BEAUTY ARSENAL: Coconut Oil for Problem Skin and Dried-out Hair

This is the Beauty Arsenal. We’re bringing you beauty tips and tricks every other Tuesday to help you look your best.

Do you suffer from little acne-like bumps on your upper arms, thighs or backside? Or have otherwise cracked skin that seems to get nothing out of normal lotions? Is your hair extremely dry and brittle? Do you subject your hair to a lot of coloring or other heat-treatments?

Well, if you’re dealing with any of these problems, we’ve got the magic solution: coconut oil. Just ask Lesley, writer over at XOJane.com.

There is science behind this miracle cure.”Coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (principal fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins and, because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain, is able to penetrate inside the hair shaft,” according to this boring academic paper.

So, if you’re in need of a potion to cure what ails your skin and hair, grab yourself a bottle or jar of coconut oil. We recommend Kelapo Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (maybe you caught our interview with the founder of the company in the fourth issue?). - Rosella Eleanor LaFevre

BEAUTY ARSENAL: Zap Zits with Banana Peels

This is the Beauty Arsenal. We’re bringing you beauty tips and tricks every other Tuesday to help you look your best.

Plagued by acne? Zap those zits with banana peels! Here’s how you do it:

- Cut a small piece of banana peel (after you’ve eaten the banana, of course).
- Rub the inside of the banana peel over the affected area for 5 minutes or until the peel’s inside turns brown.
- Clean the skin around the affected spot with lukewarm water but be sure to let the peel work its magic and dry out the zit.
- Repeat at least three times a day.

This idea and the directions come from Kanel Strand. She did a second post showing the day-by-day progression of the treatment.

The other pimple treatment we know involves rubbing a dab of plain toothpaste on a red, sore zit. In a matter of a day or two, it’s dried out, but still a little red if memory serves.

[Image: Flickr user Karl Faktor]