Miranda Kerr worshipped the benefits of coconut oil saying she took a spoonful of  it every day and used it regularly to cook … so I said to myself, hang on, a cooking oil with heath-boosting properties with one of my ever favourites flavours and smells…. It was too good to be true. Plus, if it was good enough for Miranda, it had to be good enough for me….

So off I went to do my curiosity-induced research and decided to see the wonders of coconut oil for myself. The result?: I can now count myself amongst one of the advocates of coconut oil usage, just with a slighty lower profile than Miranda….

Coconut oil: A supefood with plenty of health benefits

It took a while to get my head around the healthy saturated fats  facts. To cut a long story short: it is filled with medium-chain fatty acids, which are easy for our body to digest and are sent straight to our liver to produce energy, as opposed to the long-chain fatty acids, that most people consume regularly, and which must be broken-down before the body can absord them. There are virtually many benefits associated with coconut oil backed by science. I summarise some of key benefits of coconut oil here:

• Speeds up your metabolism: As our body converts coconut oil’s medium-chain fats in energy, it can aid weight loss. It is also proven to make you feel fuller for longer, hence, it can help keep the peckish-feelings at bay.
• Boosts your Inmune system. Nearly 50% of coconut oil is comprised of the fatty acid lauric acid, naturally found in breast-milk,  which plays a key role in fighting infections caused by bacteria.
• Aids digestion helping the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins like magnesium and calcium
• Fights off free radicals: coconut oil has been proven to inhibit the oxidative stress caused by the free radicals, as it enhances our antioxidant defense system.
• Lowers the Risk of heart Disease:  Coconut oil is over 80% in natural saturated fats, which increase the healthy cholesterol in our bodies and convert the “bad” colestherol into “good” colestherols, lowering the risk of heart disease.

Coconut oil is an All-rounder Beauty staple

• Coconut oil does wonders with your hair and skin. It is a great skin moisturiser with skin hydrating and emollient properties. Since discovering coconut oil I have never ever bought or used another body moisturiser. It also works ad a great body scrub. I mix it with sea-salt for an easy and natural exfoliator which leaves my skin softer and free from dead-skin cells.
• Applied on your hair, it helps reduce the loss of protein which cause hair damage and it is a potent natural anti-dandruff treatment because of its hydrating properties and ability to increase lipid levels on the skin surface and hair scalp. Having used different conditioners all my life despite having an oily-in-the roots, dry-on-the-ends type of hair, I don’t know a more effective and better-smelling way to condition my hair. I use coconut oil as a leave-in conditioner for as long as I can before washing my hair and I just love it. It is a great addition to a stay-at-home pampering session.
• I use coconut oil as a all-year-round body moisturiser but increase my intake in the summer months if I have been sunbathing ( yes, with +50 SPF on me, that is). It is a great after-sun treatment and it is also meant to act as a sun screen but, it only blocks around 20% of the UVA rays and,  truth be told, I prefer sticking to my high SPF sun skincare.

A Kitchen’s God

Not only does it taste like heaven ( ehem, check my disclaimer on the first paragraph), it is also a healthy addition in the kitchen and provides a plethora of uses:

• Yummy breakfast: I use it as a spread on grilled bread as a healthy alternative to the conventional toast for breakfast. More filling, healthier and tastier. I have to curb myself because If I wake up feeling particularly hungry,  I find it difficult to restrain myself from binge-coconut oil eating.
• In smoothies: I used it as a natural sweetener to add that exotic tinge to some smoothies.
• For all cooking-purposes: Coconut oil makes for a much healthier version of fry-ups. I am not a fan of fried foods but who does not love a good scramble eggs with an added healthy bonus?

Apart from the cooking and skincare routine uses, coconut oil is meant to work very well as a natural lubricant, so there is no need for you to head to the chemists if you are in need of some; just try a more natural version instead! Warning, though: coconut oil and latex are not compatible so keep this in mind. Out of all the uses of this versatile oil, my experience using coconut oil as a natural lubricant is restricted to being applied on my Kegel balls for my pelvic floor workout routine – yes, you read that right -, but that this is a whole new topic which I will cover in a different installment.

Are you a frequent user of coconut oil? Have you used it for any other purposes? Let me know in the comments section below!