Magic, the Kind You Get in Coconuts 🥥

How many times have you read an article about the health benefits of coconut oil? Too many? I’ll apologise in advance because I’m about to convince you that coconuts are your best, most reliable travel companion.

My father has been brainwashed by the benefits of coconut oil, he uses it for everything—frying oil, mouthwash, leather cleaner. He even uses it to top his popcorn. Could it really be possible that one ingredient could be the solution to so many problems? If so, could it also be possible that we’ve spent hundreds or thousands of pounds buying separate items for cleaning, cooking and skincare when we could have saved time, money and effort by making one single purchase?

As well as having antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s also believed that this natural oil supports skin repair. Here are some products that you can replace with that 100ml bottle of natural coconut oil that’ll reduce the weight of your luggage and save you some money:

Makeup Remover/Wipes

I haven’t really bothered with makeup since traveling, but I wear a bit of mascara from time to time and pulled out my whole makeup kit for New Year’s Eve. Grab a bit of tissue from the bathroom, soak it in oil and tada! You’ve saved yourself a trip to Boots and you’ll wake up fresh faced, ready to embrace the day (unless you’re hungover, but down a fresh coconut and you’ll be right as rain in no time).

Scars and Wounds

On my second day traveling, I fell out of a tree and had to have 16 stitches in my leg, it was the ugliest scar I’d ever had. So I did my research, BioOil is amazing for these kind of things but I’m on a budget so I dug a little deeper. I’m sure you can guess what I found. A miracle medicine to heal all wounds which I’d conveniently already packed. Four months later, my scars are barely noticeable.

Tanning Oil

As long as you’re not planning on falling asleep in the sun, you can slap on some oil for a quick beach tan. I wouldn’t recommend longer than 15 minutes in the sun unless you’re also wearing factored sun cream. On the other hand, coconut oil has healing powers for your little red burn. It’ll be brown by tomorrow, right?

Mosquito and Insect Repellent

Tested and proven. I’ve been in the Philippines with friends for a few weeks now, they have been using shop-bought repellent, I have been using coconut oil. Guess who’s got less bites? Completely natural, environmentally friendly and safe for your skin, coconut oil is the best thing you can use to keep the bugs away while traveling in countries where malaria is not uncommon.

Hair Repair

Escaping the cold, wet weather and entering a tropical paradise—bright sun, beautiful beaches -sounds perfect. Unfortunately, one of the prices you pay for a gorgeous tan and clear skin is dry hair. Your hair will need attention and what better to treat it with than something you’re already carrying? The vitamins and fatty acids in the oil repair the hair follicles and nourish the scalp just like a deep conditioning mask. Cover the ends of your hair in coconut oil for 10-15 minutes before applying shampoo to reduce frizz and keep your hair looking shiny throughout your travels.

Before you even start writing a packing list, just think about all the money you’ll save without messing around purchasing unnecessary products for your medical kit, makeup bag or toiletry bag. Are you convinced?