Coconut Oil - what do I need to know?

A lot of calories for a tiny volume that won't give you much energy or keep you full so you will be eating more in no time... and an easy way to rack up calories! But if you have them to spare I guess there is no harm!

Liz4J wrote: »

melimomTARDIS wrote: »

Its nice in place of vaseline, for skincare. Also good after shaving, or a little in your hair post wash. It gives me heartburn, so I don't eat it.

I have some slapped on my face right now! I heard you can put it in on your teeth to remove stains too. Maybe I'll try that one tomorrow!

Today is my 2nd day of "oil pulling" stains do seem slightly lighter already. I haven't gone past 10 mins yet though.

In India, coconut oil has been used as a staple for so many things for so long...I use it in cooking for special recipes. My guess is if I mix and match good oils, it can't hurt. It is my go-to lip balm at night. It heals and smoothes and is calming. I use it as a moisturizer on my legs and hands, and a little on the face. In India, we always moisturize our hair with coconut oil everyday (long ago tradition) to avoid dryness, but then ofcourse, the hair looks oily. So I now I moisturize my hair with coconut oil and leave it on for about an hour once a week before I was my hair. It is VERY safe.

I use it in my hair every once in awhile. I work it from the roots down to the ends, then put my head up in a bun because it feels super greasy. The next morning I shampoo twice, then after blowdrying it feels all silky.

I put it in my porridge - this morning I had porridge made with unsweetened almond milk, 1tsp of ground flaxseed and 1 tsp of coconut oil stirred in after cooking and topped with fresh raspberries and a few flaked almonds. It was delicious and I felt full for ages.

I've also been experimenting with baking sugar free oat muffins which have been turning out really well. It is a lovely base oil when making anything curried or oriental. Haven't tried popcorn yet but will give that a go soon.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

It's a nice cooking oil....but it's fat, just like any cooking oil. I use it primarily when cooking my eggs and making popcorn. Most of the miracle claims are exaggerated at best and mostly just anecdotal *kitten*.

I think it's hilarious though that the stuff was banned from movie theaters in the 90s and pretty much the "devil" and now it's a "health" food...cracks me up.

But banning it made room for those healthy and delicious trans fats!

MizTerry wrote: »

I use it to cook with (my homemade pan popped popcorn is da bomb!), I use it for my hair, my dry skin, and it's even good for bedroom playtime.

Is this what people mean when they talk about "oil pulling?"

I can't stand the smell of coconuts so I buy the refined coconut oil, which has no odor other than the typical oily smell of other quality oils. I only use it for popcorn as far as cooking. I can't use it for personal care because it has a high comedogenic (pore clogging) rating and I break out when I use it. I even get sore red bumps on my scalp if I use it in my hair.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

It's a nice cooking oil....but it's fat, just like any cooking oil. I use it primarily when cooking my eggs and making popcorn. Most of the miracle claims are exaggerated at best and mostly just anecdotal *kitten*.

I think it's hilarious though that the stuff was banned from movie theaters in the 90s and pretty much the "devil" and now it's a "health" food...cracks me up.

I make soap and coconut oil is a really nice one for giving the soap lather. Back in the 90's, I had a really hard time finding it because movie theaters and bakeries stopped using it because of all of the anti-fat fearmongering. Palm oil was another that was really hard to get a hold of. I had to mail order them which was way too expensive. Eventually the internet came along and I was able to get it much cheaper by shopping suppliers. Now, I actually use a kissing cousin to coconut oil called Babassu oil. Similar properties but it is not comedogenic so I don't break out from it. I don't buy palm oil because of the deforestation of the orangutan's territory by growers.