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A natural lifestyle is guaranteed to help you stay healthy inside-out, but with coconut oil in your arsenal, life becomes even better. Derived from tropical coconuts, the oil is usually sold in its refined or virgin state – the latter being healthier – and can become a staple ingredient of things used every day with the right knowledge. 1. Cooking oil: Coconut oil is a great alternative for deep frying and shallow frying your favourite foods. First, it’s a good source of saturated fatty acids and is excellent for cooking foods at higher temperatures. It’s also been proven to ease digestion and improve cholesterol ratios. 2. Topical healing agent: Next time you get a skin cut, apply a few drops of coconut oil to the affected area. The oil possesses great healing properties and can be used to fight skin infections. 3. Homemade lotion, deodorant and soap bar: Coconut oil’s sweet scent and healing properties make it a great primary ingredient for your skincare regimen. It’s also a good sunscreen alternative, alleviates aging and stretch marks. 4. Ear infection remedy: The oil is also a scientifically proven means of clearing up ear infections in the place of antibiotics. Its secret weapon – lauric acid – is effective at fighting viruses, hence the results. To enjoy this benefit, simply heat up the oil to 37 degrees celsius, infusing garlic cloves. 5. Weight loss remedy: Ingest coconut oil daily to fight off those unwanted sugar cravings and speed up your metabolism.Unlike other foods with long chain fatty acids, its medium chain fatty acids are sent off to the liver from the digestive tract and are turned into energy or ketone bodies. 6. Natural toothpaste ingredient: People heal teeth cavities or remineralise teeth with a few drops of coconut oil, baking soda, peppermint oil and tea tree. Don’t believe us? You can read a testimonial here. 7. Flu fighting agent: To clear up a cold, stir in a tablespoon of coconut oil and honey into hot tea. Its healing effect is also courtesy of the lauric acid it contains. You’ll also have a soothing, delicious tea to enjoy in the process, so why not try it?

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This article was first published on 31st August 2015

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Ify Halim is a Writer and media enthusiast based in Lagos. She enjoys writing self-help/inspirational articles with published work in UYD Magazine, Edufrica, Our Stories Inc. and The Keele Concourse. She currently works at ConnectNigeria.com, Nigeria’s Information Portal. Follow her on Twitter @MissHalim or visit her online space at ifyhalim.wordpress.com