The Secret Ingredient: Coconut Oil

Introducing our newest monthly feature: “The Secret Ingredient!” We’ll be showcasing a mix of popular and not-so-well-known power-player ingredients found in your favorite products and detailing their benefits, unveiling some fun facts, and sharing products and treatments you can find them in! To kick things off we’re highlighting an ingredient that is seriously having a moment right now: coconut oil. The first word that comes to mind when thinking about coconut oil is “versatile.” From pulling, to cooking, to using for just about every type of DIY beauty trick in the book – this powerhouse ingredient can be used for just about anything!

The edible oil (which is great for cooking and baking) is extracted from the meat of ripe coconuts and while it has many health benefits such as its ability to help our bodies resist viruses and bacteria, improve thyroid function and digestion, as well as give us a boost of antioxidants, it’s also a powerful ingredient in many beauty products! From shampoos and conditioners to body lotions and cosmetics, coconut oil, or cocos nucifera as it’s listed on the back of some of our favorite products, is wonderful for adding and locking in serious moisture to our skin and hair, working as a natural antibacterial and anti-fungal to help to beat acne and other skin conditions, and frankly, it smells really great! We wanted to showcase 4 of the products we love that use this “secret ingredient” in order to deliver amazing results!

RMS Living Luminizer – In my humble opinion, makeup is never fully finished until you add a highlighter and this one from RMS is an all-natural option that illuminates the skin using, you guessed it… coconut oil! The Living Luminizer gives your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose, and brow bones (plus, anywhere else you place it) a sheer, radiant glow with a pearl finish. Thanks to the coconut oil it looks more like your inner radiance shining through, as opposed to an artificial glittery look that some highlighters have. $38.00; rmsbeauty.com

Red Flower Berry White Peat Bioactive Exfoliant – Red Flower helps to exfoliate both the face and body with this gentle exfoliator. Not only does it contain saponified coconut oil which is rich in fatty acids, vitamin E, linoleic and oleic acids it also uses carefully sourced arctic white peat from Finland which helps to restore the skin’s moisture balance. $66; redflower.com

ALTERNA Bamboo Beach Mango Coconut Refreshing Dry Shampoo – While coconut oil is fantastic for adding moisture to skin, I love it for adding hydration to hair! Dry Shampoo is a must for me in the summer months and this one works wonders and smells amazing. Plus, thanks to the coconut oil your hair never has that chalky look that oftentimes is an inevitable consequence of dry shampoos, instead its just soft, silky, clean hair! $20; sephora.com

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush™ Moisture Extreme Body Buttercream – Keep skin smooth and supple with this ultra-hydrating body butter that has an invigorating lime smell! The cream uses shea and cocoa butters with almond and, of course, coconut oils along with lime, kiwi-juice, and lime-tree-blossom extract – making is perfect for the summer months! $22; sephora.com