by Khyrana Oktivia Pambudi

Created on: February 14, 2009

I just love coconut oil. A whiff of its smell can immediately send me to a lazy afternoon by the beach. Aside from its heavenly scent, there are plenty of benefits from using coconut oil. Here are the top 5 health benefits:

1. Skin care: Due to its high content of antioxidants, coconut oil is very useful in delaying wrinkles and skin sagging whch normally become more prominent as we age. Because it has no side effect, it makes coconut oil a safer solution in preventing skin from drying or flaking. It is a fantastic moisturiser and excellent massage oil. It also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, acne, and other skin infections.

2. Hair care: In many tropical countries, people swear by the use of coconut oil as hair treatment. This is largely attributed to the components found in coconut oil such as lauric acid, capric acid, and vitamin E. Lauric acid and capric acid both have great antimicrobial properties, which helps preventing hair loss. The vitamin E in it helps keeps your scalp healthy and invigorates your hair. And the various fatty acids in coconut oil helps clear dandruff from your head far better then most anti-dandruff shampoo you find on the shelf.

3. Increases your immune system: This is due to its content of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antiviral, antibacterial, and anti fungal properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which helps in fighting viruses and bacteria, thus increases the body immune system. Not only it is beneficial internally, but when applied directly on the infection on your skin it forms a chemical layer which protects from outside hazards. It speeds up the healing process on bruises as well by repairing damaged tissues.

4. Assists in weight loss: Coconut oil is very easy to be digested by our body and it helps in keeping the function of our thyroid and enzymes systems healthy. It also helps removing stress from pancreas, thereby increase our metabolism. We all know that when our metabolism is high, we will burn more energy. Which is great if we want to reduce our weight

5. Reduces stress: Like I mention before, a whiff of this oil can remind you of a great holiday by the beach. Its relaxing and soothing effect can help reduce stress when massaged lightly to the head.

So there you go. After reading this article, I hope you will put it in good use and pass it on to those you think need the advice. Especially in this current economy situation, coconut oil can proved to be a cheaper alternative in helping you maintain your health and beauty.

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