Coconut Oil: Benefits and Facts of Coconut Oil for Hair, Body and Skin
Would you like to have better skin, radiant hair, better metabolism and improved immunity against a host of infections and diseases? If yes, make coconut oil a part of your lifestyle.
This underrated super food has been confirmed to be good for human health by more than 1600 studies!
Let us learn more about the amazing benefits of coconut oil.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for the Body
1) High in Saturated Fat
Coconut oil is high in saturated fat. It is a stable oil and can withstand high temperatures, which makes it ideal for cooking. Saturated fats are highly misunderstood since they are usually high in cholesterol.
Earlier, it was believed that a high consumption of these fats is the root cause of heart disease. However, these assumptions were incorrect – the fats don’t just go into your body and cling to the inner walls of blood vessels!
Recent research asserts that there is no direct link between cardiac disease and consumption of saturated fats. In fact, saturated fats form an important aspect of a proper balanced diet and have innumerable health benefits.
So don’t let the high saturated fat content stop you from adding coconut oil to your diet. The Tokelauans (South Pacific Ocean) get around 60% of their calories of coconut. The Kitavans (Papua New Guinea) also consume humongous amounts of coconut.
These populations are extremely healthy with no trace of cardiac illnesses. Not only is coconut oil healthy, but it also adds tons of flavour to food, making it more palatable and satiable.
2) For Weight Loss
Coconut oil can actually help you to lose fat: Obesity is the number one cause of preventable death in the USA. Many people are under the totally ridiculous impression than eating fat makes a person fatter.
This is totally false. Fat does not make you fat – excess calories do (especially if they come from carbohydrates). Also, coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which are digested differently and aid in fat burn.
A scientific study has revealed that when a person consumes 15 to 30 grams of MCFAs in a day, he/she burns up to 5% more calories, which roughly equals to about 120 calories in 24 hours.
Also, coconut oil does not cause blood sugar spikes and hence it prevents excessive hunger – ultimately lowering the total amount of calories consumed and aiding weight loss.
3) For Heart health
Coconut oil is conducive to heart health and helps to lower blood pressure. It converts bad cholesterol (LDL) into good cholesterol (HDL).
4) Helps Prevent Cancer
Like lots of natural oils, coconut oil can help to fight off and prevent cancer: The MCFAs in coconut oil are converted by the liver into an energy source known as ketones. Cancer cells do not have the ability to process ketones.
They derive their energy from glucose. Hence, many scientists and medical practitioners believe that a ketogenic diet (high fat, low carb diet) is an integral aspect of cancer treatment and prevention.
In some studies wherein cancer was induced chemically – it was noted that coconut oil prevented the cancer from growing.
5) Boosts Immune Health
It is an antibacterial, anti-viral and an anti-fungal. It contains lauric acid which fights off bacteria, candida and viruses.
If you are ill, eliminate grains and sugars from your diet since harmful bacteria thrive on sugar.
Instead, use coconut oil as a source of energy. Eat plenty of vegetables and bone-broth to facilitate fast recovery.
6) Better Brain Function
Better memory and brain function: The brain’s prime energy source is glucose. However, the brain can also function on ketones that are derived from coconut oil.
A study that was published in 2004 in the Journal of Neurobiology of Aging concluded that coconut oil helped to improve memory in older people. Coconut oil is also an effective natural remedy for Alzheimer’s disease.
It can also be beneficial for people who suffer from epilepsy. Many studies have found that ketogenic diets are highly effective in reducing and even completing elimination the occurrence of seizures.
7) Fantastic for Oral Health:
For centuries, oil pulling with coconut oil has been used to cleanse the mouth and fight off oral diseases.
If you suffer from periodontal diseases, swish coconut oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, 3 times per week. Coconut oil neutralizes the bad bacteria in the mouth and prevents cavities.
8) Benefits for the body
There are countless other benefits of coconut oil which include but are certainly not limited to:
- fighting off urinary tract infections
- kidney problems and liver disease
- better digestion and reduction of stomach ulcers
- treatment of arthritis and type 2 diabetes
- restoring hormonal balance
- building muscle mass
- combating inflammation in the body and many more.
9) Avoid Process or Refined Oils
It is highly recommended that you stay away from processed and refined coconut oil.
Chemical processes such as bleaching, overheating and hydrogenation do increase the shelf life, but they cause severe degradation in the nutritive value of the oil.
Always buy organic, extra virgin coconut oil for best results!
Benefits of Coconut Oil for the Skin
1) Gives skin a youthful appearance
Coconut oil helps you to look and stay younger. It does this by detoxifying the body by improving the liver function. It also lowers oxidative stress by preventing free radicals from oxidizing.
It helps the body to stay fitter by boosting immunity. It also regulates the balance of hormones. All this helps to slow aging and gives skin a youthful appearance.
2) Drives Maximum Nutrition
For best results, consume a tablespoon of coconut oil in the morning along with a handful of berries (strawberries, blueberries etc.).
The berries are highly rich in anti-oxidants and since many of the vitamins that they contain are fat-soluble, the coconut oil helps the body to derive maximum nutrition from them.
3) Apply Directly to the Skin
You can also apply coconut oil directly onto the skin. Massaging with coconut oil improves blood flow and accelerates cell regeneration.
It hydrates the skin, keeps it elastic and prevents bacterial and fungal growth.
4) Prevents Flaky Skin
Coconut oil prevents skin from flaking off. Moreover, unlike mineral oil, coconut oil has no side or adverse effects. It’s regularly used in the treatment of several skin-related ailments such as psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis etc.
No wonder coconut oil is an essential component of countless cosmetic products. (soaps, body lotions, creams, shampoos)
5) Natural Sun-screen.
If you want to head out to bask in the sun but don’t like commercial sun-screens that are loaded with harmful chemicals and toxins, rub on a generous amount of coconut oil onto your body. Apply some more every 45 minutes or so.
The sun radiates two types of UV rays – UVA and UVB. Upon excessive exposure to the sun, UVA can cause damage such as skin aging and skin cancer. UVBs can also cause burns but they are required by the body to metabolize vitamin d which strengthens bones and helps fight off cancer.
Commercial sunscreens block UVB and often, they don’t do a very good job of blocking the real culprit – UVA! Plus, they contain carcinogenic elements. It is much easier and healthier to simply switch to coconut oil.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair:
Coconut oil is applied directly onto the hair and scalp.
1) Hair growth
It is used extensively on the Indian subcontinent to promote hair growth and to restore dry and frizzy hair.
Massaging the scalp with coconut oil improves blood and oxygen supply to the area – ultimately facilitation cell regeneration and distribution of essential nutrients.
2) Controls Dandruff
Coconut oil helps in dealing with dandruff since it moisturizes the scalp.
3) Controls Lice
It gets rid of infections and lice.
4) Prevents Hygral Fatigue
Coconut oil prevents hygral fatigue. Our hair is very similar to a wet sponge, it expands and swells when it becomes wet and then contracts when the water dries out.
This constant expansion and contraction puts excessive strain on the hair fibres, causing them to become weak. This gives hair a ‘thin’ appearance – it looks like the hair is devoid of much volume.
Pollution, poor lifestyle and the toxins found in shampoos and conditioners further damage the hair fibres. Coconut oil helps to arrest this hygral fatigue, it nourishes hair, protects it and lends a lustrous shine to it.
Conclusion
Few other substances have such astounding healing power as coconut oil.
It empowers you to look and feel fabulous and also to live better and longer.
Sources of Information:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=coconut+oil
- https://draxe.com/coconut-oil-benefits/
- https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/oils/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
- https://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/