Sunday, January 25, 2015

Coconut oil- The latest craze


Coconut oil: You may have been hearing it talked about lately. You may know a lot about it or you may be totally puzzled about it or you may be like me and want to learn about it. I have been using coconut oil for a few months for different things and I am constantly hearing new ways to use it. So I ran across this list posted on a friends Facebook page so I borrowed it. Check out the list and feel free to also do your own research as well.


 80 TOTALLY AWESOME USES FOR COCONUT OIL 

 Personal Hygiene/Body:
1. Moisturizer – simply scoop some out of the jar and apply all over your body, including neck and face.
2. Eye cream – apply under the eyes to reduce puffiness, bags, and wrinkles. Use on the lids in the evening.
3. Preshave – coconut oil will prep skin for the pending damage caused by shaving.
4. Aftershave – coconut oil will help heal your skin after shaving without clogging pores.
5. Deodorant – coconut oil alone can be used as a deodorant, but even more effective in combination with cornstarch/arrowroot powder and baking soda!
6. Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment - use as a leave in hair conditioner by applying a teaspoon of coconut oil to your ends and then running your fingers through your hair to distribute the rest! For a deeper treatment, rub in a tablespoon of coconut oil onto your dry scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put a shower cap on to prevent transfer onto bed linens and leave on overnight.
7. Hair Gel/Defrizzer – rub a little between your palms and either scrunch into hair (for curly hair) or finger comb in through from scalp to ends (for wavy/straight hair).
8. Toothpaste – there are numerous recipes out there but I just mix coconut oil and baking soda and dab a little of the mix on my toothbrush.
9. Make up remover – use a cotton swab and a dab of coconut oil and you would be amazed at how well it works!
10. Chapstick – just rub a little into lips and it not only acts as a softening agent but it also has an SPF of about 4 so you get a little protection!
11. Massage Oil – pretty simple; grab some and rub!
12. Lubricant – it is an all natural, perfectly safe personal lubricant. Not compatible with latex!
13. Sunscreen
14. Stretch Mark Cream – coconut oil is great at nourishing damaged skin. It may not be the magic stretch mark cure but it will help.
15. Nipple Cream – works great to nourish cracked, sore, or dry nipples. Apply to a cotton ball and leave on your nipples between feedings.
16. Diaper salve – very comforting on a rashy bum with no harsh chemicals. Also safe for cloth diapers.
17. Cradle cap – having issues with dry skin on your baby’s scalp? Coconut oil will not only nourish your baby’s skin, it also helps eliminate cradle cap. Just rub a teaspoon onto scalp daily.
18. Body scrub – mix coconut oil and sugar together and rub all over! Rinse off and your skin will be super soft! You can add in essential oils if you would like a specific smell.
19. Healing - when applied on scrapes and cuts, coconut oil forms a thin, chemical layer which protects the wound from outside dust, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil speeds up the healing process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues. Plus, it smells a heck-of-a-lot better than anything from the pharmacy.
20. Bug Bites – when applied directly to a bug bite, coconut oil can stop the itching and burning sensation as well as hasten the healing process.
21. Skin problems – coconut oil relieves skin problems such as psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.
22. Swimmers Ear – mix garlic oil and coconut oil and put a few drops in affected ear for about 10 minutes. Do this 2-3 times a day and it usually works within one or two days.

General Health and Wellness
23. Stress Relief - relieve mental fatigue by applying coconut oil to the head in a circular, massaging motion. The natural aroma of coconuts is extremely soothing thus helping to lower your stress level.
24. Digestion - the saturated fats in coconut oil have anti-bacterial properties that help control, parasites, and fungi that cause indigestion and other digestion related problems such as irritable bowel syndrome. The fat in coconut oil also aids in the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making you healthier all around.
25. Fitness - coconut oil has been proven to stimulate your metabolism, improve thyroid function, and escalate energy levels, all of which help decrease your unwanted fat, while increasing muscle.
26. Nose bleeds - coconut oil can prevent nose bleeding that is caused by sensitivity to weather such as extreme hotness and extreme coldness. This condition happens when the nasal passages become dry because of cold or dry air resulting to burns and cracks in the mucus membranes so bleeding happens. To prevent this just put coconut oil in you nostrils. Coat your finger with coconut oil and then lie down and coat your finger inside your nose. Doing this will strengthen and protect the capillaries in the nasal passages. A Vitamin C supplement will also help prevent nose bleeding.
27. For breastfeeding moms, consuming 3 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil daily will enrich your milk supply.
28. Helps with weight loss & controlling cravings.
29. Helps keep blood sugar levels stable and/or helps with cravings in those with diabetes.
Health Problems (that coconut oil is known for aiding, relieving, or even curing when taken internally)
30. Eczema – in addition to taking it internally, many have success applying it externally, some don't
31. Skin problems
32. Toenail fungus
33. Hot flashes
34. Bleeding hemorrhoids (can also be applied externally twice a day)
35. HIV
36. Head lice
37. Improvements in menstruation regarding pain/cramps and heavy blood flow
38. Migraines (with regular use)
39. Mononucleosis
40. Parasites
41. Thrush
42. Relieve gallbladder pain
43. Has helped some people improve symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland, results have shown subsequent thyroid blood tests becoming normal
44. Energy boost
45. Flaky, dry skin
46. May relieve acid reflux and indigestion when taken with each meal
47. Adrenal fatigue
48. Alzheimers
49. H. pylori
50. Candida albicans
51. Asthma, even in children
52. Autism
53. Cholesterol - improves HDL ('good' cholesterol) to LDL ('bad' cholesterol) ratio in people with high cholesterol
54. Chronic fatigue
55. Circulation/feeling cold all the time
56. Stronger immune system
57. Mental Clarity
58. Depression
59. Helps with inflammation in Crohns

Health Problems (that coconut oil is known for aiding, relieving, or even curing when applied topically)
60. Athletes foot
61. Back pain/sore muscles
62. Canker sores
63. Acne
64. Cellulite
65. Herpes (applied topically and taken internally)
66. Genital warts (through topical application over 6 weeks, and coconut oil enemas twice a day depending on the location of the warts)
67. Circumcision healing – although I am personally against circumcision, I have read that coconut oil is a really great healer for this.

Cooking
68. Use 1 cup to 1 cup ratio when replacing other oils/butter in recipes with coconut oil.
69. Replacement for butter/lard/Crisco/PAM in it’s solid form – greasing pans, pie crusts, etc.
70. Replacement for various oils in liquid form – baking, cooking, sautéing, etc.
71. Nutritional supplement – melt and add to smoothies.


Other Uses
72. Insect repellent – mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with Deet! Tons safer too.
73. Great for dogs and cats for general wellness. Just add a teaspoon to their water bowl daily.
74. Goo Gone - just mix equal parts coconut oil and baking soda into a paste. Apply to the “sticky” area and let it set for a minute. Then scrub off with an old toothbrush or the scrubby side of a sponge.
75. Chewing Gum in Hair Remover – just rub some coconut oil over the stuck chewing gum, leave in for about 30 minutes, then roll the gum between your fingertip. Voila! It’s out!
76. Polish Furniture - coconut oil with a little bit of lemon juice to polish wood furniture. However, I recommend you test it first on a very small, unobtrusive part of your furniture to make sure it works the way you’d like.
77. Polishing Bronze - all you have to do is rub a little oil into a cotton towel and then wipe down the statue. It cleans and helps deepen the color of your bronze.
78. Seasoning animal hide drums
79. Seasoning cookware
80. Moisturizing and cleaning leather products








Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Love and War...It Happens in Marriage

John and Stasi Eldredge have written a winner in the book Love and War. I was blessed to receive 2 copies from Blogging for Books so my husband read one as well. I have taken a long time to write this review but I want everyone to know what a great book this is.
It is a must read for couples. They put their lives out there and let people see into their marriage. It addresses issues that you would not realize occur in marriage. It also addresses sex in marriage and how important it is in order to have a healthy marriage. I must say however that was my husband's favorite chapter!!!
The book also teaches you how to fight because, lets get real here, everybody fights. It teaches you to fight fair and how to resolve issues.
Whether your marriage is in trouble or not this book is a great one to have on hand. It would also make a great wedding gift for new couples so they can know what they are getting into. Since I received this book I have found out they they have written a study guide as well as a couples devotional book to accompany this one.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A Must Read for Mom's of Teen Girls

I must admit I was a little nervous when I requested to review What Are You Waiting For ? By Dannah Gresh. Once I received the book and dove in I discovered a treasure. It is a wonderful, straightforward, cover the hard topics book. Dannah addresses things we MUST discuss with out teenage daughters. After completing the book I gave it to my 17 year old daughter to read. She not only read it she took notes! Read it first Moms then read it with your girls.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankowski

Under the Overpass is a must read. After hearing a convicting sermon one Sunday morning in church Mike Yankowski decided to live out his faith. Be the Christian you say you are…this thought rang in his mind so much so that he had to do something about it. After much prayer and counsel of friends, Mike decided to hit the road and live among the homeless. He knew he shouldn’t go it alone so God brought Sam into the picture.

It all started with each man living in a homeless shelter among other homeless men in a rehab program. They lived in separate shelters in Denver. Once they had “learned the ropes” they met up and headed to D.C. From there they went to Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego and then finally home. They spent about a month in each city, meeting very interesting people along the way.

The church could learn a hard lesson from this book. Sometimes we are judgmental even in our outreach. Granted we should not hand every person that we encounter money but we still can help. We can meet a need with a meal or a cup of cold water. We can tell them that God loves them, but what we really need to do is show them. Don’t condemn them for their circumstances ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and be the Christian you say you are.

You won’t be able to put the book down and when you finish it you will want more. Be ready to be convicted and at the same time develop a desire to minister to the homeless.

Friday, January 2, 2009

New Year Challenge

I know I am a little behind in my posting and in a few days I will (hopefully) do an update post. But for now thanks to Beth I issued a challenge to myself and my daughters. We are joining Beth and thousands of Siestas in memorizing scripture. You can still jump in if you would like. We are going to memorize 2 scriptures per month. We will be choosing a scripture on the 1st and 15th of each month. Everybody will memorize whatever scripture they are let to memorize. Here is the one I chose for the 1st (actually the 2nd) of January.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed says the LORD who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV

By the end of the year I should have memorized 24 scriptures. Then I can honestly say to God: Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Saturday, November 29, 2008

PHAREWELL PHIL

I would like to take a moment and bid a fond farewell to Phil Fulmer. Thanks for going out on a win. UT 28 Kentucky 10.
Pharewell Phil ........it's been a wild ride !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving !!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving ! Be sure to count your blessings today and give God thanks.

Blessings,

Cecelia