secret weapons

when i was pregnant, i was lucky enough to be blessed with raging acne.  i had been lucky enough to escape the worst of it in high school and in college started using the clinique 3 step acne system.

enter pregnancy... no benzoyl peroxide, no salicyclic acid.  my skin care routine was out the window.  enter the raging hormones and well... it was a rough road.  nothing like uncontrollable shine and blemishes to boost your self esteem when you are packing on the lbs like a champion weight lifter.

what i WISH i would have known then, is that i didn't have to use those chemicals to keep my skin clear.  my secret is coconut oil.  this thing is a miracle.

since using it i am pretty much blemish free, no flaky skin (in addition to acne, i also suffer from dry skin in the winter... awesome), and there are no extra chemicals to worry about since i am nursing.  i buy it in bulk from amazon, and keep one in my kitchen for cooking and one in the bathroom.

there are different ways to use it as skin care, i like to slather it on my full face of makeup and get a wash cloth nice and hot.  i put the wash cloth over my face and leave it on there as a "steamer" i rinse the wash cloth a couple of times in hot water and repeat.  (and yes it removes all makeup better than ANY makeup remover i have ever tried including mascara).  if my face is extra dry than i take another tablespoon and slather it all over my face before bed.  regardless i always put it on my eyelashes to encourage growth and my eyelids to protect the delicate skin.

i have also been using this religiously on my c-section scar to speed healing.  and if j is really lucky i will take a few drops of essential oils (my favorites are orange, lemon, peppermint, and lavender - but not together) and a glob of coconut oil and give a foot massage.

there are literally endless uses for this stuff.  does anyone else use it or have other beauty tips with it?