The cold weather is upon us and every day our skin suffers. Instead of spending your cash on hundreds of dollars worth of skin products to help hydrate your body, there’s only one versatile product you need this year: coconut oil.

via GIPHY

Found in any grocery store, coconut oil can be used as a conditioner for your hair, moisturize the skin, it can be used while shaving and even in cooking.

There are two different types of coconut oils you will find in the grocery store: refined and unrefined. The refined oil will have no scent or flavor, but it will usually have gone through processing. Unrefined oil will possess a coconut flavor and scent, but the strength of it will depend on the brand.

I’ve bought some coconut oil in the past with a light scent, but I’ve also had some that are very strong. My advice is if you’re going to be cooking with it and don’t want the flavor to overwhelm your dish, then use refined oil. However, according to Harvard’s School of Public Health, coconut oil is high in saturated fat, so be careful tracking how much is consumed.

I don’t typically cook with coconut oil, but during the winter season, my skin has a tendency to become extremely dry; I like to use coconut oil for an array of outer uses and my hair and skin have thanked me.

via GIPHY

 

Shaving

Razors always dry out my skin, and instead of buying an expensive shaving cream that hydrates while leaving a fresh scent, I just use a thin layer of coconut oil.

Coconut oil will instantly begin to melt once it meets your body temperature, so a little goes a long way. Too much of the oil will clog your razor quickly, so be sparing with it.

After shaving with coconut oil, my legs feel hydrated and I don’t experience razor burn.

 

Conditioner

Using coconut oil as a conditioner has amazing benefits for your hair. Not only does it add moisture to your hair, but also it can help with thickness and growth.

Everyone’s hair grows differently, but in my experience, I’ve seen my hair growth nearly double while consistently using coconut oil as a conditioner.

The best way to do this is to spread the oil onto your scalp and pull it through to the ends of your hair. You can leave it on for about 20 minutes before washing it out, or you can sleep with it in your hair overnight. If you choose the latter, I recommend putting a towel on your pillow, as the oil can get messy and leave a residue.

 

Baths

If you’re an avid bath-taker like me, coconut oil may change your life. Just a spoonful of the oil into hot bathwater will make your entire body feel silky and moisturized.

I make small coconut oil molds mixed with essential oils that I use in my baths and it also adds a fragrant scent to the smooth water.

 

Massage

After a long, hard day of work and school, you can almost hear your muscles crying for relief. You can use a small spoonful of coconut oil to massage away pain in various muscles.

You can either use the oil you find in stores or you can buy fractionated coconut oil online. This is the kind of oil massage therapists use, and the difference is that it does not solidify like coconut oil used for cooking.