I'm going flippin' COCONUTS over here!

Is it just me, or are coconuts completely amazing?! It's like they have super powers or something!

Credit to: http://thepworth.blogspot.com/

Eating it can reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol.  Heavy cream can be exchanged for coconut milk in nearly all recipes and tastes just as good with a fraction of the calories (creamy soups, and whipped cream, and smoothies, oh my!). It can aid in teeth whitening, and now I've heard that it can be beneficial for your hair!

I decided to give it a try.  I mean, I had a nearly full jar of coconut oil sitting in the cupboard calling my name.  I HAVE to use it on SOMETHING.  It's just so awesome!

I have read many different methods, most of which involve heating the oil or wetting your hair first, etc, but since it melts pretty much as soon as it gets in contact with the skin I just spooned some out into my hand and went to smearing.  I rubbed it in from roots to tips and smashed the chunks really well into my scalp (wow, this sounds a lot more crazy now that I'm actually writing it out, ha!), which melted on contact.

The thing I love about coconut oil is that is such a light oil.  At first my hair was SOAKING it up, but once it got completely saturated I couldn't even tell by feel.  I had to actually look at my hands, and once I realized that the oil was no longer getting mopped up by my hair, but staying mostly on my hands, that told me that I had reached maximum capacity.

I then tied a grocery sack on my hair and wrapped that with a towel (I really should have snapped a picture of that.  I was extremely attractive, let-me-tell-you).  The whole thing took about 4 minutes to get all worked in and I only used about 2-3 tablespoons of oil (I have short-ish hair, but it is EXTREMELY thick, so that should give you a bit of a gauge).

Before I left the kitchen I grabbed another spoonful for my teeth (see my post on Oil Pulling to understand), and cozied myself up on the couch to watch some T.V. with the hubby and do some leg exercises.  The husband immediately looked me up and down, and then turned back to the T.V. like "Oookay, not even going to ask." but hey!  Sometimes it takes a crazy measure to look this beautiful all the time!

I gave myself about 1 hour and 45 minutes and then went to the shower to wash it out.  I highly recommend that if you use shampoo, you definitely invest in a sulfate-free type.  I will be blogging about this in the near future (and please feel free to leave comments about what you do now so we can exchange tips!)

I did my normal shower routine and, the verdict?  OMGOSH-BBQBURGERS-THIS.IS.NICE!

Credit to: http://blaze-libby.deviantart.com/

My hair is soft.  My hair is sleek.  My hair has BOUNCE, you guys!  Short hair is difficult to get bouncy, especially mine.  It really has a mind of its own, and usually that mind is wirey and wants to curve in all the wrong places.  It can be sculpted into submission with time, heat, and hair products, but that takes work.  I didn't even have to bust out the straightening iron and my hair rocks!  It's not straight, but it has this sleek bounciness that I'm just plain okay with!  I can't wait to see what happens when I actually spend some time on it!  I will be doing this coconut oil treatment on a regular basis, that's for sure.

Try it out and tell me how it works for you (and DEFINITELY tell me if it doesn't and I'll see what I can do to help!)

For more information on the science behind why this works, check out this SUPER good post on GNET for more information:

GNET, coconut oil hair treatment

Hair preserved!

Oil Pulling

Yesterday I stumbled upon this concept for detoxifying your mouth (among many other claimed benefits) called Oil Pulling. Check the "Quick Links" section below for more detailed information.

Basically, you take some sort of natural oil (I just happen to have purchased a new tub from Costco), put it in your mouth and swish it around for 15-20 minutes. Somehow the oil leeches toxins from your gums, loosens plaque and stains, and strengthens your teeth, etc. I figured, "Why not?" so I gave it a try.

Credit to: http://costcocouple.com

I flossed and then dove in.  Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so I had to chew a chunk until it melted in my mouth. NOT my favorite thing in the world, let me tell you. Some might not be bothered by this, but I definitely had a gag-factor for a moment.

Once it all melted, however, it was fine and tasted like nothing at all. I swished and strained it through my teeth with my tongue and basically just let it hang out in there and after about 10 minutes noticed that it started to take on a flavor... the flavor of bad breath! Yuck! It tasted like stale mouth and almonds, which tells me that SOMETHING was happening! After about 15 minutes my mouth was tingling ever so slightly and getting full of saliva (I know, yuck... but hey, I was starting to become a believer so I couldn't stop there!).

Once the 20 minutes were up I spit it out (don't swallow it; that stuff is full of awful things!) and rinsed my mouth with warm water.

I checked my teeth over and noticed an old coffee stain on my canine. I scratched it with my fingernail and it came right off!! Then I brushed my teeth and I swear they are at least two I shades whiter. I will definitely be doing before and after photos next time!

This was a great success, and for the plaque removal and stain-fighting alone, I think I will keep this up. At least once a week or so.

Teeth preserved!

Give this a try and tell me how it goes!

Quick Links:
Simple Homemade, oil pulling
OilPulling.org