7 Benefits of Coconut oil for Health, Skin and Hair

Written by - Reviewed by Consumer Health Digest Team

Published: Apr 13, 2018 | Last Updated: Aug 17, 2019

7 Benefits of Coconut oil for Health Skin and Hair

Coconut oil is considered as the most nutrient-dense part of coconuts. In essence, it is solid at room temperature, similar to butter. It does not break down in light or heat or become rancid like other oils. Coconut oil is versatile and its benefits range from health care, skincare, and hair care.

There are claims that coconut oil could do many things from supporting weight loss to preventing the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Here are some possible benefits of coconut oil for health, skin, and hair. Read on to find out how beneficial coconut oil is.

1. Skin Care

This may be one of the most famous benefits of coconut oil you heard about. Coconut oil is great to massage oil acting as a moisturizer on all skin types. Coconut oil is not like mineral oil when it comes to adverse side effects on the skin.

Applying coconut oil to your skin does not come with any secondary effects, so it is a safe solution for preventing flaking of skin and preventing dryness. Besides, it can reduce sagging, wrinkles and fine lines on your skin, which normally accompany aging.

Thanks to antioxidant properties, coconut oil can prevent degenerative diseases. It is also effective in treating many skin problems, such as dermatitis, psoriasis, eczema as well as other skin infections. That is why coconut oil is an ingredient in many body care products, such as lotions, soaps, and creams used for skincare.

2. Hair Care

Coconut oil Hair Care
One of great benefits of coconut oil for women is hair care. It helps accelerate hair growth and gives your hair a shine.

Additionally, it is effective in decreasing protein loss that may result in various unhealthy issues of your hair. It is often used as hair care oil and is used in producing different dandruff relief creams and conditioners. Coconut oil is often applied topically on the hair.

By regularly massaging your hair and head with this oil, you could warrant that your scalp is free of dandruff, even when it is chronically dry. Besides, it is helpful in keeping your scalp and hair free from lice eggs and lice as well.

3. Immunity

Using coconut oil can help strengthen your immune system as it consists of antimicrobial lipids, capric acid, lauric acid, caprylic acid, which have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.

The human body can convert lauric acid into monolaurin, which can deal with bacteria and viruses that cause many diseases like influenza, herpes, cytomegalovirus, and so on. Using coconut oil will also help fight harmful bacteria such as helicobacter pylori and listeria, and harmful protozoa like giardia lamb.

4. Digestion

Another benefit of coconut oil is digestion improvement. If you use coconut oil as your primary cooking oil, it can help improve your digestive system and therefore prevent a variety of stomach as well as digestion-related issues, including IBS.

The saturated fats available in this oil have antimicrobial properties and help in fighting various fungi, bacteria, and parasites that may cause indigestion. Also, it helps in boosting the efficiency of absorption of other nutrients like amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.

5. Weight Loss

Coconut Oil For Weight Loss

In regard to the benefits of coconut oil, supporting weight loss is highly appreciated by both men and women. Coconut oil consists of short and medium-chain fatty acids which are effective in reducing excessive weight. Many studies suggest that coconut oil can help decrease abdominal obesity in females.

Furthermore, coconut oil is easy to digest and helps in improving the healthy function of the endocrine and thyroid system. It can also increase the metabolic rate of the human body by eliminating the stress of pancreas, thereby burning much more energy. Those people living in tropical coastal regions who use this oil daily as their cooking oil are normally not overweight or obese.

6. Candida

Candida is a tragic disease which is resulted from uncontrolled and excessive development of yeast named Candida Albicans within the human stomach. Using coconut could help relieve inflammation caused by candida, both internally and externally. Thank its high moisture capacity, using coconut oil can keep your skin from peeling off or cracking.

Caprylic acid, Capric acid, myristic acid and lauric acid found in this oil are also helpful in eradicating Candida Albicans.

In addition, unlike other medications for candida which often come with side effects, coconut oil helps relieve candida in a steady way without risks. To get good results for candida relief, you should gradually and systematically increase the dosages of coconut oil and should not begin with large dosage.

7. Infections and Healing

When being applied to the infected body parts, coconut oil will form a chemical layer that helps protect those body parts from external dust, fungi, air, viruses, and bacteria. Coconut oil is highly efficient in bruises as it helps boost the healing process of those damaged tissues.

According to the Coconut research center, using coconut oil can kill bacteria that cause throat infections, ulcers, urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, and pneumonia. Additionally, coconut oil is also efficient in eliminating yeast and fungi that trigger ringworm, thrush, athlete’s foot, and diaper rash.

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