We especially love coconut oil, and here are some very good reasons why. We could have written 100. But here are some of the most useful ones – without the hype.

Brighten up your teeth (and your mouth)

So you may have heard that coconut oil is good for removing stains from teeth – there is much debate about whether this actually works or not – with plenty of articles and ‘studies’ funded by big pharmaceutical companies (toothpaste makers) to say it doesn’t work.

But ‘oil pulling’ has been used in asia for thousands of years as a way of removing stains from teeth, and toxins from the mouth. We’ve found it effective at removing stains, especially if we’ve just been drinking a lot of coffee or red wine.

It always generally soothes the walls of the mouth, removes toxins (and odours from cigarettes, if you’re a smoker), and gives teeth a bit of a sparkle.

If you’ve got an especially talkative boyfriend that you need a bit of a break from, get him to try this. You need to swill the coconut oil around the mouth for about 20 minutes, which means a bit of peace and quiet at least.

Get super-soft skin

Coconut oil is a really fab moisturiser. If you’ve been caught in the sun, if you’ve got dry skin or even skin conditions like eczema, this oil will really give you a boost of moisture and vitamins fast. It’s solid at room temperature, so get a small chunk and rub it between your palms. It goes to liquid very quickly. Leave it to do it’s magic for five minutes, then dab the excess off with a slightly damp flannel.

Lip-balm

If you’ve got dry or cracked lips, you’ll be amazed at how fast this stuff sorts them out. You can put it on as much as you like without any unnatural chemicals drying your lovely lips.

Sunscreen

Coconut oil has an SPF rating… It’s only a 4, but if you need some emergency sunscreen, it might be just what you need. We’ve all been caught out by a sudden burst of sunshine or an unexpectedly hot sunny day, so this might be just what you need if you’ve forgotten your regular sunscreen.

Hair styling

A bit of coconut oil can keep flyaway hairs in place, add shine and moisturize your hair. Especially good if you’ve had it coloured or been using a hair dryer a lot recently. It depends on your hairstyle/length. Give it a try!

Lube

Yes, you read that right. Coconut oil is a really effective ‘personal lubricant.’ It smells good, it tastes good, it doesn’t get sticky, and it’s absorbed into the skin really fast. We’ll let you think of some specific uses…

But don’t use it with latex condoms as oils can corrode this material and make them break.

Extra tip: Coconut water

This slightly sweet, slightly salty drink – that doesn’t have an especially strong coconut taste – is not as delicious as it sounds. Coconut water is great for a hangover because of all the electrolytes it contains, just the thing you need for rapid rehydration.

You can get at this stuff yourself by drilling into a raw coconut, but that’s messy and a bit tricky, especially if you’ve already got a headache. So just buy it from the store. It’s a bit more expensive than sodas or energy drinks but it’s worth it, trust me.