Coconut Oil For The Nose? YES!

I have mentioned my love for coconut oil before.  I believe my first post to this blog was about coconut oil.  You can see that post BY CLICKING HERE!  I wanted to shine a little light on coconut oil again, though, because it has been a lifesaver recently!

My entire household has caught some kind of nasty little bug and we've all been sniffling and sneezing.  It is a lovely sight.   HAHA, no...not even a little bit.  Our noses have become so raw and even with the nicest lotion tissues, they are getting red and angry.  I should have done this from the get-go, but I blame pregnancy brain on not properly coming to this conclusion faster....  Coconut oil is saving our chapped noses.  I took a bit out, allowed it to warm so it became a liquid, and rolled a q-tip through the oil.  I took the coconut oil soaked q-tip and swabbed it around the tip, nostrils, and under our noses.  It immediately provides relief.  Within 24 hours of continuous application our noses are less red and the dry, chapped parts are going away.  WHEW!

It even works for chapped lips.  With the stuffed up, yet running, noses we have....  we have become mouth breathers.  Seriously, what is more sexy than the picture I am painting for you?  Anyway, because of this we are also getting dry lips.  I don't particularly like the feel of just coconut oil on my lips.  It seems a bit too thin.  So, what I do is apply a generous amount of coconut oil to the lips, allow it a few minutes to soak in, and then I go back with another moisturizing balm to apply over the top.  This way I feel that I am doubling the moisturizing action.  I'm getting the deep moisturization from the coconut oil and then a moisturizing and protective barrier from the balm. 

I have also been using it religiously over my entire body (not the face) to help moisturize my ever growing pregnancy belly and body.   I love the way I smell after coating myself.  It even mixes well with a good portion of fragrances I choose to wear.  

I just wanted to share a few other things that can be done with coconut oil.  It is such a wonder product!  

The photos of the coconut oil in this post were from quite a while back.  I have used several different brands since then.  I am currently using one that I can get from Kroger.  It is UNREFINED (which is what I recommend over this refined kind).  Also, when you are picking up coconut oil, don't just grab a jar from the regular aisles.  Make sure you are looking in the organic, natural products for one that is of higher quality and will have more health benefits. 

March 2013 Favorites

Wow!  I haven't done one of these for quite a while, now have I?  It has been something like four months, I think. Ah well.  Anyway, I decided to round up some of the items that I have given quite a bit of love to this past month.

A general listing of items is as follows:

• Coconut oil
• CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara
• Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight
• CoverGirl foundation in 805 Ivory
• Milani blush in Luminoso
• Thierry Mugler Alien EDT
• Physicians Formula quad in Classic Nudes
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad To The Bronze
• Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara
• Ulta Automatic liner in Teal Blue
• Wet n Wild palette in Vanity

Something that I forgot to grab for the photograph is

• Essie Van D'Go nail polish

As for the coconut oil, I have been using it for quite a while now and keep buying new jars when I run out.  I have done a post on shaving with coconut oil, and I'm still doing that.  It works better than any other soaps or shave cream I've ever used.  I've also been using it to remove my makeup at the end of the day.  It breaks everything down with extreme ease and is natural.  Win-Win!  Most recently, though, I've been using it in the evening as an intensive eye cream.  I use the tiniest amount on and around my eyes.  Also, I tried using it in a bath one evening.  It feels amazing and once out of the tub, it is still on the body.  It soaks in and you will have the softest skin since infancy!   I have to warn, though, that you shouldn't dunk your hair into the water and not wash it afterwards.  I had showered before taking my bath and didn't bother to avoid getting my hair in the bath water.  When my hair dried, I looked like I hadn't showered in months, it was so filled with coconut oil.  I will admit, I left it.  I wasn't leaving the house, just staying in doing house cleaning.  So, I left it in for 24 hours and washed it out the next night.  Consider it a deep conditioning...HA!  The feel drove me nuts, though, so I did keep it in a bun.

As for my perfume of choice...  I have done a review on my blog about the EDP and said that I wasn't the biggest fan of it.  It isn't that I hate it, but it is quite strong.  Well, the EDT has a very, very similar smell and at first I felt the same way.  However, over the winter I've been using them both and have actually come to really enjoy them.  I've been wearing the ETD the most through March, though. 

The rest of my makeup isn't anything too fancy.  I've been very neutral with my eyes and lips...even cheeks.    However, because of this, I did decide to squeeze in some pretty teal liner several days.  With it having been slipping into spring, I figured I was safe to do a small burst of color.  It is quite lovely on blue eyes.

So, that is it.   My selection of products for the month of March. 

Coconut Oil To Shave?

YES! Coconut oil is amazing to use as your "lubricant" for shaving. I wish I had learned about this earlier.  Heck, I wish I had known I could use coconut oil when I first started shaving.  It would have saved me a world of trouble, dealing with razor burn and itchiness. 

Really, any coconut oil would work.  Currently, I am using the Whole Foods generic store brand: 365 Everyday Value. This particular jar is the organic, refined coconut oil that has been expeller pressed.  I accidentally picked this one up when I meant to get the unrefined.  The unrefined would have been more pure and also would have had more coconut smell and taste to it.  Mine has zero of either. Bummer.

As you can see from the photo looking into the jar, mine looks like a disgusting mess.  I promise you it isn't.  I don't ever stick my fingers into the jar.  I only scoop out what I need with a spoon and then store the jar away again.  I had bought it with the intentions to use it to cook with and to remove my makeup.  I rarely cook with it.  I think I have cooked with it twice.  I just prefer to use extra virgin olive oil. However, I do use it to remove my makeup.  It is the best makeup remover I have ever used.   It is also the best shave gel? cream?......OIL.... I have ever used!

The melting point is right around 76 degrees F, so when I take my little bowl to the shower it is still mostly solid.  It is more of a mush, but you get the idea.  If the heat from your shower doesn't turn it into a liquid by the time you are ready to use it, all you have to do is scoop it up into your hand and let it set for a few seconds and it will melt down. I slather it onto one leg at a time. Shave. Repeat on other leg. 

I haven't noticed it damaging or gunking up the razor in any way.  I had some concerns about that when I initially decided to try this method out.  As the oil settles onto the skin it doesn't have the same kind of slip as soap or traditional shave gel, but the end result is more ideal for me.  I have very sensitive skin and no matter what product I use, I would end up with tight, itchy, sometimes burning skin that made me run for my bottle of lotion.  Even after bathing in a bottle of lotion, I'd still often end up with ugly little red bumps.  It was horrible!  The closest I have come to not experiencing those horrors was when I started using the Gillette Venus & Olay razor for women. The Olay strip on that razor seems to be the trick, but the downside is that it doesn't last nearly as long as I would hope, and is gone long before the life of the blade is through.  And before someone suggests "why not try using Olay soap instead, then?" ....That was one of my very first thoughts.  I did that.  It just wasn't the same. 

The coconut oil moisturizes and protects the skin at the same time so I never get the irritation that I usually get from other shave products.  I can get out of the shower and still feel like my skin is being "coated" by the oil.  It doesn't bother me because it will sink in and it doesn't have the gross slip that some other oils have.  In fact, I like to have a tiny bit of extra coconut oil in my bowl for after I have finished shaving.  I will rub it on just before I step out of the shower.  This eliminates the step of applying lotion.

All in all, coconut oil is a miracle product for so many reasons.  There are a zillion and three uses for it and I have yet to be let down.  I will most assuredly be sharing some of the discoveries I have made in the future.  I just keep stumbling upon new uses for it!  I highly, HIGHLY suggest running to your nearest natural food market (or the natural food aisles in your regular grocery store) and grabbing a jar of pure coconut oil to try out for yourself. 

If you are already using coconut oil to replace a particular product, please share!  I'd love to know how you are using it and may want to try it out for myself!  Also, if you have a favorite brand of coconut oil, let me know what it is and why.

*this post may contain an affiliate ad/link for the brand of coconut oil that my Mother in Law uses. If you want a coconut oil that has a fantastic, strong coconut scent, try this one.  But be careful, you will want to eat it by the spoonful! :-)