coconut oil

Five Reasons You Should Be Oil Pulling (REPOST)

January 11, 2018 — 1 Comment

Photo credit: Organic Lifestyle

I type this long overdue post with a mouth full of fractionated coconut oil and cannot help but chuckle. Coconut oil has had a surge of popularity recently and “oil pulling” is just one of the many ways it can be used in your everyday life. But just what is oil pulling? and why in god’s name am I swishing it back in forth in my mouth?

 

What is Oil Pulling?

A very very long time ago (like ancient) before Colgate, Crest, and Sensodyne, folks used what they found in nature to clean and purify themselves. Oil pulling also known as “kavala” or “gundusha,” is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique that involves swishing a small amount (less than one tablespoon) of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 15-20 minutes. This action will draw out toxins in your body, improve oral health, and whiten your teeth naturally. The objective is to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health. This all sounds kinda crazy and to good to be true right?

Well I thought so as well. That is until I made it a vow to detox my life and rid myself of man made chemical laden health and beauty products and learn how to use natural substances found in the earth for my every day beauty routines. If you didn’t know, lotions, soaps, toothpaste, shampoo, cleaning sprays and the like are slowly killing us. I started with cleaning products and have now moved on to toothpaste, soaps, deodorant, and now mouth wash.

Why Use Coconut Oil?

When it comes to oil pulling, sesame seed, olive, and coconut work best. Coconut oil is anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. It has a world of uses in baking, cleaning, moisturizing, cleaning and whitening your teeth. It can also be used a a carrier oil when using essential oils (more on this in a future post). The oil pulls out toxins in your mouth and breaks up hard to clean plague build up.

Does Oil Pulling Work?

I was skeptical at first and of course had to try it out for myself. I use fractionated coconut oil (remains liquid) but organic pressed or unpressed would work just as well. I’ve been pulling for a little over two months now and can’t believe I am just now coming onto this practice. My teeth look and feel significantly cleaner. My dry mouth has decreased and my breath overall remains much fresher than before I began pulling.

Why You Should Oil Pull?

  1. It’s Good for your Oral Health. I’ve already mentioned that coconut oil is a natural antibacterial substance that can be used to rid the body of toxins. Using high quality organic coconut oil is one of the best natural ways to do this.
  2. Balances the PH of your mouth. Dental experts agree that the mouth is the window into the body. Poor health can lead to all sorts of chronic illnesses; many of which can be attributed to off balance acidity levels in the body. Oil pulling helps with that.
  3. Whitens your teeth. A natural, safer, and healthier alternative to expensive teeth whitening treatments, A few weeks of pulling leads to a noticeably whiter smile
  4. Inexpensive. Seriously. Even though a high quality coconut oil may initialy set you back $12-18 dollars using coconut oil in your own toothpaste and to oil pull will save you bundles over time. You barely need a tablespoon for it to work its magic in your mouth.
  5. You Have Nothing to Lose. It’s funny that so many people snark and snicker at using natural products and alternative their health/beauty care but think nothing of buying and using a new over the counter bath and body product that is made in someone’s lab. Oil pulling certainly does not hurt and trying it even once will not kill you. If taste is your concern mix it will a little coconut, orange, or even lemon oil. Don’t knock it until your try it.

How to Oil Pull

Natural health and beauty blogger Fran of Hey Fran Hey demonstrates oil pulling and many many other natural beauty treatments in the Youtube tutorial below.

To learn more about oil pulling and even more A+mazing uses for coconut oil, click one of the links below.

Oil Pulling for Oral Health by Wellness Mama

35 Things You Could Do with Coconut Oil by Organic Lifestyle Magazine

What Is Oil Pulling by Health Ambition

 

Homemade Coconut Oil Baby Lotion | Guest Post by Catherine Marqueses

June 20, 2017 — 2 Comments

Homemade Coconut Oil Baby Lotion

Coconut oil is nothing, but amazing! Although it is just one ingredient, the health benefits it provides are too many to count. Seriously! Even babies can enjoy its perks!

Packed with Lauric acid that is also present in breast milk, coconut oil is undeniably safe for baby use. Apply it to dry and irritated skin and see the difference. You’ll be amazed, for sure. However, before you even do that, consider making this homemade coconut oil baby lotion.

Don’t worry. It is very easy to do.

What You Need:

What to Do:

  1. In a medium pan, melt the coconut oil in low heat. Set aside.
  2. Take a blender, if not a food processor. Along with the aloe vera gel and the essential oil of your choice, put the melted coconut oil and blend.
  3. Do it for a couple of minutes until a creamy texture is obtained.
  4. Scrape the mixture from the blender and store in a container with a tight fitting lid.
  5. Store at room temperature or keep refrigerated when not in use.

Bonus Tip. The key to its keep its creamy consistency is to refrigerate it. That way, coconut oil does not melt and affect the lotion’s texture.

How to Use:

Like store bought baby lotions, apply this coconut oil baby lotion to your baby every after bathing or as needed.

Recommended Essential Oils to Use

There are many different essential oils you can use for babies. Here are some that we recommend:

  • Lavender Essential Oil – Known for its antibacterial properties, lavender essential oil can be used to calm and soothe a baby’s delicate skin.
  • Chamomile Essential Oil – Chamomile essential oil works well for babies with constipation. And like lavender, it also has soothing and calming properties.
  • Citrus Essential Oil – Due to its mood-enhancing ability, citrus essential oil is widely used by parents to calm overactive kids.
  • Peppermint Essential Oil – Peppermint essential oil has properties that help alleviate fever and colds. But when using this, it is advised to dilute it first.
  • Tea Tree Essential Oil – Tea tree essential oil can be used to repel bugs and insects. It can also be used for treating cuts and burns.

The next time you run out of baby lotion, you don’t need to run to the store. Instead, go to the kitchen and whip up your own coconut oil baby lotion.

Catherine finds joy in the simplest things. Her passion for traveling is equally matched by her love for animals. Whenever she’s in the mood for experimenting, you can see her in the kitchen trying out new recipes, most likely desserts. She shares her expertise about nutritious and organic foods like coconut oil on her blog Free Coconut Recipes. Find out what she’s up to by following her social media accounts, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Vanilla Coconut Strawberry Cupcakes (VEGAN)

June 21, 2016 — 1 Comment

Happy Tuesday everyone~ Hopefully you are all enjoying this summertastic weather. Temperatures are well into the 90’s here in Rochester and like any good chef I continue to bake despite the heat. These Vanilla Coconut Strawberry Cupcakes are so light, so fresh, and so simple to make that you won’t mind the extra heat from the oven. Even better, these cupcakes are vegan and perfect for strawberry season. I even have a Facebook LIVE video embedded in this post to show you how it easy it is to make. Naturally, I promised this recipe last week but my beautiful crazy busy life life (per usual) got in the way of those plans.

Vanilla Coconut  Strawberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour blend
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon rice beverage
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon golden flaxseed meal
1/3 cup applesauce

1/2 lb fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and diced

Preparation

 

STEP I:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line (12 count) cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.

STEP 2:

Pour rice beverage, flaxseed meal, and apple cider vinegar into a cup, let set for 5 minutes.

 

STEP 3:

Using a stand or hand mixer (on high speed) cream sugar, coconut oil, almond extract, and applesauce about one minute until fluffy. Lightly fold in diced strawberries without mashing into batter.

 

STEP 4:

Fill cupcake pans with one standard cookie scoop of batter.

STEP 5:

Bake about 20-25 minutes (350 degrees) until toothpick comes out clean.

STEP 6:

After about 20 minutes (350 degrees) remove cupcakes from the oven. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy your cupcakes!

Coconut Creme Icing recipe coming later this week .

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcalvin.eaton.14%2Fvideos%2F10101744817972835%2F&show_text=0&width=400

What Is Oil Pulling?| 5 Reasons You Should Be Oil Pulling

February 16, 2016 — Leave a comment

Photo credit: Organic Lifestyle

I type this long overdue post with a mouth full of fragtionated coconut oil and cannot help but chuckle. Coconut oil has had a surge of popularity recently and “oil pulling” is just one of the many ways it can be used in your everyday life. But just what is oil pulling? and why in god’s name am I swishing it back in forth in my mouth?

 

What is Oil Pulling?

A very very long time ago (like ancient) before Colgate, Crest, and Sensodyne,  folks used what they found in nature to clean and purify themselves. Oil pulling also known as “kavala” or “gundusha,” is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique that involves swishing a small amount (less than one tablespoon) of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 15-20 minutes. This action will draw out toxins in your body, improve oral health, and whiten your teeth naturally. The objective is to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health. This all sounds kinda crazy and to good to be true right?

Well I thought so as well. That is until I made it a vow to detox my life and rid myself of man made chemical laden health and beauty products and learn how to use natural substances found in the earth for my every day beauty routines. If you didn’t know, lotions, soaps, toothpaste, shampoo, cleaning sprays and the like are slowly killing us. I started with cleaning products and have now moved on to toothpaste, soaps, deodorant, and now mouth wash.

Why Use Coconut Oil?

When it comes to oil pulling, sesame seed, olive, and coconut work best. Coconut oil is anti-fungal, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory. It has a world of uses in baking, cleaning, moisturizing, cleaning and whitening your teeth. It can also be used a a carrier oil when using essential oils (more on this in a future post). The oil pulls out toxins in your mouth and breaks up hard to clean plague build up.

Does Oil Pulling Work?

I was skeptical at first and of course had to try it out for myself. I use fractionated coconut oil (remains liquid) but organic pressed or unpressed would work just as well. I’ve been pulling for a little over two months now and can’t believe I am just now coming onto this practice. My teeth look and feel significantly cleaner. My dry mouth has decreased and my breath overall remains much fresher than before I began pulling.

Why You Should Oil Pull?

  1. It’s Good for your Oral Health. I’ve already mentioned that coconut oil is a natural antibacterial substance that can be used to rid the body of toxins. Using high quality organic coconut oil is one of the best natural ways to do this.
  2. Balances the PH of your mouth. Dental experts agree that the mouth is the window into the body. Poor health can lead to all sorts of chronic illnesses; many of which can be attributed to off balance acidity levels in the body. Oil pulling helps with that.
  3. Whitens your teeth. A natural, safer, and healthier alternative to expensive teeth whitening treatments, A few weeks of pulling leads to a noticeably whiter smile
  4. Inexpensive. Seriously. Even though a high quality coconut oil may initialy set you back $12-18 dollars using coconut oil in your own toothpaste and to oil pull will save you bundles over time. You barely need a tablespoon for it to work its magic in your mouth.
  5. You Have Nothing to Lose. It’s funny that so many people snark and snicker at using natural products and alternative their health/beauty care but think nothing of buying and using a new over the counter bath and body product that is made in someone’s lab. Oil pulling certainly does not hurt and trying it even once will not kill you. If taste is your concern mix it will a little coconut, orange, or even lemon oil. Don’t knock it until your try it.

How to Oil Pull

Natural health and beauty blogger Fran of Hey Fran Hey demonstrates oil pulling and many many other natural beauty treatments in the Youtube tutorial below.

To learn more about oil pulling and even more A+mazing uses for coconut oil, click one of the links below.

Oil Pulling for Oral Health by Wellness Mama

35 Things You Could Do with Coconut Oil by Organic Lifestyle Magazine

What Is Oil Pulling by Health Ambition