Welcome to the second edition of Tree Hugger Tuesday on Eat Clean Live Green! 
The purpose of Tree Hugger Tuesday is to talk about easy ways to go green, discuss eco-controversies and to review different green products. You can read the first edition of Tree Hugger Tuesday here (used books!).
Today’s Tree Hugger Tuesday includes a giveaway, but you’re going to have to read through to the end of the post first! 
To introduce today’s topic, I want to talk about a conversation Grant and I had a few months ago. We were watching TV, and an ad for some sort of skin-tightening wrinkle-reducing face cream came on. Grant said something that has stuck with me since:
This kind of stuff makes me really nervous… what if there are long term effects?
Cosmetics aren’t required to undergo any sort of clinical trials or regulation!
I pay so much attention to what goes in my body, but so little to what goes on it. I eat organics for health and environmental reasons, but I don’t even stop to think of the effects of the products I use on my skin (which is the body’s biggest organ!).
I began researching natural body + beauty products. And there are stores dedicated to making products from fresh, natural + organic ingredients, like Lush. And while I have tried and loved some of their products, it can get really pricy.
In terms of a cheap body lotion, I kept coming across the suggestion to use Coconut Oil.
Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer and skin softener. Virgin coconut oil comes straight from the source of fresh coconuts. It’s affordable and easy to use, rivaling conventional moisturizers that contain chemical additives and preservatives. All-natural virgin coconut oil is loaded with tons of antioxidants that keep the skin smooth and supple, while fighting against free radical damage and long-term signs of aging.
I found this container of Omega Nutrition Coconut Oil at Superstore, in the organic foods section.
For a 454 g container, it cost me $8.99. A little Coconut Oil goes a long way, so I think this container is going to last me all fall!
I’ve been using it on my skin for about a month now, and my skin feels great. Soft and rarely ever dry. I keep it under the sink in my bathroom, and it stays a soft solid (Coconut Oil melts at 24*C). I really love using Coconut Oil; it’s an all natural product made from one ingredient.
There is also a possibility that Coconut Oil acts as a sunscreen. I haven’t tried this out myself yet, but I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has.
The only thing I’ve been disappointed about using Coconut Oil is the unscented smell – I thought I’d be smelling like Hawaiian Tropic and singing along to Kokomo. But the unscented-ness has grown on me, and it would really be great for anyone with sensitive skin!
For suitable [liquids] for cosmetics and medications, coconut is suggested as a hypoallergenic and underutilized source. Source: Fries JH, Fries MW.Coconut: a review of its uses as they relate to the allergic individual. Ann Allergy. 1983 Oct;51(4):472-81.
Coconut Oil can be used for cooking too: I scooped out about 1/2 C of coconut oil from the original container, and I keep this in the kitchen cupboards. I’ve used it to make roasted carrots + maple butter for pancakes. I really like how buttery coconut oil is (which is probably why it’s recommended as a vegan alternative to butter!)
There may be some health benefits to cooking/baking with Coconut Oil :
Coconut oil is more heat stable than other plant based oils, and so does not create trans fatty acids when cooked at higher temperatures.
Coconut Oil does contain saturated fats, but unsurprisingly, saturated fats from animals are different than saturated plants from plants.
Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids. When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be emulsified by bile salts in the small intestine before they can be absorbed into our body. Short- and medium-chain fatty acids, such as those in coconut milk, are absorbed directly through the portal vein to the liver, where they are immediately available to the body. In other words, most of the saturated fat in coconut oil is easily digestible and converted into quick energy.
Medium chain fatty acids do not undergo degradation and re-esterification processes and are directly used in the body to produce energy. Source: Amarasiri WA, Dissanayake AS. Coconut Fats, Ceylon Med J. 2006 Jun;51(2):47-51.
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What about that giveaway?
Omega Nutrition (retailers of the Coconut Oil I purchased, above) has offered two jars of Coconut Oil for one Eat Clean Live Green reader!
The winner will receive:
- 1 container (908 g) of Coconut Oil
- 1 container (454 g) of Virgin Coconut Oil
I think the 454g container I have will last me a few months, so this winner will be receiving almost a year’s supply of Coconut Oil! Depending on how you split the contents between your skin and cooking of course
The regular Coconut Oil is what I have been using: unscented, great for cooking + skin moisturizing. The Virgin Coconut Oil has the natural coconut aroma, so you will get to feel like you’re in the Tropics!
To enter, leave a comment telling me one way you try to go green. Do you use a reusable mug for your coffee? Take public transit? Let me know!
Want an extra entry? Leave another comment for each of the following:
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this phrase: @EatCleanLiveGrn is giving away coconut oil! Visit www.eatcleanlivegreen.com to enter
- Subscribe to Eat Clean Live Green
- Link back to this giveaway on your blog
Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents, and ends Thursday, September 24 at 10 pm MST. I will announce the winner Friday morning
Winner will be drawn as a random entry, determined by random.org
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* A note about references. As any student or writer knows, your paper is only as good as your references. Coconut oil is largely an unstudied topic, and as such there are very few journals or published papers to refer to. I have done my best to find accurate information, but you should read the references yourself to make an informed opinion about coconut oil as a skin moisturizer and/or health food.
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and i did the twitter thang too.
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oh yah, and i already subscribe too. wow!
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I take the bus, in fact I don’t even have a drivers license. I try to walk most places if possible.
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I try to walk wherever I can if my errands allow. I live in an area where it’s very easy for me to walk to the grocery store or drug store, so I can just grab my reusable bag and cross the street.
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Also – I just subscribed.
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I take a large reusable water bottle full of water to work to drink during the day. I stopped drinking out of the plastic throw away bottles whenever possible. I also shred all my office paper for recyling(in a law office this really adds up quickly)!
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Hi Allison! I saw your guest post on Health Blog Helper and it hit home because I am currently a newer blogger trying to find ways to make my blog more successful and I do appreciate the honesty I see in other blogs. I am also on a healthy mission and would love to try the coconut oils. I use a BPA free water bottle every day and I recylcle all that I can and I just purchased and installed a rain barrell!
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Oh, and I just subscribed
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I always bring re-usable grocery bags to the store and I also use a stainless steel water bottle at work and at the gym. Thanks for the great giveaway!
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I use a sigg bottle – I hate the waste of buying bottled water, both environmentally and cash-wise!
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awesome giveaway!!!
i try to live as green as possible: bike to class, use a bpa free water bottle, reusable bags, shop local, recycle…
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