In her latest book, The Recipe for Radiance: Discover Beauty’s Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen, beauty expert Alexis Bean shares over 100 tips from the world’s best beauty experts on how to use foods-inside and out-to create healthy, glowing skin.
With coconut oil and oil pulling being a hot topic in the news this summer, we asked Alexis what her thoughts were on using coconut oil for skin care.
“What can’t it be used for?”, Alexis says. “Coconut oil can be used for everything—from eye makeup remover, to a base for an exfoliating scrub for your face or body, to an anti-acne face cream and more. It’s quite versatile, and easy on the skin.”
Below are Alexis’ top 10 beauty tips for using coconut oil in your daily skin regimen. Tell us which ones you like the best!
Remove Waterproof Eye Makeup. Gently rub coconut oil over eye makeup and use a cotton round to remove both the oil and the makeup. Repeat until the cotton round is clean. Leave residue to moisturize the gentle eye area. It not only dissolves even the most stubborn waterproof eye makeup, but also keeps your eyes perfectly moisturized too.
Banish Blemishes. After cleansing, apply a small amount of anti-bacterial coconut oil to your face to curb sebum production and fight acne. Your body will think your skin has all the oil it needs and stop producing the pore-clogging kind of oil while simultaneously fighting the bacteria on the surface of your skin.
Fight Fine Lines. Use coconut oil as an anti-aging eye cream to fight fine lines with its hydrating and exfoliating properties.
Banish Behind-The-Arm Bumps. If you suffer from small white or red bumps on the backs of your arms, apply coconut oil twice a day. The lauric acid will help to gently exfoliate them away.
Get A Closer Shave. Apply coconut oil to dry legs, underarms or bikini line before getting in the shower or bath. Shave, as usual.
Scrub Away Dull Skin. Mix 2 tablespoons coconut oil with 1/4 cup sugar to create the perfect body scrub.
Soothe Sunburned Skin. Scotched by the sun’s rays? Apply coconut oil to burned skin to soothe discomfort, prevent peeling, fight infection, and encourage faster cell turnover.
Whiten Teeth. Vigorously swish a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth for 2 minutes before spitting out to break down plaque and whiten your teeth.
Absorb More Vitamins. Drizzle coconut oil over vegetables to ensure you’re absorbing all the fat-soluble vitamins in the healthiest way.
Boost Metabolism. The saturated fats in coconut oil have been shown to help burn belly fat and boost your metabolism. Swap out butter for coconut oil and you’ll feel and look healthier in no time.
About the Author:
Alexis Wolfer is the founder and editor-in-chief of TheBeautyBean.com, an online women’s magazine founded in January of 2010 to bring women their beauty, fashion, fitness and wellness fix in a way that makes them feel better about themselves. Over the past 4 years, Alexis has become a well-known beauty, fashion and lifestyle expert, as seen on the Today Show, E!, The Doctors, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX as well as in print outlets from WWD to AOL, CNN.com to Oprah.com, Teen Vogue to Star Magazine and even the United Kingdom’s leading newspaper, The Independent.
When it comes to her own beauty routine, you’re just as likely to find her in the kitchen whipping up homemade beauty remedies with food as you are in her bathroom testing out all the latest products on the market.
Alexis’ latest book, The Recipe for Radiance: Discover Beauty’s Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen
Find it on Amazon.com
