9 Handy Ways to Use Coconut Oil for your Pets

You have undoubtedly read a lot about the benefits of coconut oil for your skin and health, and you may use the product regularly in your household. What you may not know is that you can also use coconut oil for your pets. Use natural coconut oil, without preservatives.

1. Protection legs

If your pet has a wound, you can treat it with coconut oil. The oil disinfects and heals the wounds, and the additional benefit is that you should not be afraid that your animal gets intoxicant chemicals when licking their legs.

2. Treatment of abnormalities

Coconut oil is often used as a natural treatment for abnormalities in cats or other pets. You get rid those itchy ears!

3. Prevent hairballs

To prevent hairballs, you can add a little coconut oil to your pet's diet. Also, this would be a great benefit to their digestion.

According to Coconut-Oil-Tips.com, the ideal dose for balancing your cat's stomach is one teaspoon per day per 4.5 kilograms.

4. Fur conditioner

Do you use coconut oil as a conditioner for your hair? From now on you can use it for your pets as well. The oil has natural disinfectant and healing properties. According to Coconut-Oil-Tips.com coconut oil contains triglycerides, these are "effective antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral compounds."

5. Feed

If your pets have become fat for some reason, you can give them a teaspoon of coconut oil regularly. They are fond of it and lick it with for fun off the spoon!

6. Dog Shampoo

Recently, many shampoos contain coconut oil, but if you want to save some money, you can make dog shampoo yourself. The coconut oil hydrates the skin of your pet. It can at first make it a bit greasy until the product has been fully absorbed. The recipe for the homemade dog shampoo can be found here at firsthomelovelife. [http://www.firsthomelovelife.com/2014/04/homemade-dog-shampoo.html]

7. Dry nose or skin

Does your pet have a dry nose or skin? A little coconut oil hydrates the skin and even disinfects small wounds.

8. Prevents for fleas

The problem with traditional flea treatments is that they are generally toxic. In addition, the effect usually increases over time. This is not the case when you use the following coconut oil recipe:

Simply mix one part coconut oil with two parts water. Add this to a spray bottle. Now you can spray on your cat or dog.

9. Toothpaste for pets

Do you already use coconut oil as toothpaste? You can also use it for your pet by just doing a little oil on for example a dog toothbrush. Your dog will not mind at all, thanks to the sweet taste.

Why is coconut oil good for your pet overall

Reduced skin problems, from dry to itchy, irritated or allergic skin

For healthy skin and shiny coat

For a soft coat

Reducing bad odour

For disinfecting wounds

Cure of wounds, rashes, infections, bites or other weird spots

For a healthy stool

Protection against worms and fleas

Good for teeth, when used as a toothpaste

Increases resistance

For a good energy level

Some sites go so far that they would work out diabetes, arthritis, joint pain, and heart disease. Whether it's all true, I do not dare to say, but if your pet is in trouble, you can always try a jar. You will soon notice if your pet gets better or not!

Why so many celebrities are using coconut oil

From their golden hair traces to toned bodies, Celebrities are now attributing their latest amazing looks to coconut oil. The craze about coconut oil isn’t something new because this powerful multi-tasking product has always been used in making hair, skin, medicinal and cooking products. Although previously a lot of people had associated it with high amounts of saturated-fat content, research studies have shown that this high fat content has a lot of benefits. So why so many celebrities are using coconut oil?

1. It Nourishes and Gives Hair a Glowing Sheen

Coconut oil has been used for centuries to nourish certain hair types. It contains a unique fat composition hence it can be used in hot hair oil treatment, hair masks and also in home-made hair products. Blake Lively says she always use coconut oil on her famous golden traces.

2. It acts as sunscreen

When coconut oil is applied on the skin, it acts as protective layer against the harmful ultra-violet rays which causes brown spots, wrinkling and increased chances of skin cancer. The oil can block over 20 percent of the sun’s ultra violet rays.

3. It Moisturizes and Nourishes Skin

A lot of celebrities use coconut oil as a natural moisturizer. For example, Poppy Delevingne, a famous model, uses it on her dry skin and applies it as a face mask. The oil is rich in vitamin E and the natural anti-oxidant properties make it a great natural product for skin moisturizing and nourishment.

4. It helps in Digestion

Coconut oil contains beneficial fats which help to facilitate the process of digestion. It also helps fight gut irritation and infection thanks to its anti-microbial properties.

5. Cooking Oil

Nigella Lawson, a celebrity chef uses this oil in her famous cooking shows and it has now become a must have cooking product. It’s stable and unlike other oils, it does not break down easily even at high temperatures. It’s one of the most loved oils by vegans thanks to its amazing natural nutritional properties.

6. It’s a Great Source of Healthy-Fats.

Over 50 percent of the fats found in coconut oil contain lauric acid. As a matter of fact, coconut oil contains the second highest amount of lauric acid after breast-milk. Lauric acid together with other acids found in coconut oil e.g. Caprylic acid and Capric acid have anti-bacterial, anti- viral and anti-fungal properties which help to boost the level of body immunity.

7. Used as a Make Up Remover

Actress Emma Stone is one of the celebrities who use coconut oil every day to take-off her make-up. All you have to do is warm a small amount then take a swab with cotton wool and apply it on your face. It even removes water proof mascara!

8. Used In Teeth Whitening

Reports from recent research studies suggest that this oil can help to reduce the formation of plaque. Swirling the oil in your mouth for twenty seconds each morning will leave you with white shining teeth just like Gwyneth Paltrow’s.

9. It Aids in Weight Loss

Coconut oil contains short and medium fatty acids chains and when it’s consumed, it helps to burn a lot of calories which in turn leads to weight loss. Miranda Kerr said she regularly adds this oil in her green tea and it has helped her shed extra pounds. Could this oil be the secret behind her well toned body?

How is coconut oil made?

Coconut oil refers to a type of oil extracted from the white part of a mature coconut fruit referred to as the kernel. Coconut oil has a high saturated fat content that makes it resistant to rancidification. Therefore, the oil can last for up to six months at temperatures of 24oC without spoiling. There are two main methods used to extract coconut oil.

Dry Process

The first step of the dry process is the separation of the kernel from the shell of the coconut. The kernel is then dried. Drying of the kernel is accomplished through a variety of ways. For example, the kernel can be left to dry naturally in the sunlight for several days. Other methods of drying include heating the kernel in fire or a kiln. After the kernel is dried, it is referred to as the copra. After drying, oil is extracted from the copra through the use of solvents or pressing the copra. The process produces oil, high-fiber mash and high protein.

Wet Process

The wet process is used to extract coconut oil from the kernel as opposed to the copra. The kernel is pressed to produce a white emulsion of oil, water and proteins. The oil is then separated from the other components of the emulsion through a variety of methods. One of the methods used is prolonged boiling. However, the method is uneconomical and results in production of colored oil due to the presence of proteins and other contaminants.

Other methods of separating the oil from the emulsion include use of a centrifuge and use of pre-treatments such as solvents and acids. Hexane is the preferred solvent used for extraction of coconut oil and it produces 10% higher oil yield than when using a centrifuge. Centrifugation is the most commonly used method. Here, the emulsion extracted from pressing the kernel is put in different jars that are then placed in a centrifuge. The centrifuge then rotates at speeds in excess of 1000 rpm. The centrifugal force causes the different components of the emulsion to separate according to their density.

However, although the wet process is faster in extracting coconut oil and is a more viable option for commercial production, it produces 10-15% lower yield of coconut oil than th dry process. Moreover, the wet process can be capital intensive as it requires the installation of expensive equipment such as centrifuges. In addition to the method of extraction used the level of coconut oil produced and the quality of the oil can depend on age of the coconuts used in the process. Kernels from younger coconuts yield lower amounts of oil that is of a lower quality than the oil extracted from more mature coconuts.

Various methods are used to increase the shelf life of coconut oil. In dry processes, use of copra with a moisture content lower than 6% results in production of oil that has a moisture content of lower than 0.2%. The moisture content of the oil produced can also be lowered by heating the oil to a temperature of 130-150oC. Adding salt and citric acid to the oil also increases its shelf life.