10 Surprising Ways to Use Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is definitely having a moment. From the kitchen to the beauty aisle, the white stuff is being touted as a miracle cure-all. But be honest: Do you know what to do with it? We’ve rounded up some of the most useful—and unusual—uses for coconut oil:

COOKING OIL SUBSTITUTE

Though coconut oil contains close to 90 percent saturated fat, it’s a medium-chain fatty acid, which your body burns quickly. It also acts as a blood sugar stabilizer as well as disease and fungus fighter. Use raw, cold pressed coconut oil for best results.

INSECT REPELLENT

In lieu of dowsing yourself with DEET filled repellent, try mixing coconut oil with peppermint, tea tree, or rosemary essential oils and applying to skin before heading outside. Bet you didn’t know coconut oil could be used for that! Bugs be gone!

DEODORANT

If you’re looking for an alternative to deodorants containing aluminum, try rubbing a small amount of coconut oil into your underarms, it’s just another one of the many uses for coconut oil.

DANDRUFF RELIEF

A little goes a long way when using coconut oil. For fewer flakes, massage one to two tablespoons of oil into your scalp. Wait 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse.

MAKEUP REMOVER

Dampen a washcloth or cotton face pad with warm water, add a dime-sized amount of coconut oil, then wipe your face. The oil and water tag-team to break down the water and oil soluble compounds on your visage. It even takes off waterproof mascara!

TOOTHPASTE

Mix a little coconut oil and baking soda together for a whitening combo. It seems like a weird concept to brush with oil, but the result will leave you with polished, pearly whites. A pretty awesome use for coconut oil!

LIP BALM

Rubbing a tiny amount of coconut oil on your lips will keep them moisturized for a surprisingly long time. Bonus—they’ll smell great too.

COFFEE CREAMER

Looking for away to cut dairy out of your morning coffee routine? Try using coconut oil, it gives coffee a rich, creamy flavor with a hint of tropical aroma. One to two teaspoons of oil mixed into your mug should be plenty.

BUTTER SUBSTITUTE

Uses for coconut oil include but are not limited to: drizzling it on your popcorn, spreading it on your toast, or substituting it in baking recipes. (Using raw, fresh-pressed coconut oil will yield the most flavorful results.)

MOISTURIZER

Coconut oil is said to prevent and visibly reduce stretch marks as well as decrease the appearance of cellulite. Just another one of the many uses for coconut oil!

Source:

http://www.takepart.com/

How to Clean Your Liver with 5 Natural Liver-Cleansing Tips

Your liver is like the maid of your body, cleaning up all the toxins you put into it, and therefore keeping all internal systems running smoothly. The modern diet, environmental pollutants, and our increasing dependence on toxic personal care products have put our livers on serious overtime. For this reason, it’s important to know how to clean your liver thoroughly and effectively – oh, and naturally.

Your liver works to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances that we’ve eaten, inhaled, or rubbed on our bodies. When it is overworked—as it is in many modern adults—or when you are under a significant amount of physical or even mental stress, your liver can struggle to keep up.

“THE THOUSANDS OF ENZYME SYSTEMS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VIRTUALLY EVERY BODY ACTIVITY ARE CONSTRUCTED IN THE LIVER,” EXPLAINS DR. KARL MARET, M.D. “THE PROPER FUNCTIONING OF THE EYES, THE HEART, THE BRAIN, THE GONADS, THE JOINTS, AND THE KIDNEYS ARE ALL DEPENDENT ON GOOD LIVER ACTIVITY. IF THE LIVER IS IMPAIRED FROM CONSTRUCTING EVEN ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF ENZYME SYSTEMS THE BODY REQUIRES, THERE IS AN IMPAIRMENT IN OVERALL BODY FUNCTION AND A RESULTANT GREATER METABOLIC STRESS ON THE INDIVIDUAL.”

How to Clean Your Liver – No Products Required

So, what can you do about it? Well, you could try a quality liver detox supplement, or you could use some items found at your local health food store, your grocery store, or even some that are already in your kitchen. Here is how to clean your liver with 5 common food items.

• 1. Warm Lemon Water – Warm lemon water is a great way to detox your liver every single morning. This isn’t lemonade, so don’t add sugar or anything else. Just purified water and a healthy dose of fresh lemon juice. Some experts, like author A.F. Beddoe who wrote the book Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, also believe that the liver produces more enzymes in response to water with lemon than to any other food.

• 2. Garlic – Add some garlic to your cooking or thinly slice a clove into your next salad. Garlic contains sulfur compounds that can help activate enzymes in the liver. It contains allicin and selenium, which are both good for liver protection.

• 3. Avocados – As if you need another reason to add avocados to your diet, a Japanese study found that avocados contain compounds that can protect the liver from damage. When compared with 21 other fruits, avocados had the most promise in protecting the liver from galactosamine, a “powerful” toxin that has been shown to produce a liver damage much like human viral hepatitis.

• 4. Cilantro – This versatile herb can be added to just about any dish, including salads or smoothies. This herb can help remove heavy metals from the body, something your liver could be struggling with right now.

• 5. Turmeric – Another powerful spice with a long list of benefits, turmeric is said to not only protect the liver from damage, but also encourage regeneration of liver cells. In addition, it increases natural bile production and aids in keeping the body toxin-free.

Cleansing your liver is crucial, so don’t hesitate to incorporate these liver-cleansing solutions right now. For more on how to clean your liver, check out these 4 natural liver cleansing foods outlined by Anthony Gucciardi.

Sources:

Natural Society

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7 Survival Life Hacks that could save your life.

In today’s technology-driven world, most people wouldn’t know how to find their way around without their smartphone, purify their water without a Brita filter, or cook a meal without a stove or microwave. Because modern innovations have made once difficult tasks simple, it’s hard to trust ourselves to know what to do if we were without 21st century amenities.

So, the next time you venture into the wilderness, take the Boy Scout motto to heart…always be prepared! Watch the video below and learn how to make a solar powered microwave, a makeshift compass, a soda can oil lamp, and many more need to know survival hacks.