Welcome to September, a month when the temperatures start to moderate and some of us will be experiencing the first nips of chillier weather.
I wrote recently how wonderful coconut oil is for our inner health, and now I am going to mention some things that coconut oil is great for when used on the outside of our bodies.
Skin Care: Most of us don’t think much about the hard work our skin does, protecting our internal organs from injuries, infections, viruses, and bacteria. It also protects us against extreme temperatures, controlling heat flow between the body and the environment. Skin produces and stores vitamin D, which we are beginning to see, is vitally important to our health in many ways.
Skin helps to keep our bodies from becoming dehydrated. It detoxifies waste by perspiring. Skin can absorb and excrete nutrients and toxins through its pores. Because your skin absorbs whatever it comes into contact with, it is very important to choose your skin care products wisely. You should not put anything on your skin or your hair that you would not be willing to eat.
One of the top-rated oils for your skin is coconut oil. It protects against damaging free radicals, and is very helpful in protecting the skin from dry or harsh weather.
Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care.
Premature Aging: Coconut oil helps to prevent premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties. Also, unlike many skin care products, coconut oil can actually help repair age-damaged skin. Coconut oil penetrates into the deep layers of your skin to strengthen the tissues.
The people that live in tropical climates have always been known for their youthful appearance and soft, wrinkle-free skin. For them, it is a combination of using the oil on their skin, as well as using coconut oil in cooking. Coconut oil delays wrinkles and sagging of the skin.
Sunscreen: I was born in Hawaii where people have used coconut oil abundantly for many years. One very interesting fact about the natives who live in tropical climates where they are constantly exposed to the rays of the sun year around, is that skin cancer is almost unheard of in these places.
Coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates do not suffer from skin cancer, even after being exposed to the tropical sun all day. Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Also, when coconut oil is consumed, as well as used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively as well, such as vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant nutrient that protects the skin.
Many people use coconut oil as a natural sunscreen. Not only is it non-toxic, but it is also safe for the environment, so you can go into the water, and not worry about damaging the ocean’s fragile coral system and sea life. Coconut oil not only helps keep skin moisturized, but it helps promote a lovely, golden tan. Remember though, you have to use common sense and know that if you overdo it in the sun, you can get burned, even with a good sunscreen. But if you do stay in the sun too long, slather on the coconut oil for its great antioxidant, healing properties.
Message Oil: Coconut oil is an excellent massage oil. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin.
Natural Deodorant: One use of coconut oil I had never heard of before is to use it as an underarm deodorant! Many have theorized that the medium-chain fatty acids (see last month’s blog) in the oil attack the bacteria in sweat that cause the odors. Some people make their own deodorant using coconut oil mixed with baking soda and corn starch. And because coconut oil gets hard at low temperatures, it can even be used as a stick deodorant. I have not tried this yet, but it is on my list of things to do.
Coconut Oil Deodorant
4 – 6 Tbsp. coconut oil
¼ cup cornstarch
1/8 – ¼ cup baking soda
Combine the baking soda and cornstarch. Slowly add coconut oil, working it into the powder mixture until it is the consistency that you want. It should be solid, but easy to apply. You can put it into a small container with a lid and apply it with your fingers or use an old stick deodorant dispenser that you have cleaned out. This amount should last you quite a while.
Recommended: If you have very sensitive skin, use the smaller amount of baking soda.
There are also a few commercial products available that use coconut oil and bee’s wax as their base, if you don’t want to make your own. It is so wonderful to be able to use a natural deodorant without the chemicals, especially aluminum, which we are told may cause or contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Hair Care: Coconut oil is one of the best natural oils for hair. Coconut oil is great for reviving and moisturizing dry hair. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. It is therefore used as hair care oil, in various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.
Many studies have been done on how effective various oils are on treating damaged hair. One study in India compared mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil because these were the three most commonly used oils for hair treatment in India. The findings clearly indicated the strong impact that coconut oil application has to hair as compared to applications of both sunflower and mineral oils. Coconut oil was the only oil found to reduce the protein loss for both undamaged and damage hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, coconut oil is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft.
Dandruff/Dry Scalp: Many people use coconut oil for dry scalp. Most dandruff and dry scalp shampoos have chemicals in them. Coconut oil is one of the few natural oils that will not only help moisturize the scalp, but its antibacterial and antioxidant properties help to heal the scalp.
Healing Infections: When applied to infections, coconut oil forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.
Coconut oil is also very effective against a variety of other infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, and diaper rash.
Applying Skin Care Products: Always apply skin care products to clean skin. The best time to apply lotions and creams is when you are fresh from the shower. The lotion or cream seals in the moisture, and they are better absorbed when the skin is still warm, and the pores are open. Use short, gentle strokes to avoid stretching your skin.
Acne: Coconut oil’s antibacterial properties help in keeping the skin clear and free of breakouts.
Yeast Infections of the Skin/Diaper Rash: There are many reports of people having wonderful results when using coconut oil on yeast infections. Many people get yeast infections, especially in the summer months, and they can be very difficult to heal. The usual remedy is chemical-laden creams, which are absorbed into the skin. Many people say that using these creams is difficult when the yeast infection is under clothing, because the clothing tends to absorb or rub off the cream. Also, the prescription ointments generally sting when applied, because of the strong chemicals they contain.
How wonderful it is to apply coconut oil to a yeast infection or diaper rash and feel the soothing oil absorb into the skin and start to kill the yeast bacteria and heal the infection.
There have even been reports of success when coconut oil is used on eczema.
Not every skin ailment can be healed by coconut oil, but it often surprises people when they try it, sometimes out of desperation, and the problem goes away.
So many of the problems we experience in America today is due to the chemical-filled products we use on our bodies and hair. Also, the saturated fats, like coconut oil, that were used in past generations, have been substituted by most Americans for unhealthy refined, unsaturated oils. Our forefathers consumed primarily saturated fats, but most people today consume unsaturated fats and fatty acids. I plan to write an article about that in the near future, because it is so important.
Until next time,
Aloha.
Janis
http://www.islandlotions.com
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