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8 Uses For Coconut Oil That Might Just Change Your Life

This trendy oil still reigns supreme, but we wanted to know: Is coconut oil a multipurpose miracle or marketing hype?
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The beauty world has countless miracle oils. Moroccan argan oil had its moment of glory, and coconut oil quickly followed for its 15 minutes of fame -- but after a good long run, it's still all anyone can talk about. Everywhere you look, endless uses for coconut oil are being pinned and posted and Instagrammed. It removes makeup! You can shave with it! It'll whiten your teeth! Uses of coconut oil even came up when we interviewed both Giada De Laurentiis and Miranda Kerr, surrounded with the words "love" and "favorite."

Should everyone stockpile gallons of it? Well, before you invest in coconut oil stock, see how it fared in our rigorous road test. We dropped $20 for a big jar of Nutiva Coconut Oil (organic, extra virgin, and cold-pressed) and shared it around the office to see how many uses for coconut oil we could try -- and whether it lives up to its reputation as the reigning "it" oil for hair, skin, nails and teeth.

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Use For Coconut Oil: Makeup Remover
"Does coconut oil work as a makeup remover? Technically yes, but I wouldn't recommend this use for coconut oil. I applied a little to a cotton ball and swiped it across my eyes, and it did remove most (but not all) of my mascara and concealer. However, it also seeped into my eyes. When I was reading in bed later, I would occasionally blink and wind up with a film blurring my vision -- not ideal. If you're really in a pinch and coconut oil is all you have to wipe away your mascara, you could use it. I'd just be very careful not to get it in your eyes." --Sarah, Former Senior Editor

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Use For Coconut Oil: Frizz Fighter
"I have fine hair, so I was extremely conservative with my coconut oil application. I put 3 drops in my palm, rubbed my hands together, and smoothed away a few flyways. While I didn't notice any major frizz-fighting benefits, the coconut oil made my hair soft, and my ends looked less fried. I'll stick with something more potent for frizz fighting, but I'm loving the coconut oil as a dry-end treatment." --Dawn, Beauty Director

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Use For Coconut Oil: Shaving
"I am the self-professed anti-shaving cream girl from the nasty beauty habits article. Regular shaving cream doesn't moisturize as much as I need it to, so I completely dropped it from my shaving routine. Of course, I was chosen to try coconut oil as a shaving cream. After showering, I rubbed each of my legs with a tablespoon of coconut oil. My legs instantly felt moisturized and I didn't even have to apply lotion after I shaved. I got an incredibly smooth and clean shave from using coconut oil, and even days later, my legs still look shiny and smooth. The coconut oil worked not only as a shaving cream (better, actually), but also as a deep moisturizer -- exactly what a shaving product should do. I will absolutely use coconut oil to shave with from now on." --Claire, Former Editorial Intern

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Use For Coconut Oil: Night Cream
"Despite the fact that I pretty much loathe the smell of coconut, I have to say using coconut oil as a night cream was surprisingly rejuvenating. I had to keep it solid in the fridge, so after a little heating, it went on super smooth all over my face. All I needed was a little and my face felt like it was getting pampered all night long. Compared to my usual night serum or cream (depending on the day), it was a bit oily for my liking by the morning. But other than that, I quite enjoy this use of coconut oil." --Tiffanie, Former Assistant Editor

BY ERICA SMITH | FEB 10, 2015 | SHARES
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