By Assistant Editor Erica

I have a teeny obsession with beauty products, but in an effort to save my wallet and free up some storage space, I’ve been reaching into my kitchen pantry instead of skipping over to the store for my latest skincare fix. The biggest workhorse of them all is coconut oil. No longer content to just be eaten, here’s some ways coconut oil is a part of my beauty routine…

1. Face wash – I have combination, sensitive skin, and store-bought face washes left my skin too dry, too oily, or constantly breaking out. Now I wash with coconut oil, morning and night, and those problems have mostly vanished! Morning and night, I rub the oil onto dry skin and let it sit for a bit. In the morning, I’ll then wash it off in my morning shower, and at night, I rub a bit of baking soda on my face and use a “wash cloth” (a cut-up muslin blanket) to get off my makeup.

2. Makeup remover – If you aren’t ready to commit to cleansing with oil just yet, coconut oil also makes a great makeup remover, especially for mascara. Rub some on, leave it for a little bit, and then wipe it off. Ta-da!

3. Shaving cream – Coconut oil makes the best shaving cream, leaving your legs nick-free and silky-smooth. I haven’t used anything else in years.

4. Oil pulling – Have you tried oil pulling? In the morning, instead of brushing your teeth and flossing, you swish oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes. I tried for a month (still brushed my teeth afterwards, though) and loved it. I stopped because I’m always running late in the mornings, but I need to pick it back up. It’s a safe and effective way to whiten teeth!

5. Leave-in conditioner – My hair is naturally curly and also naturally dry. Therefore, after styling my hair, whether I wear it naturally or straight, I put a little bit of oil in my hands, let it melt, and then apply it to the ends of my hair. I notice a huge difference in how this makes my ends feel, especially in the winter.

6. Overnight hair mask – Every few weeks in the summer or every week in the winter, I like to apply an overnight hair mask using coconut oil. The night before I wash my hair, I massage coconut oil into my hair, focusing mostly on my scalp to remove gunk and on my ends to moisturize. To keep my pillow from getting too gross, I sleep with my hair in a high bun. In the morning, I’ll shampoo once or twice, depending on how much oil I applied to my hair. Last, I condition and style as normal, and my hair ends up silky smooth and soft to the touch.

7. Hair gel – I generally use an actual styling product, but coconut oil makes great hair gel in a pinch. Also, it’s the only “gel” I take when I travel. Same goes for coconut oil as body lotion because I loathe lugging around a ton of cosmetics on vacation. Just me?

8. Highlighter – Want the perfect summer makeup look? All you need is bronzer and coconut oil to give you sun-kissed contouring. In addition to bronzer on your hairline, jawline, and cheeks, dab a tiny amount of oil on the top of your cheekbones, brow bones, and cupid’s bow, and you are ready to roll.

9. Brow gel – I mostly use a brow pencil because I have the lightest eyebrows in history, but sometimes I’ll just put the teenest bit of coconut oil in my brows and brush it upwards to define and shape my brows. Quick and oh-so easy!

10. Lip balm/gloss – Coconut oil is moisturizing, shiny, and safe to eat, basically making it the best lip balm ever. Because let’s face it, we all end up eating our lip balms.

Also, this made me laugh. Any ways you use coconut oil in your beauty routine? I’m always looking for more tips!

(image above from Hello Glow with great ideas for coconut oil toothpaste and deodorant)