15 Uses for Coconut Oil that don’t Involve Food

I use coconut oil in many of my dishes, from cookies, cakes, breads to pastas, sandwiches and casseroles. It really is great in many recipes in the place of butter or other oils.

But did you know coconut oil can be used elsewhere in the house? Don’t just confine coconut oil to the kitchen. Buy a jar for personal use, such as in the bathroom, or for fixing things. It’s not only a super food in the kitchen, but it’s a superhero in the house.

Oh and stay tuned in, there’s a recipe for Mexican Sweet Potato & Quinoa Casserole at the end.

Here are my top 15 favorite uses for coconut oil outside of the kitchen:

1. Moisturizer – This is probably the most obvious, but I honestly love it for my body!! I mix in a few drops of tangerine oil or lavender oil, and rub over my entire body. It leaves the body smooth and silky. A little goes a long way, and you don’t have to worry about it staining the clothes. Just go light on the oil.
2. Shaving cream – It works great for both males and females, and I haven’t had problems with it clogging the drains. It will leave your skin silky smooth, so kiss razor burn good bye. It’s an aftershave and shaving cream all in one!! Simply rub onto legs, armpits, or beard and shave as your normally would.
3. WD-40 – It’s true, replace your WD-40 for coconut oil. We just recently fixed our squeaky front door using coconut oil and it’s been well over a month, and still no squeak. So squeak free your house using coconut oil.
4. Face Wash – I mix coconut oil with a little baking soda and keep in an air tight container, using it for my nightly face wash. It doesn’t leave your skin oily, as you would think. I have oily skin and acne prone skin, and I haven’t had a breakout in years. Not even during my pregnancy. Remember it has antibacterial and anti fungal properties.
   
5. Diaper Rash Cream – Since it has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties it’s great for use on baby’s bum. Just simply apply to the affected area after cleaning.
6. Leave-in conditioner for hair – Apply to strands at night and rinse in the morning. It will help to add shine and will moisturize your hair. You can heat it before applying, or just add a large dollop to hands and rub together before applying to ends of hair. Tie hair into a loose knot and rinse in the morning.
7. Toothpaste – Make your own toothpaste with equal parts baking soda. You can add essential oils such as peppermint and use as your would regular toothpaste.
8. Cuts and Burns – Apply a thin layer to cuts, scrapes and burns, to offer healing and protection.
9. Feed it to your dog – It has been known to help dogs with allergies, the goopy eyes and itching. Add a spoonful to their food, but start small and gradually increase the size of the scoop.
   
10. Wood Polish – Instead of using the chemically laden wood polishes, use coconut oil to polish your wood furniture. Simply add coconut oil to a clean cloth and apply to clean wood surface in a circular motion.
11. Use it to condition wood cutting boards – The same way you would polish wood furniture, you can treat your cutting boards. I know this is related to the kitchen uses of coconut oil, but not really the cooking uses. It’s great because it’s not prone to rancidity due to its high saturated fat content. Simply rub over cutting boards. It won’t mess with the flavor of foods.
12. Treat athletes foot – Due to coconut oil’s antibacterial and anti-fungal properties it’s great for treating the nasty bacteria that causes athletes foot.
13. Insect repellent – Coconut oil combined with rosemary, peppermint or tea tree oil can be a great alternative for an insect repellent. What’s nice about this, is you’ll actually smell good to others, just not to bugs. Simply combine coconut oil with one of the essential oils and apply to skin.
14. Remove Gum– Ever had gum stuck in your hair? Or you little one’s hair? Instead of the old fashioned mayonnaise trick, use coconut oil instead. This will leave a healthy shine to the hair too.
15. Season cast iron pans – Okay so this is related to the kitchen, but it’s great to know. I love my cast iron pans. You don’t have to be stuck using vegetable oil, as previously thought. Coconut oil is just as great for seasoning cast iron pans.

Other ways to use coconut oil include: lubricant for sex, lip balm, nipple cream for breastfeeding, sun burn relief, make up remover, eye cream, deodorant, body scrub, face mask with honey, in the bath, oil pulling, treating ringworm, treating chicken pox or shingles, improving digestion, treating eczema, and helping with absorption of vitamins and minerals (when taken along with them) among other great uses.

Hopefully now you have more ways you can utilize coconut oil outside your cooking. Get creative!!

Now for a great Mexican casserole, and yes I used coconut oil for sautéing the onions and pepper. 😉 I was craving Mexican on Wednesday night, and I wanted something easy to make. This meal took 30 minutes tops, and I only needed two pans, and a cutting board, which meant less dishes. If you have kids you’ll appreciate less dishes and fast meals.

I also love sweet potatoes, so naturally it became a Mexican Sweet Potato and Quinoa Casserole. You can basically add whatever you want to this dish and feel free to actually bake it. I didn’t, because 1. I was starving and 2. I didn’t want to dirty a casserole dish. I still consider it a casserole though. I love the Mexican, cheesy flavors. You can make it entirely vegan using vegan cheddar cheese or if you aren’t vegan regular Mexican blend cheese. My hubby is a cheese fanatic, but can rarely tell the difference between vegan and regular cheese when I sub it into dishes.

It’s great source of protein from quinoa, beans and cheese, so you get all essential amino acids for those who are vegetarians or vegans. And you’ll also get your veggie intake as well. It’s quite colorful.

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Weekend and can enjoy loving on our others and spreading the love of St. Valentine!!

Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit

What’s your favorite way to use coconut oil outside of cooking? Ever tried any of the uses I mentioned above?