How Coconut Oil Can Improve Your Kids' Health

More and more is being discovered about the nutritional power of coconuts, specifically the transformative powers of coconut oil. Coconut oil is good for every part of your body and once you've discovered all its uses you'll start thinking of it as a miracle oil.

Why is coconut oil good for you?

Coconut oil is actually the most nutritious oil you can use in your cooking and anywhere else you would use oil. Whereas vegetable oil contains almost entirely long-chain fatty acids which take our system a long time to absorb coconut oil contains mostly medium-chain fatty acids which are absorbed quickly to provide an instant energy boost. Coconut oil is also absorbed more quickly by skin.

Another important factor is the combination of fats. Because coconut oil contains monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats it can provide energy to different parts of your body at different times.

Coconut oil also contains flavonoids and polyphenols, antioxidants which get rid of free radicals in the bloodstream and prevent plaques from developing on your arteries.

It is absolutely crucial to get virgin coconut oil. The processes used to make cheaper coconut oil products strip away most or all of the nutritional benefits of coconut oil, making it as unhealthy as regular vegetable. Virgin coconut oil is expensive but it's well worth the price. If you've been using a cheaper processed coconut oil switch today. You'll notice the difference right away.

How can coconut oil be used to help your kids?

Cooking with coconut oil is a great way to give yourself and your kids a big energy boost but there are many other ways you can use coconut oil to help your kids. It's particularly wonderful for infants because it has so many uses and it won't hurt them if they accidentally eat some. In many cases it can also be used to solve similar issues in family members of all ages.

Try using coconut oil for these things:

1.Removing the itch from bug bites

Spring and summer are great but bug bites are absolutely awful and itchy kids aren't happy kids. For a regular mosquito bite you only need 6-12 drops to stop the itching. If you rub the coconut oil in properly it should also reduce the swelling and speed up the healing process a little bit. You can do this a few times a day for consistent relief.

2.Preventing scars

If your kid gets burnt you can make your own home remedy help promote healing and prevent scars by rubbing coconut oil on the burn immediately. Rub it on the burnt area twice a day until the burn disappears completely. Small burns will only require a few drops a day as long as you have high quality virgin oil. Coconut oil will also help reduce the visibility of already existing scars and is particularly effective at dealing with acne scars.

3.Baby acne

Regular skin treatment with coconut oil is excellent for getting rid of pesky baby acne. Virgin coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid and vitamin E. The lauric acid is a well known anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral, while the vitamin E nourishes skin and encourages new growth. You'll want to put a hot wash cloth over the affected area to open the skin, then rub coconut oil directly onto the affected area. Let the oil absorb for 15 minutes, then wipe their face again with a second warm wash cloth.

The best part of this treatment is that it doesn't only work on babies—your teenage kids and even you will love this treatment next time there's a break out.

4.Chicken pox

Liberal use of coconut oil can dramatically reduce itching, swelling and even the duration of the illness. Apply just a few drops to the worst spots. You can also get coconut oil supplements to make sure your kids are getting the right dosage of healthy fats in theirs system even if they're only eating chicken broth.

5.Diaper rash salve

Next time the little one gets a diaper rash apply coconut oil liberally to the affected area immediately after you clean it. This will greatly reduce the redness, itching and swelling, giving your baby the maximum level of comfort they can have while they're healing. Find out more about how coconut oil can be used against diaper rash here.

6.Hang nails

When you remove a hang nail apply coconut oil liberally to the area afterwards to reduce redness and pain. You can do this once or twice a day to speed up the healing process. This also works for other small hand injuries.

7.Teething pain reliever

Teething is a rough time for everyone involved and you definitely don't want to be using strange manmade chemicals to alleviate the suffering but something has to be done. Soak the tip of your index finger in coconut oil and rub it along your kid's gums to help relieve the pain. Do this a couple times a day.

8.Head lice

Coconut oil is very similar to the oils already in your hair so there's no risk of damaging your hair the way most chemicals used to treat lice are. Coconut oil works by making it more difficult for the lice to keep their grip on your kid's hair. Rub a little bit of coconut oil into the roots before your initial comb so it's pulled through your hair with the comb. After carefully combing through and washing out as many of the lice as you can apply liberal amounts of coconut oil to your kid's hair, working it from root to tip. Leave it in overnight for best effects. You can find step-by-step instructions for treating lice with coconut oil here.

9.Sunscreen

You don't have to wait until your kid has actually been burnt to get the benefits of coconut oil. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil to your regular sunscreen and apply as liberally as you would normally apply sunscreen. This will make the sunscreen stronger and give it a somewhat longer lifespan, but you should always remember to take the bottle with you on big days out.

10.Hair tamer

Does your kid have wild hair that's always getting tangled or falling into their eyes? It really doesn't have to be this way. Ideally coconut oil should be used as a conditioner after your kid's hair is thoroughly washed. The coconut oil should be left in their hair for at least half an hour so all the nutrients are absorbed properly. Coconut oil is also great for kids who are trying to grow their hair long or teenagers(or you) trying to protect their hair from dye damage. You can find out more about how to use coconut oil for hair here.

These are only a handful of the ways you can use coconut oil to improve your kids' health. Over 300 different uses for coconut oil have been documented to date and more research is coming out all the time. A single bottle of virgin coconut oil can replace dozens of household products. And who knows, you might even be able to find a new use for it.