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"You probably think I&amp;amp;#8217;m talking about argan oil, don&amp;amp;#8217;t you? I&amp;amp;#8217;m not. There&amp;amp;#8217;s another amazing oil that does wonders for your skin and hair and it&amp;amp;#8217;s&amp;amp;#133;&amp;amp;#133;coconut oil. It&amp;#x27;s been around for ages, but I never paid any attention to it until a few months ago when I bought a tub at a health food store on an impulse. I was planning on using it for cooking, but one day, when my hair felt super-dry, I decided to try it as a pre-shampoo treatment. It worked so well (and smelled so great) that I started using it as an allover moisturizer, too. It&amp;#x27;s given me stronger, shinier hair and soft skin&amp;amp;ndash;I&amp;#x27;m hooked. The stuff delivers all kinds of beauty benefits. &amp;amp;#8220;Coconut oil contains fatty acids that are native to the skin, so instead of simply preventing water loss, it can actually help restore the skin&amp;amp;#8217;s lost natural oils. It also helps repair environmental damage and reduces inflammation. Coconut oil has natural antibacterial and antiviral properties and has now been shown in human skin studies to be noncomedogenic so it can help reduce the inflammation of acne. It also can serve as a deep conditioner and it&amp;amp;#8217;s great for taming flyaways,&amp;amp;#8221; says Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell, a dermatologist based in Sandpoint, Maine and the Phillipines (she&amp;amp;#8217;s also the founder of VMV Hypoallergenics). Dr. Verallo-Rowell recommends buying USDA Certified Organic and Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) to make sure you get all the nutrients. I know the thought of slathering on an oil can be a turnoff, but coconut oil isn&amp;#x27;t as greasy as you think. I use a little bit on my hair as a shine serum after I wash it and I rub some onto my body post-shower a few times a week. It doesn&amp;#x27;t feel too heavy even now that the weather is warmer. If you&amp;#x27;re just not into using a straight-up oil, there are lots of beauty products on the shelves that are made with coconut oil. I&amp;amp;#8217;m a fan of Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner ($8.99 each) and the line just launched some cool styling products like the Coconut Shine and Refine Hair Lotion above ($9.99). If you want a heavy-duty conditioner, Palmer&amp;#x27;s makes a Coconut Oil Formula Deep Conditioning Protein Pack ($2) for damaged hair. You can find it at the drugstore. And here are a bunch of coconut oil body products that are out now: More The Body Shop... Have you ever tried pure coconut oil on your hair or skin? Are any of these products calling to you? Blab away in the comments! Related: Makeup Trick To Try: Mix Oil With Your Foundation For A Flawless Finish"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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