50 Ways to Use Coconut Oil

I came across this amazing article by Anthony N. via .swansonvitamins.com. This post was probably the best  one I've seen on coconut oil. I hope you enjoy! This list is amazing and very helpful. 

**all images and info are from SwansonVitamins.com**

Cooking and Eating

1) Cooking at High Heat - Some oils are unsafe to cook with at high temperatures, coconut oil is a great alternative.

 

2) On Toast Instead of Butter - Simply use coconut oil instead of butter on your toast.

 

3) Eat it by the Spoonful - Coconut oil is that delicious and healthful. Enjoy one spoonful each morning.

 

4) Smoothies - Add one tablespoon of coconut oil into your favorite smoothie recipe and increase your energy with the oil's MCTs. Check out this post for the Top Smoothie Ingredients.

 

5) Fry Eggs - Lightly coat the bottom of your skillet with coconut oil to create a non-stick surface and delicious eggs.

 

6) Popping Popcorn - A sweet twist on a classic snack! To make stovetop popcorn, you need a heavy-bottomed pan. First, add the coconut oil and popcorn to the pot. Coat the area of the pot with the oil, and use just enough popcorn to make a single layer over the bottom of the pot. Give the pot a little shake to make sure all of the kernels are coated with oil. Next, place the pot over medium heat. Put the lid on the pot, leaving it slightly open so that steam can escape. It should take about five minutes for the popcorn to pop completely.

 

7) Popcorn Topping - Instead of butter, melt a little coconut oil and pour it over your popped popcorn. Then sprinkle lightly with Himalayan crystal salt.

8) Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice sweet potatoes to about 1/8” thick.  Place slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with coconut oil. Bake for about 15 minutes or until chips are lightly brown.  Add salt to taste, and serve with salsa or dip. (Or just eat them plain - either way they’re delicious!)

 

9) Replace Vegetable Oil for Baking - Next time you make your favorite brownie recipe, replace the vegetable oil with coconut oil. Your friends will be begging you for the recipe.

 

10) Pan Frying - Next time you fry up a batch of sweet potato fries or a piece of chicken, use coconut oil.

 

11) Grilled Cheese with Coconut Oil - No need for butter the next time you are making a grilled cheese sandwich. 

 

12) Coconut Oil Coffee - Adding a spoonful to your coffee is a delicious way to start your day with a huge energy boost! Here is a great recipe for coconut oil coffee.

 

13) Homemade Granola - Check out this delicious recipe for coconut granola.

 

14) A Spoonful in Tea - Allow some coconut oil to melt and mildly flavor your next cup of tea. 

 

15) Salad Dressings - A simple recipe for a salad dressing with coconut oil can be found here.

 

Not Hair: French Macarons

One of my friends got me hooked to French Macarons, not to be confused with Macaroons, that are made from coconut. There is a spot in DC called "The Sweet Lobby" that is tiny BUT packed with amazingness. I am so happy these little delights were brought to my attention because I really had no idea that they were this damn good! I blame Liz  and Amber for my new daily cravings of sugar (insert iPhone eye emoji here).

CharBaby and I packed up last Saturday with our good friend Safa and took a trip to The Sweet Lobby. All 3 of us were in love. Char did a great job holding the box for our fab photo too, lol! I got 6 Macarons for $10... YIKES and I ate them all in a matter of hours...DOUBLE YIKES. I will try not to go broke buying these fun and colorful goodies!

Oh, and I also got a cupcake topped with a Macarons. Needless to say, Saturday was SWEET!

How was your weekend? 

PS. Happy Belated Mother's Day. I really enjoyed mine. 

xoxo,

Alex

Wanna try out The Sweet Lobby? 

You definitely should take a trip if you live in the DMV:

404 8th St SE  Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-2404

Captured Curls: Justina

Fellow awesome blogger, Justina and her "JaFro" (lol) have been featured! I love Justina's Instagram and her hair is always super big and beautiful. I had to have her on the blog with her fab curlies. Read her short and sweet feature below. I am sure y'all will enjoy!

Please introduce yourself?

Hola! I'm Justina Blakeney, Designer, Maker & Mover, Shaker, blogger and mom. 

What is your current hair regimen?

Ever since I had my little one, my regimen is pretty non-existent. When I have time I brush it while it has tons of Herbal Essence conditioner in it, then I rinse and rub in a whole lot of Mixed Chicks leave-in-conditioner, then I towel try. I don't do anything special when I sleep, and I keep it up in a big-ass bun on the top of my head a lot to keep it out of my face and away from my little 9-month-old's fingers.

When you travel how do you care for your hair?
Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner--and a lot of time I wear it in two long braids. Done and done. 

How would you describe your hair type?
Jafro (jew fro + afro = jafro) AKA big, dry, loud and radical
Have you been a curly girl all your life?

 All my life, yup. Although it's been every length--from shaved off all together in college to now (it's the longest it's ever been--almost down to my booty when wet!)
Did you ever struggle with curly girl insecurities? 

Honestly no. I've always loved my big-ass head of hair!What makes you love your kinks, curls and coils?

When I feel like sh*t, I can always let my hair down and it makes me feel sexy, wild and free. yeah!Where can we find you on the web?

you asked for it!:

designer | blogger | tweeter | pinner

Is there anything else you want to share?

Shake what yo' mama gave you!

Healthy Hair: Coconut Milk Shampoo

(image credit)

Crazy for coconut? I think it's safe to say that I am and I have no shame in my game! I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest via eatgood4life.com and immediatley I knew I had to try this recipe. My hair really loves coconut milk and I love castile soap for my skin. I keep Dr. Bronner's on DECK!

I am not too sure how my hair is going to like being washed with D.B. soap but I think when I need a GOOD clarifying wash this would be a nice DIY shampoo to try.  Have any of you tried a mixture like this? Would you? What are your thoughts?

Here is the recipe from Eat Good 4 Life:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup castile soap (I used Dr. Brooner's brand)

30 drops essential oil (I used jasmine)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all the ingredients in an empty shampoo bottle or jar and shake. I used a funnel to pour ingredients in the empty bottle.

You can keep it in the shower for one to two months. Shake well before each use.

Recipe from one good thing by Jillie

Healthy Hair: Coconut Coffee Cream Conditioner for Dark Curls

(image credit)

Did you know that brewed coffee can be used on your hair to prevent shedding, aid in growth AND leave a nice tint/shine on dark hair hues? I love coffee and I usually drink a cup daily. When I heard about the hair benefits of using brewed coffee directly on my curls, I did some digging.

While poking around online and doing some research of my own I came up with an awesome deep conditioner that I wanted to share. In the warmer months my hair can get very dry and when that happens breakage can be at an all time high. Along with protective styling over the summer I will be taking extra time to DC about 2 times a month between styles. Coconut oil and milk will also be my very best friend as it is every year when the weather warms up. 

I think the below recipe will work great for my kinky coily haired girls (type 4). If you end up trying it  let me know! 

*Coffee does stain light hair so PLEASE keep that in mind if you are a blondie. This recipe is for brunettes and darker.*

Coconut Coffee Cream Conditioner

1/2 cup of coffee (keep hot to help melt the coconut oil, you will cool before using)

2 spoonfuls of  coconut oil

A few raw cocoa butter chips (melted)

1 cup of coconut milk

1/4 cup of coconut nectar

Blend the ingredients together and make sure that the coconut oil (if solid) has melted into the mixture.

Chill mix for an hour or overnight.

Apply to your hair in sections while smoothing from root to tip.

Cover with a plastic cap for as 30+ minutes.

Rinse and style as normal.

*If you are going to let the mix sit overnight, wash your hair the night before and DC the day after* 

xoxo,

Alex

Captured Curls: Temi

 Today's Captured Curls is actually the sister of a very close friend of mine. I am super excited to have her on the blog, her story is pretty awesome! I hope you all enjoy...

Please introduce yourself?

Hey! My name is Temi. I’m from Silver Spring, MD and I work in DC.

What is your current hair regimen?

Hmm, let’s see…I wash my hair once a week, usually on the weekends if I’m attempting to style it. I try to deep condition every other week.  I also co-wash mid-week when I’m wearing a wash and go. I usually finger detangle for wash and go’s and use a comb to detangle for twist outs.

When you travel how do you care for your hair?

I recently went to Maui for a week and had no idea what I was going to do with my hair! It ended up being pretty easy, I wore a wash and go/ puff for the entire trip. I ended up having to wash salt water out of my hair quite often but it didn’t seem to have a negative effect. I just made sure to finger detangle with lots of conditioner and seal in the moisture after every wash and it worked pretty well. My curls were poppin! Detangling when I returned from the trip was a different story though…

How would you describe your hair type?

Confused, lol. The back of my hair near the nape of my neck and around my ears is a semi-loose coil pattern.  A majority of it is tighter coils and curls mixed in with relentless frizz. The crown of my hair (a small patch of it on top) is a loose wave/ curl pattern.

TGHB x Kurlee Belle: Mommy & Me Giveaway

Kurlee Belle and I have teamed up for a special Mommy's Day giveaway and I cannot wait to see all the amazingness that comes out of this. To get the 411 on how to enter see below!

Have fun and Good luck,

Alex

Kurlee Belle & The Good Hair Blog Presents Mommy & Me Giveaway!

May is Mommy's month! We wanted to show our appreciation for all the mommies out there by doing a special giveaway.

How To Enter: 

You must be a mommy. 

Follow "@TheGoodHairBlog" and "@KurleeBelle" on Instagram and subscribe to our blogs: www.thegoodhairblog.com and www.kurleebelle.blogspot.com. 

Post a picture of yourself and your darling little one/ones with the hashtag #mommymeKBTGHB on Instagram.

If you are not on Instagram, send your pic to [email protected] with the subject "Mommy & Me Giveaway".

How It Works:

Your photo will be posted to Kurlee Belle's Instagram page. The photo that receives the most likes wins. To increase your chances of winning, tell your friends and family to like your photo. 

Winner will be chosen on May 10th. Contest starts May 1st. 

Prizes:

All Kurlee Belle Natural Hair Care Products: Almond & Shea Butter Moisturizing Shampoo, Thirsty Kurls Leave-In Conditioner, Kurl Defining Creme, Banana Nut & Avocado Deep Treatment, and Kurlee Tropical Oils Blend. 

I Love Kurlee Belle Tote Bag

Choice of KB T-shirt/Tank: Got Curls?, HNIC, Chic Classy Curly, or Kiss My Kurls.