Monday, March 26, 2012

30 Uses for Coconut Oil

I recently received a quart jar of Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions to try. I've been making homemade granola bars that call for coconut oil, and I love the sweet, nutty flavor!

That's been about the extent of my coconut oil usage, however, and I was ready to find some more uses for it. I did some web and pinterest surfing and came up with this list of 30 uses for coconut oil.

It seems you can use coconut oil for pretty much anything!

Ready? Read on!

Beauty Aids:

1. Skin Moisturizer
2. Lip moisturizer
3. Make-up remover
4. Under-eye treatment for bags and wrinkles
5. Prevent or treat stretch marks
6. Treat nails and cuticles
7. Smooth rough and cracked heels
8. Natural sunscreen
9. Treat dandruff
10. Reduce age spots
11. Tame hair flyaways
12. Dry hair treatment - leave in hair for a couple hours, then wash out
13. Make homemade body scrub - mix with sugar and essential oils
14. Natural deodorant
15. Shaving cream
16. Homemade toothpaste - mix with baking soda

Baby care:

17. Treat minor diaper rash
18. Treat cradle cap
19. Treat or prevent nipple irritation for nursing mothers
20. Increase milk flow in nursing mothers

Health and medicine:

21. Soothe bee stings or bug bites
22. Soothe sunburn
23. Energy boost
24. Prevent nose bleeds

Cooking:

25. Use while cooking in place of vegetable oil
26. Butter substitute
27. Use in place of shortening or pan spray
(For tons more ideas for using coconut oil in cooking, go here)

Around the house:

28. Mix with lemon juice for natural furniture polish
29. Homemade Goo Gone
30. Leather moisturizer

I'm sure this is by no means an exhaustive list. If you use for coconut oil for something that's not on this list, would you mind leaving a comment and letting us know?

If you want to try some coconut oil, you can order the quart jar here for $27.50 or buy 2 quarts for $40 here. (If you order through either of these links, you'll receive a free copy of Tropical Tradition's Virgin Coconut Oil book.)

This giveaway is now over.
Now for the fun part! One of you gets to win a quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions!

To enter, just follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Legal stuff:

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

This post contains affiliate links.

I am not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Please use your discretion before taking any decisions based on the information in this blog. Author will not compensate you in any way whatsoever if you ever happen to suffer a loss, inconvenience, or damage because of/while making use of information in this blog.

Labels: Giveaways, Reviews, Tips and Tricks

78 Comments:

Emily said...: I've heard a lot of good things about coconut oil and I'd love to try it. I think my first use for it would be in cooking, but some of the beauty aids sound great too!; March 26, 2012 at 6:54 PM
Becky H said...: I use it in almost all my cooking, much healthier IMO than canola oil. Also love it as a hand moisturizer!; March 27, 2012 at 8:11 AM
Marielle Elise said...: I use their expeller-pressed coconut oil for my keratosis pilaris! It's the only thing that makes it better, and people have been commenting on how soft my skin is now! My second-favorite is homemade chocolate candies; even the best of store-bought can't compared with them. :); March 27, 2012 at 8:14 AM
judithelenore said...: We are trying to make the switch to cooking with only coconut oil instead of olive oil!; March 27, 2012 at 8:14 AM
Anonymous said...: How do you use it to treat cradle cap?; March 27, 2012 at 8:15 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: Is it better for you than olive oil? I usually cook with olive oil, so I'm curious.; March 27, 2012 at 8:16 AM
Jennifer said...: About once a week, I swish with warm coconut oil for 15 minutes based on an Indian tradition. My dentist said my gum health had improved since my last check up!; March 27, 2012 at 8:16 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: Chocolate? Homemade? Sounds wonderful!; March 27, 2012 at 8:17 AM
Jonell said...: I always have a spoonful in my first cup of morning coffee... and I fry my morning eggs in it...and put it on vegetables...use it as skin moisturizer after a shower...make my deodorant with it... and...and ...well, it plays a very important role in my everyday life!; March 27, 2012 at 8:17 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: Sounds like you're a pro!; March 27, 2012 at 8:18 AM
outsider said...: I love coconut oil and would love to win this. Thanks!; March 27, 2012 at 8:20 AM
Jen S. said...: I love it for cooking, for my pets, and for my skin.; March 27, 2012 at 8:25 AM
Aneesa said...: I love Tropical Traditions coconut oil! I use it for everything! On my face and skin, on my kids skin and their scrapes and cuts. It completely healed up my two year old's excema when nothing else worked! Use as conditioner for my hair, for deodorant, and cook with it! Awesome stuff!; March 27, 2012 at 8:26 AM
Melanie said...: Olive oil an other vegetable oils gain carcinogenic properties when heated...coconut oil remains stable at high heats - no burning, no changing! If you dont mind the coco-nutty taste, extra virgin is fine, but if you are one who doesn't want your eggs to taste like coconut (I dont!), you can get expeller-pressed. It leaves no taste behind. You also have to be careful when shopping for your oils. You can learn a bunch at tropicaltraditions.com - I love them. We get our coconut oil by the gallon from them (they occasionally have free shipping), and they have an AMAZING deodorant too - first natural one that WORKS (and I have tried ALOT!). :o); March 27, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Lynette Lipscomb said...: I use it for cooking and skin care. Haven't tried the hair treatment but that will be what I do next! Thanks for the tip! Good luck to everyone!; March 27, 2012 at 8:27 AM
marianne macapodi-douge said...: I take a teaspoon of coconut oil, mix with warm water in the morning to drink. it's my healthy fats for the day since I eat a very low fat diet.; March 27, 2012 at 8:27 AM
Vicki said...: How do you make deodorant?; March 27, 2012 at 8:30 AM
Jenetta Penner said...: love it for cooking!!; March 27, 2012 at 8:34 AM
Anonymous said...: I love to use it to moisturize my skin and you need so very little. I love to use it on dry patches and it really works awesome!; March 27, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Miss Kris said...: I don't use Pinterest but I did all of the other steps. Hope that's OK!

I've been using coconut oil for some time as a moisturizer for my sensitive facial skin & lips. I also use it to make deodorant. It's the only think I'll use on my kids' skin, too.

When I cook with it, I mainly just use it for baked goods but will use it when roasting sweeter veggies like carrots and sweet potatoes.

Love the stuff!; March 27, 2012 at 8:46 AM
Anonymous said...: I have just melted a small amount in my hand then rubbed it all over baby's head, I left it on for about and hour, then washed it off in the bath. I only needed to do this twice (I did it a few days apart) and it was gone and has not returned. Hope that helps.; March 27, 2012 at 8:49 AM
NeKisha said...: My favorite use for coconut oil has been as an ingredient in homemade toothpaste. I want to change the recipe a little to suit my sons' tastes, but it is really handy in this recipe.; March 27, 2012 at 8:52 AM
be said...: i use the cooking spray coconut oil for tanning :); March 27, 2012 at 8:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Hello! I am so thankful for coconut oil and Tropical Traditions! I use their coconut oil in all of my recipes and in my personal care products (like toothpaste and deodorant!). Thank you for your blog.

Blessings,
Amanda :); March 27, 2012 at 8:53 AM
renatusik said...: My new two favorites - chocolate coconut sunflower butter and plain coconut butter :); March 27, 2012 at 8:58 AM
ren waters said...: I always use coconut oil in cooking and as a moisturizer.. I also am beginning to make my own lotion with it that I'm going to sell at our local farmers market. And can't WAIT to try your deodorant recipe!!; March 27, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Shar said...: I'm a massage therapist and use Tropical Traditions as a massage oil. My clients love it!

I'm dairy, sugar and gluten free, so I use coconut oil as my "butter" on gluten free waffles and sweet potato. Love roasting root veggies with it. My sweet treat is coconut oil, cocoa powder, fine shred coconut, stevia and almonds mixed together, poured out onto parchment, cooled, cut, and enjoyed as a candy bar morsel!; March 27, 2012 at 9:06 AM
Angela said...: Never used but after hearing about all the uses for Coconut Oil and how much better for you it is than vegetable oil, I am READY to make the change!; March 27, 2012 at 9:19 AM
Stephanie said...: I just ran out of my regular face moisturizer, and I had heard that you could use coconut oil, so I gave it a try and it works great. I also love to use it for granola, granola bars, sub for butter, and all the other wonderful things that it can be used in.; March 27, 2012 at 9:22 AM
Kymber said...: I LOVE coconut oil!; March 27, 2012 at 9:32 AM
Anonymous said...: I love, love, love coconut oil! I use it in smoothies, cooking, baking, massage oil, moisturizer for body and face and even for my hair sometimes (I wash it out afterwards as it seems a bit oily and heavy on my hair for a leave-in conditioner).

I'm a little embarrassed to mention this as well (maybe it'll help someone else though??), but until I started using coconut oil as a moisturizer for my body, I had Tinea Verisacolor. I had been dealing with it for 5 years. According to the dermatologist, it is a fungus that lives in everyones pores. With a certain lucky few this fungus "decides" it's not happy living inside the pores and moves out to live ontop of the skin. It produces a red, itchy rash (typically on the torso), flaking on skin and discoloration wherever a "flare-up" occurs.
As a mom I'd never had the 4-6 hours needed to leave the medicated prescription cream on (there was no way that I was going to slather that all over my back and chest and then wear my clothes over the top) and still take care of a baby (who is now a toddler).
After reading about coconut oil having anti-fungal properties I decided to try using it...... and it WORKED!!! My skin has completely cleared up!! No more Tinea Verisacolor!!! I can now wear a swim suit without having to show an embarrassing skin rash :D

Anyways, if anyone wants to use it for anything else "fungus related" (example: athletes foot)it DOES work. :); March 27, 2012 at 10:05 AM
Melanie said...: I haven't tried it but to use as a mosturizer, for cuticles, cooking sounds great to me!; March 27, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Starla said...: I would like to use coconut oil to blend with essential oils for different uses. I've read so much about it but when I went to buy it one day, I was looking for a liquid form. I didn't realize that all I have to do is melt it down but I still haven't bought any. I believe in all natural products for healing, eliminating fungus, bacteria, viruses, etc..... Reading all the uses for coconut oil, I can't wait to buy some. I would love to replace butter but I still love olive oil and I can't see myself replacing that.; March 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Shellee said...: Diaper cream!!; March 27, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Sue D said...: I use it for baking and frying.
slrdowney at hotmail dot com; March 27, 2012 at 11:16 AM
Tina B. said...: We've been using for about 4 months now and use it for everything! The most unexpected for me was as a diaper rash cream. Could NOT believe how fast it cleared up my son's rash! Just started using as natural deodorant but still working out the mixture as the baking soda burned the first go around.; March 27, 2012 at 11:24 AM
daisylover said...: I just found Tropical Traditions and I am SO glad I did~ I can't wait to try the coconut oil. I will use it for cooking as well as a moisturizer for my body. I have psoriasis and I need all the moisture I can get! I am trying to go gluten free and coconut oil will help me with this journey.; March 27, 2012 at 11:25 AM
mariana said...: Great product,thank you so much! Have a wonderful week!; March 27, 2012 at 11:28 AM
Erika @ Slowly Natural said...: I like using it to bake, but want to try making some beauty products and oil pulling with it!; March 27, 2012 at 11:33 AM
Quantmlife said...: Cindy B (on fb/rc) My use for coconut oil is in place of butter in icing ~ not that we have it often but it's a wonderful flavor. Thanks for the great giveaway.; March 27, 2012 at 11:40 AM
Shanda S. said...: I use coconut oil for my hair, skin, and cooking.; March 27, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Leni said...: I love to use coconut oil in my hair for shine and on my body instead of lotion. I'm interested in trying it as deodorant.; March 27, 2012 at 1:34 PM
JT and Amanda said...: I use it in my hair, to make body cream, and to fry eggs in. Next I'm going to try making granola!; March 27, 2012 at 1:42 PM
Del Marie Riley said...: My husband takes coconut oil pills for his diabetes and a few days ago I heard on the 700 club that it helps prevent alzhiemers disease. It is better for you than using items with saturated fats and hydrogenated fats like margarine. BTW, I just found your blog today and I really like what I've read so far. Love the procrastination challenge. How do I sign up for your emails? I couldn't find a link (I'm on my iPhone). My email is delmarieriley@yahoo.com if you could add me to hour email list that would be awesome. Thanks for the giveaway.; March 27, 2012 at 3:13 PM
Stacy said...: I use it for cooking! but thanks for the great tips on how to use it more in daily life! :); March 27, 2012 at 3:49 PM
penguinsandladybugs said...: I cook with it, but I like the way it feels when I use it in my hair or on my skin!; March 27, 2012 at 3:52 PM
shilpa said...: I use it to oil my hair and body before a bath.
Also use it for cooking; March 27, 2012 at 3:58 PM
Anonymous said...: I have never heard of all of these things this can be used for, thanks for the info !!!; March 27, 2012 at 4:03 PM
Danielle K said...: I want to use it for stretch marks

danielleaknapp at gmail dot com; March 27, 2012 at 4:13 PM
Anonymous said...: You can use coconut oil for virtually everything. It's an antiviral and antibacterial, so I take it instead of harsh prescription antibiotics when I get sick (including things like UTI's! Serious!). It's the best lotion money can buy because it actually repairs the skin, instead of just making it look good for a temporary amount of time. It's the earth's miracle oil, for sure. I am expecting my gallon pail from Tropical Traditions any day now! Wooo! But hey, if I win some more I wont complain! :) :) :); March 27, 2012 at 6:28 PM
Anonymous said...: I LOVE coconut oil. I didn't know about the bee stings and bug bite or the nose bleeds. Thanks!!; March 27, 2012 at 7:43 PM
Unknown said...: My favorite use for coconut oil is making all kinds of skincare and hair products!

givenmay@yahoo.com; March 27, 2012 at 8:41 PM
Unknown said...: I've never used coconut oil but the more I hear about it the more I want to try it. I've heard it's awesome for eczema and would love to give it a try on my daughter's skin!; March 27, 2012 at 9:13 PM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: :); March 28, 2012 at 4:42 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: I'm thinkin' I need to try that myself!; March 28, 2012 at 4:43 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: I added you in; you'll just need to confirm your subscription via email.; March 28, 2012 at 4:44 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: Hey, I'm sure that smells a whole lot better than the regular stuff!; March 28, 2012 at 4:47 AM
MaryEllen@TheImperfectHomemaker said...: Looks like I have some more reading to do!; March 28, 2012 at 4:49 AM
Stephanie L said...: So far, I love Coconut Oil for toothpaste and deodorant. Oh - and diaper rash. It's great stuff!; March 28, 2012 at 6:45 AM
dalee041790 said...: I just purchased and have received a pint jar of tropical traditions virgin coconut oil and would like to try oil pulling and also cooking with the oil, thanks for the give-away; March 28, 2012 at 9:33 AM
Cindy-A Healing Touch said...: I use it in my dogs food to help w/his dry skin-he gobbles his dry food up when i pour about 2 tablespoons melted over it-i feed him wet food every other day, so on the off days, i use either olive oil or the coconut oil & he is assured to eat the dry food alone, plus gets the benefits for his skin & innards!; March 28, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Unknown said...: My favorite use for coconut is using it in my natural hair. It does wonders to moisturize and keep my scalp and my natural hair healthy :); March 28, 2012 at 5:03 PM
Kristen said...: I use it in my granola and also in my pancakes.; March 28, 2012 at 6:49 PM
Ellen said...: Skin Moisturizer - the best!; March 28, 2012 at 7:19 PM
Mama Cook said...: Once my daughter had an horrible yeast infection on her bottom...I finally tried Coconut Oil on the advice of a friend...it was the only thing that would heal it! Great Giveaway!; March 28, 2012 at 8:55 PM
Anonymous said...: Haven't seen this mentioned, but it's excellent for intimacy with your husband instead of using store-bought products that aren't as healthy and don't smell as wonderful!; March 29, 2012 at 6:56 PM
Jen said...: We use it for everything...cooking, moisturizer, etc. I think we have a jar of it in every room!; March 29, 2012 at 8:35 PM
Emily said...: We use coconut oil for cooking all the time. Perhaps my favorite dish using it is when we saute up some Trader Joe's green beans with a bunch of coconut oil and spices. Delicious!; March 29, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Salinger mamma said...: I love to use coconut oil for face, cooking and even feed it to my dog! Love the stuff! Oh, it's also good for rubbing into your wooden cutting board.; March 30, 2012 at 8:14 PM
mariana said...: GREAT PRODUCT,THANK YOU!; April 3, 2012 at 7:32 AM
busymomof10 said...: I use it for baking muffins, pancakes, waffles, cookies, cakes, etc. For any recipe that calls for shortening, I substitute coconut oil.; April 3, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Rusthawk said...: I like to use coconut oil to pop popcorn and as a skin moisturizer.; April 3, 2012 at 3:53 PM
mariana said...: GREAT PRODUCT,THANKS!; April 4, 2012 at 9:12 AM
Dawn Buchanan said...: I have not used it yet but want to start by cooking with it. Then I will jump into some other uses.; April 5, 2012 at 5:40 PM
Mariana said...: GREAT PRODUCT,THANKS!; April 7, 2012 at 9:12 AM
Mariana said...: WONDERFUL PRODUCT,THANK YOU!; April 8, 2012 at 7:56 AM
Mariana said...: WONDERFUL PRODUCT,THANK YOU!; April 9, 2012 at 8:39 AM
Unknown said...: I think it's great that coconut boil is being so widely used now.

My mom used to make the stuff and ever since I was a child we never used anything else for moisturizers or cooking.

I'm definitely going to put some of these ideas to use! Thanks!!; June 19, 2012 at 11:09 AM

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Monday, March 26, 2012

30 Uses for Coconut Oil

a Rafflecopter giveaway

78 Comments:

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