I think by now everyone knows that one of my favorite oils is coconut oil. In fact, I believe it’s my favorite oil. If you’ve read my bio and heard the story behind Dixie Bits, you’d know that it’s the first oil I was introduced to as a child growing up in Trinidad & Tobago.
Back in my village, there is still an endless supply of coconut trees and therefore, lots of coconut water and coconut fruit available for consumption and extraction, and my grandmother still extracts on the stove top to keep the family well stocked.
So without further ado, here are 10 benefits of coconut.
- It is an excellent massage oil, moisturizer and skin softener. It prevents drying and flaking of the skin.
- It is a wrinkle reducer and prevents premature aging.
- It helps to treat skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
- It is an excellent hair conditioner. When applied topically, it provides nutrition for the scalp. It treats and repairs damaged hair and can even prevent dandruff and lice.
- Due to the high levels of antioxidants in coconut oil, it can also ward off degenerative diseases (example, heart disease).
When ingested, coconut oil can:
- Reduce LDLs (Low-Density Lipo Proteins: bad lipoproteins) and increases HDLs (High-Density Lipo Proteins: good lipoproteins), which means that it can improve overall cholesterol.
- Strengthen the immune system.
- Treat irritable bowel syndrome.
- Decrease your appetite and helps burn fat.
- Aids in healing cuts and bruises. This is due to its anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. The lauric acid content in coconut kills pathogens like fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Considering the endless advantages to using this wonderful oil, I’d say you need to get your stash asap.
Have you heard of coconut oil? Do you use coconut oil? How has and or does it help you? Leave a comment below.
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com
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