Five Good Uses for Coconut Oil and Seven To Be Avoided At All Costs
May 19, 2018 by apost team
Coconut oil has drawn a lot of attention lately. Some people swear by it and use it for everything, while others believe it is overhyped and overrated, if not outright useless. The truth lies somewhere in the middle: Coconut oil does have some uses, but there are certain things that should not be done with it. Consider the following lists of do’s and don’ts:
1) DO: Use coconut oil for sautéing.
Coconut oil makes sautéed food taste good. There’s even a butter-flavored variety for people who prefer the taste of butter. Some people like the butter-flavored coconut oil with their popcorn.
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2) DON’T: Cook coconut oil at high temperatures.
Coconut oil has a low smoke point, so you shouldn’t use it for techniques like searing or frying that call for high temperatures. The coconut oil will end up burning and making your food taste terrible.
3) DON’T: Substitute coconut oil for butter willy-nilly when baking.
While coconut oil and butter can be used more or less interchangeably for stove-top cooking, that’s not the case with baking. Coconut oil and butter have different water contents and melting points. If you want to bake with coconut oil, make sure the recipe explicitly calls for it, such as the following double coconut muffins recipe.
4) DO: Use it as a body moisturizer.
Coconut contains a lot of properties that are good for the skin, including omega-3 fatty acids, lauric acid, and Vitamin E. A 2009 study found that lauric acid possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that can make it an effective acne treatment. It’s also antifungal.
5) DO: Use coconut oil to remove makeup.
Coconut oil’s antibacterial qualities make it a good choice for removing makeup. It can be safely used around the eye, for the skin there is less prone to breaking out. Coconut oil also doesn’t leave a sticky residue.
6) DON’T: Use it as a facial moisturizer.
Coconut oil can block pores and thus increase the chances of developing acne. It’s considered a 4 on the comedogenicity scale, which indicates the likelihood that a given product can cause clogged pores leading to acne. The scale ranges from 0 to 5, and the higher the number, the greater the chances of clogged pores.
7) DO: Try using coconut oil as a lubricant during any type of sexual activity.
Lubricants for sex can be water-based, oil-based, or silicone-based. Coconut oil is an example of an oil-based lubricant.
8) DON’T: Use it during sex if you’re also using condoms.
Some experts recommend silicone-based or water-based lubricants over oil-based lubricants, for the latter can cause the latex in the condoms to degrade. People using condoms to prevent pregnancy or exposure to STIs should especially avoid oil-based lubricants.
9) DON’T: Use coconut oil as a sunscreen.
According to the Mayo Clinic, coconut oil can block about 20 percent of the sun’s rays. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which would block 97 percent of the sun’s rays.
10) DON’T: Bother with oil pulling.
In “oil pulling,” you swish the coconut oil around in your mouth. Supposedly, the coconut oil will whiten your teeth, detox your mouth, and improve your overall health. Unfortunately, according to a 2016 statement issued by the American Dental Association, there is no evidence oil pulling works.
11) DO: Use coconut oil to prevent some types of hair damage.
A 2003 study found that coconut oil can prevent hair from losing protein, and it can also prevent damage caused by too much combing.
12) DON’T: Use coconut oil to hydrate your hair.
Coconut oil can actually dehydrate hair by penetrating the hair follicle and displacing the water. Some people are lucky enough to have unusually porous hair that has space for both water and coconut oil, but most people end with dry hair that feels like straw.
Have you used coconut oil? What have your experiences with it been like? Tell us in the comments section below.