Coconut oil is one of my new favorite things in 2014. Besides cooking with it, coconut oil saves me money on:
- Hand and body lotion
- Lip balm
- Shaving cream
- Diaper rash cream (for my son, not for me!)
I love coconut oil so much I wrote a post in April called 4 Practical Uses for Coconut Oil, with recipes for a hair mask and lip scrub. Since then I’ve discovered a fifth practical use, which surprised me: it stops mosquito bite itching and speeds healing. When I first read it, I was skeptical (although I don’t know why, given coconut’s oil track record), but I had two large bites on my forearm that itched pretty bad. I rubbed in a little whenever I felt the itch, and I’m here to tell you it worked!
So I can add calamine lotion to my list of things to eliminate and replace with coconut oil (not only does it save money but so much better for your health with it’s all-natural properties). What about you? What are your favorite uses for coconut oil?
Image courtesy of rakratchada torsap/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The Chipper Writer (aka Alanna Klapp) 
i started oil pulling with coconut oil..it consists of me putting a lil bit of cocnut oil in my mouth and swishing it around for 15 to 20 minutes. the oil pulls any plague or anything of that nature off of my teeth, (i spit it out, never swallow it) and then i follow up with floss, listerine, brushing, and tongue scrapping. wow…seeing it written out sounds like it takes me hours to leave the house…lol…it doesnt
Hi there, I have heard nothing but good things about oil pulling! My husband does it and he loves it. I’ve done it once but I had a hard time keeping the oil in my mouth for that long. It’s a habit I’d really like to get into. Thanks for sharing this; I’m inspired to try again (tongue scraping is something I’d really like to try too). It might sound like hours when you write it out, and I’m glad to hear it doesn’t take you hours. 😉 I think if we get into a routine like the one you describe it just becomes a part of our day and we don’t think about how long it’s taking. I’ve heard to try reading or some other activity that takes your mind off the time while you swish the oil around so perhaps I will give that technique a try.
This is a new way to use coconut oil that I did not know about. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Shane, thanks for stopping by and I’m glad to help you find a new way to use coconut oil. I didn’t know about it either and felt compelled to share. Mosquitoes are so pesky so I’m always looking for remedies, especially natural ones.