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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
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Why I use coconut oil for everything

Hear me out.

I've never been anti-coconut oil--in my raw vegan days it was a tasty addition to desserts and smoothies. But  I didn't buy much of it, since the small jars were like $7.99, and I ate a pretty low fat, low-calorie (low-nutrient) diet and didn't incorporate it.

But now, we've been eating a Paleo diet, with plenty of good whole fat sources including coconut oil, butter from grassfed cows, and grassfed lard (great post on this on one of my favorite podcaster/author's blogs, here, and another one here).

Adding coconut oil to my diet was actually the first change I made in a healthy fat, nutrient-dense diet, and I immediately noticed positive changes. Once I understood the benefits of good fats (but wasn't ready to start eating meat yet), I started having some coconut oil and almond butter in a little dish as a snack, just as a way to get some fat and protein. I added coconut oil to my tea for an extra energizing, filling warm drink. I even ate our favorite 85% dark chocolate with some coconut oil--delicious and keeps my blood sugar from increasing too much from the (few) grams of sugar in the chocolate. ;)

Immediate benefits I found


Right away, with eating several hundred calories of fats more than usual, I noticed my digestion/IBS improved immensely. I also found my hands and feet weren't cold like they used to be--my circulation increased, along with my metabolism. My skin wasn't as dry anymore, either! (I used to have killer sugar/fruit cravings, but I realized I was just low on calories and fat, so I switched to the healthy fats and felt so much better!)

Making coconut oil a staple


Anyway, now we eat a lot of coconut oil, and found we could buy it in the 72 oz. tubs at Costco for less than $20, an incredible price (this one's a great deal, too). It's still organic and extra virgin (cold pressed, not oxidized/damaged) and everything. Now we have a system. We keep the big tub in the fridge to keep it fresh and chunk some out and keep it in a small container in the cupboard for every day usage, as you can see. =)

We use it for:

  • Snacking (literally, just coconut oil, almond butter, and sea salt--it's a little weird, but it hits the spot.)
  • Frying eggs in, and sometimes veggies (it oxidizes at a higher temperature than does olive oil, so it's safer for heating) (We've gotten used to the taste on fried eggs, and it's really delicious!)
  • Adding to tea or desserts
  • Mixing into our Bulletproof Coffee when we're out of grassfed butter

I realize this post is a perfect follow-up to the post I wrote with my hubby earlier this week on foods we're throwing out and never want to eat again! (On that list is canola oil--just use coconut oil instead! See why...)

DIY/beauty uses, too!


But, in the Paleo community people get a lot more creative than I do with uses for coconut oil! One of my favorite Paleo role models, Liz Wolfe of Cave Girl Eats, has a post about her enthusiasm for coconut oil... she's mentioned on podcasts that it has excellent beauty uses and skin heath, as well as some, um... personal care uses I won't discuss here. ;) I can't vouch for those but I'm sure it's great! All natural, soothing, non-irritating, powerful stuff!

I'm not alone here, really... Wellness Mama has a large post with 101 uses for coconut oil. Wow. That and this infographic show me that I'm barely scratching the surface of ways to use coconut oil. ;) (I also found this cute graphic with 21 uses for coconut oil, and some tips for using it.)

I love all these ideas, but let's face it, I'm kind of lazy about adopting new habits... I love the idea of using coconut oil for DIY beauty products (some Paleo moms say their kids get coconut oil for pretty much any injury instead of a chemical soother, and it's great for dry skin), but I have yet to try any out. There are tons of DIY all natural deodorant, lip balm, toothpaste, and all kinds of other recipes out there that I have yet to try!! I just feel like I don't have all the tools and ingredients I need yet, I guess! (Even just the other day, a Portland blogger friend of mine posted a coconut oil deodorant stick tutorial on her blog that I've got to try sometime...)

But I love the ideas. How about you? Have you had success with any DIY beauty products, like with coconut oil as the moisture?? I bet some of these products work even better than the storebought stuff, if I could just get myself to buy the rest of the ingredients!! ;)

22 comments

  1. I live in the dry climate of Colorado! Every winter, my skin gets unbearably dry and itchy. I started using Coconut oil after my showers as a substitute to store-bought lotion (which usually makes me even itchier). It absolutely works! (and no extra ingredients necessary - just straight out of the jar)

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  2. I keep meaning to use mine - but always forget!

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  3. I use coconut oil mixed with essential oil as my under eye moisturizer: peppermint in the morning, lavender at night. I also make my own body butter with a mixture of coconut oil, shea butter, and grapeseed oil and essential oil for scent. It's way cheaper than buying lotion and eye creams, and it's not laden with chemicals. The body butter actually keeps my skin softer for longer. When I use the coconut oil on my face, it absorbs rather quickly.


    I'm so glad that you shared that you can buy a big tub of it at Costco! That's a great buy!

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  4. I buy my coconut oil from Vitacost or Trader Joe's, which are the cheapest prices I have found (Amazon is pretty expensive), for anyone who doesn't have a Costco membership (:
    I love it in "tea" as well! Honey, lemon or lime, half a spoon of coconut oil, and ginger occasionally, make a great filling cup of flavored water (can I even call it tea? lol) after dinner!

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  5. I'm almost out of my Trader Joe's jar, so the huge costco tub is in my horizon. I haven't done any other experimenting with it, but I've enjoyed it in the kitchen in place of vegetable oil.

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  6. I do too!!! I have one jar that is unrefined food grade to cook with and to put in my coffee, another jar of food grade for my cat - she's hairless and coconut oil makes the perfect lotion for her sometimes dry skin. It's even safe to lick off! - then one jar of refined coconut oil to use as lotion. I like refined for lotion because it doesn't have that intense smell, but you still get all of the benefits when applied externally. I also use either one in my hair as a moisturizing mask. I'll put it in for as little as twenty minutes or as long as overnight!



    Coconut, jojoba and argan oils are pretty much the only moisturizers/lotions/makeup removers that I use. Have you heard of Mountain Rose Herbs? They have great prices and other cool products... like clay masks.

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  7. I am in love with coconut oil too! I recently wrote a few posts about it as well, with fun ways to use it and why it is so good for you!

    http://www.easyhealthybread.com/coconut-oil-12-uses/

    http://www.easyhealthybread.com/coconut-benefits-coconut-oil/

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  8. Ooh, I also use unrefined shea butter. That stuff is great as a moisturizer.

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  9. Wow thanks for this post! I use it for what I thought was everything but really it was just in cooking ha! I'm going to check out the 101 uses post you mentioned. I never thought to put it in my tea! BTW I love it with my fried eggs too - yumma. ;) Thanks!

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  10. We don't ever eat coconut oil in India, but we do use it in our hair. Put a little bit on your hair every morning and let it soak for 10 or so minutes, and then once a week, treat your hair with coconut oil like leave in conditioner for 2 hours and then wash it out :)


    Marvelous!

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  11. We started eating paleo 2 years ago and coconut oil is awesome. We also render our own lard from pigs raised on a local organic ranch. Canola oil makes me feel terrible. It's funny I used to eat it all of the time...

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  12. I've been meaning to try coconut oil and I think you've convinced me. I threw out all Canola & Veggie oils and vowed NEVER to buy margarine again. I'm taking baby steps in this journey to clean eating but Coconut Oil is definitely a big step in the right direction. THANKS for sharing! I have to go check out the other posts you mentioned now too :)

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  13. Cool! should use it then...


    Valentina
    http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/

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  14. Awesome, I'm sure you'll love it!! A big improvement from the veggie stuff!

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  15. Awesome!!!! I've done the same thing when we've made bone broth, saving the fat and cooking with it! Even higher smoke point! So nice to hear from another Paleo reader!

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  16. Those are very cool posts, packed with info! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. Nice, you are coconut oil hardcore! ;) I really ought to start using it as lotion instead of using storebought stuff. I have heard of Mountain Rose Herbs but haven't bought any beauty products there! Thanks for the tip!

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  18. I also use coconut oil as a lotion substitute. I usually do it at night, so it has time to soak in. I have excema and have really dry and itchy skin in the winter. What I do when I'm really itchy is draw up a warm bath, and put in: 1 cup of oatmeal that I put through the blender for a little bit to break it up, 1 cup of epsom salts, 1/4 cup of baking soda, and a scoop or two of coconut oil. The coconut oil melts easily in the bathwater, and gives a light condition on skin and hair.
    I also whipped my coconut oil for beauty use in my kitchenaid mixer. I just scooped out the whole jar and let it whip on high for 5 minutes or so. This makes it much easier to scoop out in the winter!
    I have to be careful with cooking with coconut oil, as my husband doesn't like the taste of coconut. I made stir fried vegetables the other day with coconut oil without thinking, and he asked me why they were so sweet... whoops! I do use it when I bake instead of butter sometimes.

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  19. Also, you can get coconut oil pretty cheaply on Amazon in smallish containers.

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  20. That sounds like a soothing bath!! Wow, your husband has a sharp palate; my husband hardly noticed when I first made eggs with it! You get used to it... ;)

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  21. Hi,
    I am from India, we use coconut oil for hair a lot and from the part that i am from, we use it as the main medium for cooking too. We use it for cooking,deep fry, shallow fry and even use as seasoning for dishes. Coconut oil has many health benefits and can be an excellent soother for cuts, wounds and dry skin. it is very good for hair, massage it onto the scalp and leave it on for half an hour, it can smoothen out frizzy har.

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