5 DIY Beauty Recipes You Can Make with Coconut Oil

We’ll never stop buying beauty products (we can’t help ourselves), but there’s something to be said for a great DIY beauty recipe. Coconut oil is one of our favorite ingredients to play with: Not only is it super hydrating and nourishing on its own, but it also makes a great foundation for countless recipes when combined with, well, everything under the sun. Let’s just say it plays well with others. For these five recipes we used the USDA certified organic 100% raw, cold pressed coconut oil Vita Coco Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, which makes a great choice for these DIYs and more. Let’s get started!

Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard; Graphic Design by Rolando Robinson

Coconut Scalp Treatment

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of grapefruit juice

Scalp treatments are excellent for removing product build-up, treating dandruff, and stimulating hair growth, and this all-natural version makes a great alternative to clarifying products, which can be super drying, especially on damaged hair. Combine your ingredients in a small bowl and use a spoon or whisk to blend them well. For theapplication process, start on dry hair. Use your hair brush to create a center part, then apply the mixture to your scalp with a brush or cotton ball until it covers the entire scalp. Give your scalp a good massage, rubbing your fingertips in small circular motions, and leave the treatment on for approximately twenty minutes before hopping in the shower to shampoo the treatment out.

Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard; Graphic Design by Rolando Robinson

Coffee Coconut Scrub

Ingredients:
1 cup coffee grinds
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup sugar

A good exfoliating body scrub can mean the difference between itchy, rough legs and silky smooth skin. For this scrub, the coffee and sugar particles act as exfoliants, while the coconut oil replaces the moisture back into your skin. In a small bowl, combine a single cup of unused coffee grinds with a half cup of coconut oil and a quarter cup of sugar. Mix the ingredients until they are reduced to a pasty texture, then put your mixture into a resealable jar so it’s ready for your next shower! You can even use it on dry skin before showering for a serious exfoliating rubdown.

Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard; Graphic Design by Rolando Robinson

Hand Scrub

Ingredients:
1 tbsp of coconut oil
2 tbsp of honey
¼ cup of sea salt
¼ cup of sugar
1 tbsp of lemon juice

We spend much more time tending to our bodies and faces than our hands, which can be a rookie mistake come cold weather, when the brisk temperatures can call for some serious dryness and peeling. Just as moisturizing matters, so does exfoliation, which helps to shed dry, dead skin and allow hydrating ingredients to better penetrate. In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir in a quarter cup of sea salt and a quarter cup of sugar until you’ve created a thick paste-like consistency. Apply to your hands while in the shower or under a faucet—this one can get a little messy. Massage the mixture on both the palms and backs of your hands for around 30 seconds, then rinse for smooth, touchable hands.

Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard; Graphic Design by Rolando Robinson

Deep Conditioner

Ingredients:
½ banana
2 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Coconut oil makes a great hair treatment on its own, but combined with other super hydrating ingredients like banana and honey, it packs a seriously beneficial punch, especially on dry and damaged hair. Start by mashing up half of a banana in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and a tablespoon of coconut oil, preferably already melted down into liquid form, and stir until you’ve created a thick liquid paste. You can eitherapply it in the shower or on dry hair, but if you’re going for the latter route then be sure to apply over the sink or tub—it drips! Allow the mixture to sit in your hair for a minimum of ten minutes before shampooing out.

Photo by Tiffany Hagler-Geard; Graphic Design by Rolando Robinson

Gentle Shampoo

Ingredients:
1 cup organic shampoo base
1 tablespoon coconut oil
10-20 drops of your essential oil of choice (we used lemon!)

You can use any organic liquid shampoo base for this recipe, and there are plenty to choose from! Start with one cup of your shampoo base, then add a tablespoon of the coconut oil, which helps to counteract the drying effects of hair-washing by nourishing and protecting the scalp. Stir the coconut oil into the base, then finish off by adding several drops of your essential oil of choice. You can add as little or as much as you want, depending on if you want a strongly scented shampoo or something a little bit lighter. Pour the mixture into a resealable container so that you have it on hand. (If you want to make more shampoo, simply double the recipe with the same proportions.)