Why I LOVE VCO! Reason #1 - Best For Baby

Okay I was going to write a long post of all the reasons why I love Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) but I don't think I will ever be able to finish it so it is best I write about each reason separately. VCO is the one oil I always have to have in my home because I use it for so many things...as a baby oil/lotion, as my body oil/lotion, on my hair, etc... and I even consume it on a daily basis! The only area i do not apply VCO is on my face because for me it has a tendency to cause breakouts, not too sure why though. Maybe it is a bit 'heaty' especially in our hot humid weather or maybe it has a strong purging effect...so I cannot recommend VCO for the face, although it is fantabulous everywhere else! I even know how to make my own, and it will share the easy albeit a bit time consuming process soon ya.

Quick intro on VCO - it is the oil that is extracted from the coconut milk obtained from fresh coconuts. The key word here is 'fresh', which is why VCO smells so good and yummy! For more info on VCO, you can click HERE

VCO is:

• Anti fungal
• Anti Viral
• Anti Microbial
• Anti Inflammatory

I literally cover my little ones in VCO after every bath. I mix some essential oils such as Lavender, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus with their VCO for an additional skin healing boost and refreshing smell. Not too much essential oils for their delicate skin, keep it below 20 drops per 100ml of VCO. I don't even use that much, probably around 10 - 15 drops in total. So here are some ways I use VCO for the little ones...

My trusted refillable VCO bottle

1. All over body and face oil - I cover my little ones in VCO after their bath. I try my best to cover every inch of their skin, which is a feat in itself if you have wriggly ones that just can't keep still! For younger babies, make sure to always apply on skin folds and joints to prevent rashes and keep their skin clean. I never use baby powder because I find that the 'nice' smell quickly fades and baby will not smell nice for long. However, with VCO, the kids have no BO, even after many hours and even with perspiration. That's because of the antibacterial nature of VCO that helps to keep their skin clean and inhibit odour causing (as well as other types of) bacteria.

2. Ear cleaner - I put some oil in the palm of my hand, dip the cotton buds in VCO and use it to clean around and in their ears. VCO is antibacterial so this helps to keep ear infections at bay, plus the goop comes off much easier with oil.

3. Heal minor cuts and scratches - just dab a little oil and it will heal much more quickly.

4. Nappy oil - I always apply VCO after every diaper change, and so far no rashes!

5. Cradle Crap - I've always applied VCO on their heads from day one, and they only had a very very minor case of cradle crap. It was on a very small area, smaller than the size of the 5sen coin, which went away after a few days.

6. Massage oil for boo boos - whenever my active toddler comes running to me crying that somewhere hurts, eg feet, ankle, knee, hand, head, etc, I will check to see if it's anything serious. Most of the time, it's not, so I take some VCO and rub a little on the painful area, give a kiss and send them running happily away, hopefully not to do more damage! Once, my son had a minor ankle sprain, and he was limping a bit for a day or two. Nothing too serious but I massaged his ankle with the oil 2 - 3 times a day to speed up his recovery and help strengthen the joint.

Important notes:

• Don't use VCO on a newborns face for the first one or two weeks (anywhere else is fine). This is because the skin at this stage is very delicate and VCO can clog those tiny tiny pores and cause an acne breakout. Some babies will get a form of acne in those first few weeks with or without having used VCO, and in my experience applying VCO on that only makes it worse. In fact, it is advised to not use any cream or oils during this stage, and the acne should clear by itself in about a week or two. It is helpful to apply breast milk on the affected area from time to time whenever possible. 

• When applying VCO on baby's face, a little goes a long way. Apply a bit of oil onto fingers, warm it up a bit and then apply on baby's face. Too much VCO on the face can clog pores and cause a type of acne which forms in small clusters, usually on the forehead. If you see this, use less VCO for the face.

• There are some rashes, especially the ones on the face, that just won't go away even after applying VCO, and for these type of rashes I will apply some Emu oil (sometimes mixed with Tea Tree or Lavender essential oil) instead. Emu oil is very effective for healing stubborn rashes, and will do so quite rapidly too. I apply Emu oil on the affected area every few hours and the rash will be gone in a couple of days. I use Emu oil sparingly though because it is very expensive!

*You can get VCO in most supermarkets nowadays, and I usually buy the 1 liter bottle which costs between RM60 - RM80 depending on the brand. They also sell in 500ml sizes for approx. half the price, which makes it perfect if you want to try out the oil for the first time.

Stay tuned for more wonderful ways of using this fav oil of mine!