As a college student, you’re constantly looking for ways to stretch your limited budget. One technique is to repurpose items for several different types of uses. Usually, this upcycling mindset is applied to things, such as turning an old tub into a couch or creating a bag out of soda pop tabs. When it comes to using food ingredients for more than just eating, all eyes turn to coconut oil. Of all the superfoods, coconut oil is the jack-of-all-trades. It’s a product that can make your meals a bit healthier and also can do the wonders for your damaged locks.
Here’s a look at how to use coconut oil for your hair routine and your diet, which therefore stretches your college budget.
Benefits of Using Coconut Oil as an Ingredient Substitute
Coconut oil is a healthy source of fat. You need a healthy fat source to maintain a healthy diet, help with your digestion, boost the immune system, and support the natural hormone production in your body. Using coconut oil to replace butter or other oils is a great way to make baked goods a little healthier. Why not try replacing oil for coconut oil in a Just Cake mix? A hampton creek product, Just Mix cake comes in a variety of flavors—chocolate, vanilla, key lime, cinnamon roll, and more. The Hampton Creek product line is known for using plants to make meals dairy-free, egg-free.
Benefits of Using Coconut Oil as Hair Treatment
Coconut oil conditioner ranks among the best natural treatments to nourish your hair. While traditional hair conditioners coat the outside of dry strands, the fat in coconut oil, known as medium chain triglycerides, promotes hair health from the inside.
Coconut oil improves the strength, flexibility as well as softness and shine of your tresses by penetrating the inner part of the hair, known as the cortex. While coconut oil conditioner is just starting to gain traction in the natural health circles, this holistic beauty practice has a long history of indigenous cultures from around the world. Many of those same cultures still use coconut oil as part of their beauty routine.
The following are just a handful of benefits of using coconut oil as a hair treatment:
Dandruff relief:
Basically, dandruff occurs when candida overgrowth, an internal fungus, reaches the scalp. Because of its antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties, coconut oil is effective in nourishing a dandruff-ridden scalp and eliminating the fungus that caused it. The scalp takes in the coconut oil through the skin, and therefore, the body’s bloodstream absorbs the oil’s antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Not only a natural remedy to eliminate dandruff, but coconut oil also helps eliminate the use of chemical-based dandruff shampoos.
Natural volume:
Another reason why coconut oil conditioner works wonders on hair is that most store-bought conditioners contain processed vegetable oils. The processing of the vegetable oil removes the ingredient’s original antioxidant power. This could cause the hair to lose protein, which may lead to hair loss over time.
Deep conditioning:
No need to drop a small fortune on luxury deep conditioning products. Coconut oil conditioner can do it all — remove product buildup, quench dry strands, and repair damaged hair — without chemicals and at the cost of roughly $10 a bottle.
To make coconut oil conditioner, place a scoop of solidified coconut oil into a glass cup. Melt the coconut oil by placing the cup in a bowl of warm water. The warm water outside the cup will gradually warm up and liquefy the oil. Make sure the warm water in the bowl doesn’t spill into the cup.
Although you can apply coconut oil to either dry or damp hair, it will spread effortlessly through damp hair. Be sure to massage the coconut oil into your scalp as well. For the best results, leave the coconut oil conditioner in your hair as long as you can. So aim for one to two hours, but try to leave it overnight. A shower cap will keep the coconut oil drenched locks in place and also protect your hair from staining clothes or bedding. Wash out the coconut oil conditioner with a gentle shampoo.
