Don’t put anything on your skin that you can’t eat’ is my mantra and you can and should eat the world’s best kept beauty secret – coconut oil.
Aside from its nutritional benefits it also has amazing benefits for your skin. It can be used just like any other body lotion or simply add a teaspoon of it to your bathwater which makes the water silky and you’ll need less moisturiser after bathing.
Coconut oil is also a fantastic deep hair conditioner, if you’re not planning a night of passion, lather your hair in coconut oil and wrap in a towel, leave for 10 minutes to let the oil do it’s work (you’ll need to give your hair a couple of washes with a 100 per cent natural shampoo) and everything will feel very soft and silky.
Also try lathering your hands and feet and cover them with cotton gloves and socks – and the next morning rinse it all off. Coconut oil works well as an after sun lotion, is brilliant for stretch marks and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. The effectiveness of organic cold pressed coconut oil is based on the high concentration of antioxidants, nutritive antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties that it contains.
The antioxidants could prevent cell degeneration which helps with anti ageing and can help to regenerate and rehydrate your skin (which creams with their water content struggle to do as effectively). There are naturally occurring antioxidants such as ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid which help prevent free radical damage to the skin and have anti wrinkle properties so it’s protective against sun damage.
It’s pretty amazing when your skin moisturiser is both anti-ageing and gives you protection from bacterial infections.
The most commonly sold coconut oil is refined, bleached and deodorised coconut oil known as RBD coconut oil, which is produced from dry coconut flesh (copra) made by drying coconut in the sun, smoking and heating it. During the production process, chemicals are used and the oils are heated to high temperatures where they can form a certain percentage of trans-fatty acids, which could contribute to arteriosclerosis, heart disease and diabetes.
So, opt for raw cold pressed virgin coconut oil from fresh coconuts.
Janey lee Grace
