Best DIY Recipes that Use Coconut Oil
Inside: The best DIY recipes that use coconut oil.
So you purchased a large jar of coconut oil for cooking or a DIY project and it is still sitting in your pantry. You want to find ways to use coconut oil before it goes rancid. (Even though coconut oil has a long shelf life it can go bad after a while.)
If you have coconut oil that is nearing its expiration date, you may not be able to use it in recipes before it expires, but you can still use it in many homemade projects. Lots of homemade beauty products can made with coconut oil and a variety of other ingredients.
And whether you have refined coconut oil or unrefined sitting on the pantry shelf, you can use either type of coconut oil interchangeably in these recipes. (Just be aware that unrefined coconut oil will lend a coconutty scent to your products.)
These DIY coconut oil recipes are from various bloggers who each shared their favorite recipe for using coconut oil in homemade products.
Many of these ideas make a great alternative to store-bought products. You can use up that extra coconut oil and even make some great gifts at the same time.
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Sugar Scrub
One easy recipe to use up coconut oil is to make a homemade sugar scrub. Sugar scrubs are quick and easy to make and are a great way to get grimy hands clean.
I use a scrub to get all the dirt off my hands from gardening and my husband and sons use it to remove grease and grime from working on their automobiles.
Sugar scrubs are so easy to mix up, only requiring a few ingredients. And any of these recipes would be a great project for the kids to help with. I prefer a sugar scrub to a salt scrub because the sugar is more gentle on sensitive skin.
DIY Sugar Scrubs make great homemade gifts for Christmas and other holidays. You can gift them in mason jars or purchase small plastic jars online. (I prefer the 4 oz. size.) You can use these sugar scrubs as hand scrubs or even full body scrubs to help remove dead skin.
These recipes will be easiest to make if the coconut oil is at room temperature before mixing in the sugar.
Sugar Scrub Recipes That Contain Coconut Oil
- Candy Cane Sugar Scrub
- Glowing Unicorn Sugar Scrub
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub
- Orange Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub
- Sugar Cookie Scrub
- Vanilla Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub
- Vanilla Sugar Scrub
- Coconut Body Scrub
Lotion Bars
Lotion Bars are another way to use coconut oil for skin care. If you aren’t familiar with a lotion bar, it is a solid bar made up of several types of oils and usually also contains beeswax.
Most homemade lotion bars use natural ingredients like shea butter or cocoa butter, unlike traditional lotion which is full of questionable ingredients.
They are a great way to moisturize dry winter skin in a portable bar that won’t leak in your bag. (They almost look like a bar of soap.)
Lotion Bar Recipes
- Simple Homemade Lotion Bar Recipe – contains just 3 ingredients (with printable instructions)
- Easter Egg Lotion Bars
- Coconut Lime Lotion Bars
- Tallow Hard Lotion Bars (Version #1 & #2 both use coconut oil)
Lip Balm
Homemade lip balm is so much better than what you can buy at the store. Making your own DIY lip balm is also a way to save lots of money. These easy lip balm recipes all use coconut oil and there are lots of great options to choose from.
Lip Balm Recipes
- 4 Ingredient Smooth Homemade Lip Balm for lip balm tubes
- Basic Homemade Lip Balm Recipe for lip balm tins
- Spiced Cider Beeswax Lip Balm
- Tinted Natural Lip Gloss
- Chocolate Cinnamon Lip Chap
Salves
Many salve recipes use coconut oil or other oils as a base. And even in recipes that don’t specifically call for coconut oil, you can usually swap in coconut oil for at least part of the other oils.
If you don’t know what a salve is, it is basically an ointment or cream that is used to promote healing of the skin or for protection of skin that may be damaged. It is most commonly made from infused oil, herbs, and beeswax.
I’ve shared a variety of salve recipes below and it is a good idea to keep one or two on hand in your medicine cabinet for emergency use.
Salve Recipes that Use Coconut Oil
- Hand Salve for Gardener’s Skin
- Herb Infused Skin Soothing Salve
- After Sun Salve Recipe
- Homemade Yarrow Salve for cuts, wounds, and burns
Body Butters, Lotions, & Creams
Lots of DIY recipes for skin care contain coconut oil and for good reason. Coconut oil is super nourishing to dry skin.
These recipes for body butters, lotions, and creams will leave your skin moisturized and soft, even during the coldest winter days.
Body Butters, Lotions, & Creams Recipes
- Whipped Body Butter
- Easy Buttercream Lotion
- Homemade Moisturizing Whipped Coconut Oil Lotion
- Whipped Face Cream
Wax Melts
Wax melts are so easy to make and using a wax warmer tends to be safer than candles, especially around young children.
On the quest to do it myself, I discovered that homemade wax melts aren’t really that difficult to make and they are a great way to use coconut oil.
Wax Melt Recipes
Other Uses for Coconut Oil
These are some other (surprising) uses for extra coconut oil.
- Homemade Mustache Wax
- Solid Insect Repellent with Essential Oils
- Four Thieves Coconut Oil Deodorant
- Homemade Lip Scrub
- Coconut Oil Hair Mask – A perfect way to condition dry hair.
- DIY Homemade Deodorant – Homemade deodorant is surprisingly easy to make.
- Bath Bombs
- DIY Shower Steamers – These would be perfect to make to find some relief from congestion. This recipe only uses a tablespoon of coconut oil so it’s a great way to use up the last little bit in the bottom of the jar.
- Rosemary Infused Coconut Oil for Oral Health – often called oil pulling.
- Coconut Oil Shaving Cream
There are so many ways you can use coconut oil besides just for food. If you’ve made a homemade product with coconut oil, I would love for you to let me know about it in the comments below so that I can update this list with more uses for this wonderful oil.
Would you like some new essential oil blends to use in these DIY projects? Sign up here to receive your copy of my popular printable containing 15 blends for everyday use and 15 seasonal blends.
Other DIY Projects You Might Like
- How to Use Melt & Pour Soap Base to make beautiful homemade soaps.
- Lightweight Summer Bath & Body Oil to soothe dry summer skin.
- Do-It-Yourself Essential Oil Room Spray to make your home smell nice.
- Homemade Candles that you can make in an hour.
