Welcome to my series, “What I’m into Wednesdays” (WII2W)! On Wednesdays, I’ll be taking a little time to go in-depth about products, concepts, or ideas that I’ve been “into” lately. Whatever it is that I’m into this week, hopefully it inspires you and you can get into it to!Lately I've been totally in love with coconuts! While I've always used coconut oil for my hair, lately I've been using coconut products for everything from cooking to moisturizing my skin. Here's how I've been using coconut products for my hair, skin, and body:

Hair

Coconut oil has long been a staple in natural hair care but for months now, I've been dying to try canned coconut milk as a hair treatment. Last week, while shopping at Trader Joe's, I came across these cans of coconut cream and knew I had to try it for my hair.

I think it was the "extra thick and rich" description on the can that got me. Since I've been wearing back-to-back wash n' go's, my hair has been dying for a deep, moisturizing treatment.

I ended up mixing the coconut cream with honey and olive oil for my hair treatment. Once I got the concoction into a smooth consistency, I plopped it on my wet, shampooed hair and let it sit for about an hour.

Results

My hair came out so soft! I don't know if it was the natural fat in the coconut cream that made my hair feel really lubricated or what, but it was super soft and smelled great! I was actually a little nervous as I was rinsing the cream out because it didn't have that "slippery" feeling that commercial conditioners have. Nevertheless, when I actually dried and styled my hair, my strands were very soft and somewhat fluffy even. I will definitely do this treatment again.

Skin

Years ago, I exclusively used coconut oil in place of body lotion. While I loved how smooth my skin was and how "tropical" I smelled, my back ended up breaking out really bad from the constant use. I later found out that coconut oil is high on the comedogenic scale, meaning it will clog pores.Bummed that I couldn't have tropical-smelling skin any more, I searched for new body oil/cream for months! A few months ago, I found my saving grace at Trader Joe's (yet again!) with their Coconut Body Butter.

At $4.99 a pop, this stuff is the bomb! It smells delicious and works great, especially if you put it on right after getting out of the shower. It is moisturizing without being greasy and best of all, I having had any breakouts since using it.

The main ingredients in the product are coconut oil, glycerin, Shea butter, aloe vera juice, vitamin E, and a ton of different extracts, many of which are organic. I like that the formulation "cuts" the coconut oil with other butters and oils; I think this is the reason I haven't broken out. The only thing I don't like about the ingredients is that it is not completely natural. As you can see from above, it lists a fair amount of fatty alcohols and preservatives. Because of this, I'm still on the hunt for a coconut-based moisturizer that is truly all natural but until I find it, this $5 product is serving me just fine.

Body

In addition to slathering coconut products on my hair and skin, I've been guzzling it for a healthy body by adding coconut milk and coconut water to my green smoothies. I find that these smoothies give me energy during the day while keeping my cravings down. Smoothies have been instrumental in powering my workouts and helping me keep my weight in check.

Coconut milk is my main dairy alternative, as regular milk is hard on my digestion. I use the boxed kind of coconut milk vs the canned kind because it contains more water and is way lower in fat and calories. I really like coconut water as well because it tastes great and is high in potassium, which I like to think gives my morning smoothies an extra "punch."

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Talk to Me:

Are you into coconuts? How and what do you use them for? Leave a comment and let me know!

(top photo via)