Coconut Oil | Beauty Benefits & Oil Pulling

Coconut Oil, if you don’t already know, is pretty much da bomb diggity. Hands down, ze most versatile product I have ever come across, with one billion different uses – not even a slight exaggeration – it is incredible stuff. 

You can cook with it. 

Clean your face with it. 

Rub it all over your boh-dayyyyy.

Put it in your hair. 

Add it to smooooothies…. The list is endless.

It wouldn’t surprise me if coconuts were grown from white unicorn poop… it is the holy grail of natural products. 

Imma tell you why YOU need coconut oil in your life, what I use it for, the difference it has made to me and where you can go get your hands on summaaa da gooood stoof.

Health Benefits:

Coconuts contain Lauric Acid, without getting down and dirty with the science, it basically helps fight viruses and bacteria in the body. Introducing coconut oil into your diet can help prevent health problems such as heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Thinking of shedding some pounds? It is great in weight management/loss too. Strengthening the immune system, improving bone health, and effectively healing damaged tissues and fighting against infection are just a few more benefits. 

Beauty Benefits:

Coconut oil will nourish and condition your hair, as well as reducing protein loss. You can use this all over the body, including your face, and it is suitable for all skin types – oily to dry! Due to it’s antifungal, antibacterial and antioxidant properties this oil is going to help prevent the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, as well as treating dry and flaky skin.

What I use it for:

I have mainly been using this to cook with, everything from scrambled eggs to veggies to fish! I actually cooked salmon with it last night by dabbing the fillet with the coconut oil and then wrapping it in foil before placing in the oven. It was yummy! 

I have used it as an overnight hair treatment, and even though waking up to an overwhelming stench of coconut was not too pleasant, I must say my hair felt so so soft – which says a lot considering I have just had it bleached to smitherines. Double cleansing is one of my favourite things to do, and an absolute essential in my skincare routine.  I switched up my usual hot cloth cleanser Liz Earle for coconut oil for a few days a week and it has really helped balance the oil in my face and has definitely helped clear up a few spots. Instead of moisturising I tried using it as a body oil – again, asides from the very raw coconut smell, my skin felt better than ever. 

Oil  Pulling

The latest craze in the beauty world is oil pulling. You can use bog standard olive oil or sesame oil if you wanted to but it appears coconut oil is coming up top trumps. After reading various reviews on this technique I thought I may as well give it a shot myself. Oil pulling is an ancient old Ayuverdic technique to improve your oral and overall health. The idea is to draw out all the toxins in your body and in your mouth, like an oral detox. You stick a tablespoon of the stuff in your mouth and swish it around for 20 minutes. 

If you try this with the unrefined organic coconut oil that I have, it is a solid consistency at room temperature, so when you put it in your mouth you may have to chew it a bit first to kickstart the melting process. Whatever you do DO NOT SWALLOW and have a glass or bowl ready to spit it out into. If you spit this out in the sink it will block your drains when it solidifies. 

Do this first thing of a morning before brushing your teeth or eating anything, an empty stomach is ideal – you don’t want to gag and be sick. When  I first gave this a go I struggled at 10 minutes and had to spit it out. I then put another spoon in for a further 10 minutes but couldn’t do it. It really does take some getting used to and is a really weird experience. I kept panicking about swallowing it, and forgot to breathe and would end up half choking half spraying the oil all over my bathroom wall. 

I eventually got to grips with it and now will do it whilst showering – nobody has time to just sit there for 20 minutes doing nothing but swish, swish, swishing. 

I have only been doing it on and off for a week but I definitely have felt a difference, my gums just feel cleaner and my breathe fresher. I also find the overall technique relaxing and knowing I am getting rid of toxins is always a comfort. 

To Summarise…

There is something beautiful about using coconut oil – you look at the ingredient list, and you know that there is just one ingredient in there, no nasties, no added chemicals, nothing! Pure and organic. This has not only become a staple part of my beauty routine, but a staple part of the way I live. My kitchen would feel empty now without a little tub sitting on the side.


Holland and Barrett have their Penny Sale on at the moment, so I will definitely be stocking up. I bought these two tubs of Perfectly Pure Coconut Oil for just £15.50 – one would cost £15.49, so a total bargain. 

Ay-men.