Obsession du Jour: Coconut Oil

So you already know that Coconut Oil is the bomb replacement for Olive/Veg when it comes to cooking.  And it's for sure better than cooking spray, because that nonsense sneakily contains petroleum gas, propane, and butane, clever titled "propellant." Eek. But I digress; back to coconut oil.

Here's a little 101.

1. Contrary to popular belief, olive oil isn't ideal to cook with. It's chemical structure makes it susceptible to oxidative damage at high heat. Heat has minimal effect on the chemical structure of CO.

2. Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids & triglycerides. What's that mean? I'm not a scientist so I'll break it down in blonde terms: these are easily digested by your body and are not stored as fat. The long chain fatty acids of vegetable oil are not easily digested and yep, you guessed it, stored as fat.

3. Coconut Oil has impressive health benefits even when heated, containing both antibacterial and antiviral properties.

So that's cool.

Buttt....that's not all! Coconut oil is good for about 5 million other things.  <- I will let you investigate this on your own. Don't be angry, the invention of the www back in the 90's makes this pretty simple. In the meantime, here's a little testament to its wonders.

I  have a delightful little skin issue by the name of eczema. You may be familiar with it, it's pretty awesome. Just kidding, it's gross. Anyhow, I've been prescribed everything under the sun, most recently being a topical steroid. The steroid worked wonders, but that just isn't a long term solution for me.

After an extensive Google search of my own. I tried a dozen or so home remedies from Apple Cider Vinegar (my normal go-to for all the ails me) to some interesting potions and tinctures. I tried every combination of juice, mineral, and plant extract.  Nada. I had given up all hope when I stumbled across a thread raving about Coconut Oil for various skin problems.

Hmmm.

Since I stock up on it like the world is ending, I spared some for the cause. I smeared it all over the afflicted areas, slept on it, and to my great delight, I woke up with wonderfully non-dry, non-itchy, non-patchy skin.

Victory!

So don't write it off as just a cooking alternative! It's the bomb for your skin, hair, even removing eye makeup (I'll experiment with just about anything to delay a trip to CVS). So that's my song and dance about coconut oil. What are your favorite ways to use it? I'm taking suggestions!