Please tell us about your new book Natural Beauty Coconut Oil.
I am a qualified CIBTAC beauty therapist and have incorporated coconut oil into my treatments for a long time so I wanted to share what I do day-to-day with all our followers and fellow coconut lovers. I'm always experimenting with different beauty recipes and wanted to show just how versatile coconut oil is. The book contains recipes suitable from head to toe which are completely natural and easy to make from home. I explain more about the ingredients use in each recipe so that you know exactly what you're putting onto your body. I've included some food recipes in the book as well to help 'feed your face' - things like smoothies, juices, salads and snacks. It's a great book to turn to on a chilled Friday night in and a perfect gift for those friends who love to be pampered as well.
Natural Beauty with Coconut Oil
Why is coconut oil nature's perfect ingredient?
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is natures perfect ingredient because its 100% natural, organic and contains a powerful property called lauric acid. This is not only good for us externally but also internally. Its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral. Coconut oil contains 48% lauric acid - the only other place you get a high percentage of this is in mother's breast milk. It also contains vitamin E which makes it very nourishing, soothing and healing for the skin so as you can see it has a bundle of properties (and I haven't even mentioned the cooking side of things yet)! That's why for me, it's natures perfect ingredient.
Why has it become so popular so fast?
Everyone suddenly went coconut crazy and I don't blame them. I think the reason it has become so popular is due to the fact people are now realising sugar is the enemy and healthy fats are so important to our diet.
Why is making your own beauty treatments better for your body and your budget?
Making your own beauty products isn't only good fun, you also know exactly what it is you are putting into your body. You can mix and match ingredients and personalise them to your own preferences and to benefit you in the best way.
Coconut oil in itself saves a massive amount on your budget. I no longer need to buy cleansers, eye makeup remover, shaving cream, hair masks, face masks and cuticle and hand creams - I get all of those in one jar of Lucy Bee!
At first, paying for all the ingredients may seem a bit pricey but I find all the ingredients used in the book last a very long time and have a great shelf life. You can customise your beauty products to make whatever size batch you need. I find I save a lot of money when making my own.
What is the most obscure use of coconut oil you've come across?
I have recently heard that coconut oil can help with headlice due to the lauric acid. The treatment also uses apple cider vinegar to kill the lice. Incredible!
What do you use coconut for every day?
As a makeup remover. I try not to wear makeup every day but this is my most used beauty tip. I also find myself using it for oil pulling, which you should try to do every morning - this pulls toxins from the mouth and gums and makes a huge difference to your oral hygiene and the cleanliness of your teeth. It goes without saying that I obviously cook all my food in it too!
As coconut oil melts when it gets hot in the home what do you suggest for people who want to take it away on holiday with them?
Coconut oil is always liquid in warmer countries. This doesn't in any way effect the nutritional value or properties of the oil.
You should note that when travelling, you cannot pack our smallest jar in your hand luggage as it's over 100ml, so you should decant it into a smaller pot. If I'm taking a suitcase, then I'll always pack a jar of oil. I wrap it in a couple of plastic bags and make sure it's packed really securely as you would do with any other liquid you pack!
Please tell us when and why you decided to showcase your knowledge of coconut oil in a book.
Coconut oil has so many properties and I wanted to share them with the world to show how versatile it is for cooking and beauty! We were approached by our publisher last year and it took off from there - I jumped at the chance to be able to combine my two biggest passions!
As coconut oil often comes in a jar and lasts a very long time- how can you keep it as hygienic as possible?
Always use a clean spoon or spatula when dipping into your oil, this way you will not get any cross contamination which means no problems! Make sure to always put the lid back on the jar when you've finished too - it seems obvious but you'd be surprised how many people leave it with no lid on in their bathrooms and kitchens.
What is next for you?
We are always looking at new products. For us we strongly believe in the importance of Fair Trade so this is something we always look for when looking at new products (we will also look to be organic where ever possible). Being a beauty therapist I would love to look at a natural range of beauty products but it's proving quite difficult at the moment finding the right things. We also have our second cook book coming out in late September "Recipes for Real Life" which I'm very excited about - all of the recipes are gluten free (and delicious)! I really love writing books and recipe testing with the team so this is definitely something I'd like to carry on doing.
Additional Information about Lucy Bee -
Lucy Bee is one of the leading brands of coconut oil in the UK. Launched in 2012, Lucy Bee now offers a whole range of natural products including cacao, maca, lucuma, turmeric, cinnamon and salts - Himalayan, Epsom and Dead Sea. All products are organic and, where possible, Fair Trade which is at the heart of the company's ethos.
Lucy Bee coconut oil is cold press extracted from the freshest, organic coconuts in the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Solomon Islands. These oils are not blended, nor ever will be. Their tastes are subtly different, with extraction methods involving hands-on skills ensuring they are of the highest quality and as natural as can be.
Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Fair Trade Organic Raw Coconut Oil is gluten, lactose and cholesterol free, with no GMOs or additives. It is also vegetarian and vegan approved and certified kosher.
Lucy Bee is certified to the standards of the Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance (FairTSA) who specialise in Fair Trade and social responsibility standard development. FairTSA provides farmers with higher prices for their produce, contracts for all workers, no child labour, no use of monkeys in harvesting the coconuts and amongst other things, a social premium for community development projects.
Natural Beauty with Coconut Oil is available now on Amazon.
Tagged in Coconut Oil