The Benefits and Uses of Virgin Coconut Oil

As I've mentioned before, I want to give my kids the very best start in life. I am always looking for more natural alternatives when it comes to our foods, our household cleaners...even our body care products! That's why I was happy to come across Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil this past summer (you can read our review, here).

For those who aren't familiar with Tropical Traditions, they are committed to providing healthy coconut oil. For more than 10 years, they have been producing their coconut oil by hand, using the wet- milling process of extracting the oil from fresh coconuts. 

We've been using our coconut oil for many months now, and it amazes me just how versatile it really is! This is not a sponsored post, but one I wanted to share with you about the different uses and benefits of Coconut Oil that I've learned since we started using it. Please note, that the following examples are my personal experiences. Please see disclaimer at end of post.

Cooking: I have learned many ways coconut oil can be used in cooking. We've enjoyed using it to replace vegetable oils in baked goods, using it for frying food, etc. The taste it gives is great and I feel like it's a much healthier option for our family than shortening, canola oils, etc. 

Eczema: My son struggles with eczema and coconut oil has helped to keep his skin moisturized. We have even added a little bit to his bath water for a moisturizing soak every now and then. 

Sunburn: For any of our sunburns, coconut oil has helped the redness and pain go away, and prevented peeling. 

Canker Sores: I have used coconut oil on canker sores and have been continually impressed with how well it relieves the sting and pain of the sore almost instantly. It also helped speed healing of the sore as well.

Scars:When my son fell and hit his head last year, he required quite a few stitches. We used coconut oil to not only help keep the area clean, but also to help promote healing and reduce the visibility of the scar. It worked very well!

Carrier Oil: Coconut Oil works as a great carrier oil when using essential oils (more on that to come!)

Make-up Remover: I feel like many make-up removers dry out my skin, so when I learned how great coconut oil is...I thought I'd give it a try. I LOVE it as a make-up remover! It works great and makes my skin feel amazing. 

Teething Pain: I had read that coconut oil works well for relieving teething pain. We have used it quite a bit with Caysen, especially when he was getting his 1 year molars. It seemed to work well in helping to relieve the pain when applied to his gums. 

Ear Infections: I've used it in my kids ears to help ear infection healing and it worked very well (especially when used with garlic oil).

Antibacterial Ointment: We've applied to cuts and scratches instead of an antibiotic ointment. It soothes and seems to help wounds heal faster in our experiences. I just put a little bit on the area, then cover with a bandaid.

Chapstick: I have used it many times to help protect my lips from chapping by rubbing a little coconut oil into them several times a day. It works great - keeping them moisturized this dry time of year.

Bruises: We have used our coconut oil on bruises and it has done a great job in helping the bruises heal more quickly, and reduces swelling and redness.

Coconut oil has become one of my must-have products. I always have it on hand at home, and try to take some with me whenever we're traveling as well.

There are MANY, MANY more uses and benefits of coconut oil, but so far these are the main things we use it for. Our 32 oz jar from Tropical Traditions has gone a long way, because so very little of it is needed for most things. I look forward to trying coconut oil for other things as well - homemade deodorant, bug repellent, etc. I will update you with another list of uses once we have tried them.

Do you use Coconut Oil? What are some of the ways you've used it? We'd love to hear!

**I was not asked or compensated in any way to write this post. I simply wanted to share my love for coconut oil and the ways in which we have found it useful for those looking to learn more. Please note, these uses noted in my post are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease or disorder. The opinions here are solely my own and are our personal experiences with coconut oil. The results and opinions of others may vary from my own.