Hello, Coconut Oil? I LOVE YOU. That's all.

Seriously, I do. I purchased a bottle of coconut oil yesterday, which is surprisingly easy to find (at Whole Foods) and I was even a little taken aback by how many brands there were. I went with the Whole Foods 365 Organic Virgin Coconut Oil because the price was right and it was precisely what I was looking for so why pay twice as much? Sometimes I wonder if I am frugal or just cheap.... I have been wanting to try it for a while, every time I hear or read about difference uses for it. I wonder if bloggers realize they come off sounding like the stuff is a miracle cure all. I bought it less than 24 hours ago and I am already hooked. It really IS amazing stuff!

My original intentions were to make a bug spray for my son that is safe for him, at 10 months, and works for me and my husband as well. I also figured I would make a spray for the dog for fleas and ticks, as well as mosquitoes, so I can avoid chemical exposure (he has liver disease, so its probably not good for him to have spot on treatment anyway, even if we didn't have the kiddo around) for all of us. I bought eucalyptus oil, sweet orange oil, and citronella oil, and already had some good tea tree oil on hand for the dipes. 

I figured it was a good time to check out coconut oil as a carrier oil, and for some reason was somewhat surprised that it is solid at room temp. Won't work for the dog, but it sounds like a fairly easy way to use it on the kid! Came home, melted 1/4 cup and added my oils (I'll give up the exact proportions when I know whether they are effective and have finished with my tinkering). I poured it into a leftover tea tin and left it to set. Meanwhile, I dabbed a bit of it on Boogie's back, up and down his spine, so I would be able to recognize any reactions easily. 

Wow. That stuff leaves baby oils and lotions in the dust! It rubbed in smooth, left him nice and soft, and the best part is...I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS IN IT. 

I then proceeded to run into the kitchen where I left the jar of coconut oil sitting innocently on the counter and start rubbing it all over my arms. Oh, the smell is heavenly. If you like real coconut scent, you will love this stuff. It isn't overpowering and it doesn't linger so I imagine I can use it for years without getting coconut overload. 

I tasted it as well, of course, since it can be used for cooking. I like that it is food-grade so if my kid finds it and decides to eat it, I only have to worry about his saturated fat consumption. If he drinks lotion, I have a whole host of other worries. It seems to be fairly tasteless, which is kind of a disappointment. I will have to compare the nutritional info to butter before I give that a shot, but I have heard it is fantastic in brownies. 

Oh, and I also rubbed the plain stuff on some dry patches on Boogie's skin that he has had all winter. Nothing has made much difference to them until last night. They are no longer visible, though you can feel the dry spots. No reactions to his skin so I suspect after 1 or 2 more applications he will be rid of them finally! I also plan to rub a bit on his scalp tonigh durring tubs as he has a dry scalp, possibly caused by the use of baby shampoos. But I'm working on that. My own skin is also nice and coconut-glowy. Interested in a recipe for Homemade Deodorant that uses Coconut Oil? Check out Jessica's post on How About Orange, one of my favorite crafty blogs :)