Why is coconut oil so popular? Add it to your grooming routine and you’ll soon find out!

1. Use coconut oil to condition your beard

Coconut oil makes a fantastic beard conditioner, but to benefit, you need to adopt an unconventional conditioning method. Traditionally, conditioner is applied after you wash your beard. Coconut oil should be applied a few hours before you wash your beard.

When hair is washed, it swells up to absorb the water and then contracts as it dries. Frequent expansion and contraction damages the hair cuticles causing them to split, fray, and crack. Using coconut oil to condition your beard before you wash it protects your hair from absorbing too much water when you wash it, thereby minimizing the effects of expansion and contraction.

2. Use coconut oil as a pre-shave oil

Pre-shave butters and oils are a wonderful way to create a protective layer between your skin and your razor. Using pre-shave butter or oil helps your razor glide across your skin, preventing razor burn and bumps.

Coconut oil is the base for most pre-shave butters, so it makes sense that people would use pure coconut oil before shaving.

3. Use coconut oil in place of shaving cream

Some people use coconut oil as a base layer underneath shaving cream or shaving soap. Others use only coconut oil to shave with and swear it’s better than shaving cream.

4. Start oil pulling

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing oil around in your mouth for about fifteen minutes each day. According to Dr. Mercola, oil pulling with coconut oil will reduce bacteria, strengthen your teeth, and reduce inflammation in your gums.

Oil pulling cleans your teeth by getting into the small crevices along your molars that even your toothbrush bristles can’t reach. The action of swishing coconut oil is scientifically proven to break down the fat-soluble membranes of bacteria that cause bad breath.

While you can use other oils like sunflower and sesame, coconut oil has a unique benefit. Coconut oil is a medium-chain fatty acid that inhibits Streptococcus mutans, the main cause of cavities.

How to oil pull

The process is simple. Scoop out about a tablespoon of coconut oil, put it in your mouth, and start swishing it around. You may want to chomp down on it at first, but it will quickly melt. Swish it around vigorously so the oil gets pulled through your teeth with force. Use your tongue and cheeks rather than your jaw or your jaw will get tired fast.

Swish it around for about fifteen minutes (or as long as you can), and then spit it out into the trash can or out in your yard. It’s important to remember not to swallow it, as the oil will be full of bacteria. Don’t spit coconut oil down any drain since it might solidify and cause a blockage.

The best coconut oil to use is cold-pressed, organic, extra virgin coconut oil. Jarrow – a brand known for their vitamins – makes a 32-ounce jar you can get on Amazon for about fifteen bucks. Other brands of organic coconut oil are usually half the size and cost more.

If you’ve read up on oil pulling and aren’t sure whether it will work, try it for a week to experience the difference.

5. Use coconut oil to condition your scalp

If your scalp is dry or you’ve got dandruff, you’ll benefit from using coconut oil to condition your scalp. Even if you don’t have a dry scalp, coconut oil will moisturize your scalp and make you feel great.

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you’ll need to melt it first. The easiest way to melt coconut oil is to boil some water in a pot and place a Pyrex measuring cup (Pyrex is virtually indestructible) in the boiling water, and put a few teaspoons of coconut oil in the Pyrex cup. The coconut oil will soon melt, but it will be hot so set it aside for about five minutes. It won’t solidify for quite a while, so you can let it cool.

Once the coconut oil has cooled down, gently massage it along your hair line and into your scalp, paying special attention to any problem areas. Let it sit for twenty minutes, then wash your hair with shampoo.

Repeat this process once a week or more often as needed.

6. Use coconut oil before shampooing and conditioning your hair

Just as you’d apply coconut oil to your beard prior to washing, massage coconut oil into your hair before you wash and condition it. You’ll get the same protective effect, and your hair will be soft and silky.

7. Create an exfoliating, moisturizing lip scrub

To gently remove the dead skin from your lips, dip your index finger in some coconut oil and then in some sugar. Gently scrub your lips with this homemade exfoliant and repeat two or three times per week.

8. Reduce inflammation from acne

While coconut oil won’t necessarily eliminate acne, it is an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial substance. Apply a dab of coconut oil to acne to help reduce the redness of inflammation. Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, and has been scientifically proven to kill acne-causing bacteria.

If you’ve picked your acne, the coconut oil will help reduce pain and protect the spot from getting infected. However, you should avoid applying coconut oil to your face if you have oily skin.

9. Add coconut oil to your bath

Adding coconut oil to a warm bath is an effortless way to moisturize your skin. Just soak it up while you relax. Add a cup of Epsom salt for even more relaxation.

Don’t want to smell like a coconut?

Coconut oil has many beneficial uses in your grooming routine, but maybe you don’t want to walk around smelling like a coconut. After using coconut oil on your skin or hair, you can apply traditional products like after shave, lotion, or leave-in products for your hair. The scent of coconut is easy to cover up.

Now that you’ve got seven ways to add coconut oil to your grooming ritual, grab a jar and start enjoying healthier skin, cleaner teeth, and a soft, silky beard.