BEAUTY
How To Integrate Coconut Oil Into Your Beauty Routine
By JELENA ASKA
Body Moisturizer
If you’re someone who constantly switches between moisturizers, consider giving coconut oil a try. It is rich in fatty acids, has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and it provides good barrier control, which helps treat and prevent dryness.
Overnight Conditioner
Coconut oil is great to use in your hair either as a treatment or overnight conditioner. Rub the coconut oil in your hands to warm it, apply it to your ends and sleep on it, and in the morning, use a gentle purifying shampoo to wash it out to achieve soft, luscious hair.
Shaving
Given that coconut oil lessens skin inflammation and aids in skin barrier repair, you can use it as shaving cream as well and shouldn't notice much post-shave redness. Apply the coconut oil to clean skin, then after shaving gently rinse the area with water and reapply a small layer of the oil to soothe the skin.
Oil Pulling
According to Healthline, the Ayurvedic oral hygiene practice, aka oil pulling, comes from India and involves swishing coconut oil around in your mouth for up to 20 minutes to remove bacteria. Dentist Marc Lowenburg tells Allure, “The bacteria in your mouth give off toxins called sulfides, and oil pulling is absorbing those toxins into the oil.”
Eczema or Psoriasis
Coconut oil is great for everyone, but it is beneficial for those with certain skin conditions. Although the oil is not a cure, it is efficient at reducing the most grating eczema symptoms, such as itching and dryness, and it also seals in moisture on the dry, itchy, inflamed areas of skin that have psoriasis.