Do you have a gallon of coconut oil stowed away in your cupboard? I sure do! I love cooking with coconut oil. I think it’s delicious and I love how healthy it is. But coconut oil
isn’t just good for eating. You can use this oil to replace a lot of other undesirable products in your home - even toothpaste and eye makeup remover! Try out these recipes below and see what you think:Coconut Oil Toothpaste
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
A few drops of liquid stevia
or a small amount of xylitol
Several drops of spearmint or peppermint essential oil
Mix well and add water to reach desirable consistency. This is an inexpensive alternative to fluoride-free toothpaste. It’s also suitable for people with sensitive teeth.
Eye Makeup Remover
This one is easy: just plain coconut oil! I’ve tried this one out myself and it really, really works. Plus it’s gentle and moisturizing unlike chemical cleansers.
Moisturizing Shower Scrub
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup aloe vera gel
1/4 cup baking soda
I actually replaced my body wash and lotion with this. It works really great with exfoliating gloves. Just rub about a tablespoon of this mixture into your gloves and get scrubbing! It provides gentle exfoliation with plenty of healing moisture. I am acne-prone and believe it or not, I do not break out at all with this. I just apply it generously, scrub it in well and then rinse as usual. By the time I get out of the shower and dry off, the excess oil is gone - and I don’t have to apply any lotion to boot! Plus, my skin feels seductively soft. Can’t you tell I love it?
Coconut Oil Deodorant
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol
Several drops of your favorite essential oil
This provides a surprising amount of odor protection. And definitely no aluminum like commercial deodorant!
Note: During the winter, it may be helpful to gently soften the coconut oil by placing a small container of it in a warm pot of water. Otherwise the coconut oil might be too hard to stir!
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these recipes and how you liked them. Do you know of any other 
creative ways to use coconut oil?Click here to find my favorite trusted sources for quality real food ingredients.
Another interesting way to use this oil is for a coconut oil detox, a therapeutic diet for detoxification.
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Thanks for the ideas :) I'll have to check out Mountain Rose Herbs and see if it'll be a good fit for our coconut oil purchasing.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited to see your body scrub recipe! I actually wash my face with the oil cleansing method, using coconut oil, and was thinking that it had to be good for the rest of me too. :)
ReplyDeleteGood point, Elizabeth! I use it on my face, too. I was really surprised at how well it works. I was thinking it would be greasy, but it the end it's really not.
ReplyDeleteI love these ideas, especially the eye makeup remover. I am almost out of the commercial kind.
ReplyDeleteI used to use it to deep condition my hair; not sure if it's really good for it or not.
AH!!! I can make toothpaste for my kiddos!!! Any ideas on how to store it? To keep it from getting too messy?!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome, I am excited!!! They can each get a homemade toothpaste jar in their stocking with their name on it.
I don't have Stevia...is it necessary? Any alternative?
oh, I use coconut oil as a diluting oil for my essential oils.
ReplyDeleteAnd as my facial moisturizer.
Annabeth - The stevia would just make it taste sweet like conventional toothpaste (without sugar or chemical sweeteners). You could probably use a bit of xylitol instead if you have that.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure the best way to store it. I just use random jars and such when I make coconut oil recipes, pretty much whatever I have on hand.
Be careful with using xylitol it is extremely poisonous for dogs. I was just talking to my vet about this last week. He said it us deadly if they eat it (it is usually in sugar free gum). Just a heads up because some dogs (like mine) get into the toothpaste.
DeleteFor the coconut oil deodorant, would it be better to use vodka instead of rubbing alcohol? You can't drink rubbing alcohol but your skin will absorb it.
ReplyDeleteDon't put anything on your skin that you would not eat or drink.
Vodka is a great idea, and I'm sure it would work well, too!
ReplyDeleteI am an aesthetician (skin care specialist) in Arizona. I have gotten all of my clients to use coconut oil as a moisturizer. I also use it in my facials when I have to massage....Loretta from Just For You Salon & Spa in Tepe Arizona
ReplyDeleteI made the scrub and love it Is there a way to keep it blended or mixed? It stays separated and is difficult to use.
ReplyDeleteIf your mix of boy scrub isn't too thick, I would add a few marlbes in the jar. Then you can just shake it up each time you need it mixed a little more.
ReplyDeleteWhen you made the body butter, what kind of coconut oil did you use? I checked your resource page and didn't realize there were so many choices
ReplyDeleteThankyou for those recipes! I'd def like to try the toothpaste and body scrub....I recently got hooked on coconut oil..made lip balm out of it( with raw honey and mango butter etc) and realized that it works superbly as a lotion also. My skin looks so much better than it had for months.
ReplyDelete