Cuticle moisturiser. Massage coconut oil into your cuticles in a circular motion before bed for an overnight moisture hit. However, other investigations have not found the same results. This study on mini pigs, however, looked at an excess calorie, high fat diet that also included hydrogenated fats and high fructose. Feranil AB, Duazo PL, Kuzawa CW, Adair LS. Coconut oil is associated with a beneficial lipid profile in pre-menopausal women in the Philippines. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2011;20:190-5. View abstract. Hair mask: For super-nourishing hair treatment, massage a teaspoon or two of the oil through your hair. Wash it out after a few hours, or leave it on overnight if you have extra dry or damaged hair.

However, the American Heart Association (AHA) has determined that increases in HDL caused by diet or drug therapy do not appear to be directly linked to changes in the risk of heart disease ( 40). Shaw, K.-T., et al. (2018). Randomised trial of coconut oil, olive oil or butter on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors in healthy men and women.Coconut oil is most commonly used in the practice of ‘oil pulling’, which is the process of swishing oil around the teeth and mouth for a prolonged period of time and spitting it out.

Just to add to its skin-loving properties, coconut oil is also great for enriching dry skin with much-needed moisture. This tropical oil helps to moisturise dry skin by keeping it hydrated and helping the skin barrier. Coconut Oil soap is to me, incredibly versatile. It is one of the few oils you can use on it's own to make soap (the other is olive oil). Refined: The copra is machine-pressed to release the oil. The oil is then steamed or heated to deodorize the oil and “bleached” by filtering through clays to remove impurities and any remaining bacteria. Sometimes chemical solvents such as hexane may be used to extract oil from the copra. The resulting oil has a higher smoke point at about 400-450 degrees F, and is flavorless and odorless.Mumcuoglu KY, Miller J, Zamir C, et al. The in vivo pediculicidal efficacy of a natural remedy. Isr Med Assoc J 2002;4:790-3. View abstract. Despite purported health benefits of coconut oil, such as weight loss, healthier skin and hair, and increased metabolism, there’s little research that proves these claims. As a result, there is no standard recommended dose of coconut oil for the treatment or prevention of disease ( 3). Due to coconut oil’s high saturated fat content, it’s semi-solid at room temperature and melts at 76°F (24°C). Therefore, it’s best to store it in a cupboard, rather than the refrigerator, to keep it pliable ( 1 0). Refined coconut oil: Processed for a milder taste and a higher smoke point so it can be used to fry food Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2017;19(1):70. doi:10.3390/ijms19010070

Apply as a conditioner.It is recommended that everybody use a hair conditioner after shampooing to decrease friction, minimise frizz and detangle the hair. 15Coconut oil makes a great conditioner to help prevent breakage and strengthen hair shafts. Use it as an alternative to your regular conditioner or add a few drops to your normal conditioner. Reducing your carb intake reduces the glucose in your blood, and increasing your fat intake leads to significantly increased concentrations of ketones. Your brain can use ketones as an energy source instead of glucose ( 1). Neelakantan N, Seah JYH, van Dam RM. The effect of coconut oil consumption on cardiovascular risk factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Circulation. 2020;141(10):803-814. View abstract. This is one of the most effective ways of processing as it retains all the nutritional properties which the coconut has. 6 Centrifuge extracted Dehghanpour A, Seyedhashemi M, Zare Bidaki A, Mousavi Z, Emtiazy M, Shakiba M. Coconut oil rubbing as an easy and safe way to improve symptoms in primary nocturnal enuresis: A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2022;12(5):449-56. View abstract.There are two types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol. HDL appears to help reduce levels of LDL, and high levels of HDL may help boost cardiovascular health. Burnett CL, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al. Final report on the safety assessment of Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil and related ingredients. Int J Toxicol 2011;30(3 Suppl):5S-16S. View abstract. This suggests that some elements in coconut oil may help protect the liver. Reducing asthma symptoms Several investigations have looked into coconut oil and its possible benefits, but many of these are small, inconclusive, and animal- or lab-based.