coconut oil smoothies. If you’ve got a blender, it’s really easy to get your daily fill of coconut.  Here’s a very basic recipe: Ingredients: One banana One orange Five strawberries 3 tablespoons of liquefied virgin coconut oil 1/2 cup of almond milk. Put it all in the blender and blend well. Soon you will start to feel the amazing health benefits that coconut oil will bring. Depending on each person’s make up, you have to watch the sugar, even when it comes from fruits. So when we add coconut oil, it helps ward off those swings by slowing down the digestion of the sugars. The last thing I would like to touch on about coconut oil is that it reaps so many beauty benefits. All you need is virgin coconut oil and you’re all set to glow! It can be used as a deep conditioner. Coconut oil rebalances hair proteins and penetrates the hair shaft to moisturize and protect against environmental damage. It can even take care of the frizzies. All you have to do is put a drop of coconut oil between your palms and then rub your fingers through your hair gently. Coconut oil is great for dandruff and other scalp problems. It has effective antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. All you have to do is massage it into your scalp for five minutes, or as long as you like and then shampoo thoroughly.  It’s also great for pre-maturing grey hair. Take a bunch of curry leaves and grind them with a little water to make a paste, add this paste to two cups of coconut oil and heat the mixture until all the moisture evaporates. After it cools, store in a bottle. Massage hair with it for 2-3 nights. On the fourth night, leave it overnight for added potency. Another great coconut oil tip… got gum in your hair? Slather it with coconut oil, let it soak for a couple of hours and the sticky stuff will slide right out! For parched flaky skin add some sea salt to coconut oil and use it as a body scrub.  Coconut oil makes a great shaving cream, too. It will help smooth hair follicles for a closer, smoother shave. Another great use for coconut oil is a cellulite cream. Mix together 1 cup of coconut oil, 1 cup of jojoba oil, 20 drops of cypress essential oil, 20 drops of Jupiter essential oil and 10 drops of lavender essential oil.  Massage into to the affected areas of the body and leave overnight. A great summer time tip is use coconut oil as an after sun body lotion. Take one cup of cocoa butter, 1/2 cup coconut oil and 4 teaspoons of sweet almond oil. Place all the ingredients in a double boiler over medium heat until the butter is melted. Pour into a jar and allow to cool. Massage a small amount over body immediately after sun exposure to soothe sun parched skin. The last tip that I will leave you with is for cuts and scrapes. Coconut oil forms a thin antiseptic in antibacterial layer that protects wounds from dust and germs. It speeds up the healing process. So slather a bit of coconut oil on a scrape, scratch or small cut and your wound to may heal faster and resist infection. As a bonus, it also helps reduce the chance of scarring. There are so many more tips that I haven’t even covered. Everyone is talking about it, even Dr. Oz! Here is his recipe:

Dr. Pina’s Pina Colada

Ingredients: 20 g protein powder, 3 ounces low-fat coconut milk, 3 ounces pineapple juice, 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks or ice. Directions: Blend all ingredients together and serve. If you’ve never use coconut oil, don’t be afraid to give it a chance!  Go forth and be brave. Coconut oil may change your life. Views:]]>