I’m sure we all love dishes made with coconut milk, be it a chicken curry or even a traditional fish curry. It is an opaque milky white liquid which is got by extracting the juices out of freshly grated coconut.
Coconut milk has many benefits, here are some of them:
1. Beneficial weight loss: Coconut milk consists of medium-chain triglycerides (a type of fat found in your body) (MCTs), which is linked with weight loss.
2. For cholesterol control: It can be helpful in lowering the levels of “bad cholesterol” (LDL and increase the levels of “good cholesterol” (HDL), in the body.
3. For boosting one’s immunity: Coconuts contain lauric acid which have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties which can boost immune system functioning.
4. Beneficial for hair and skin: Coconut milk is suitable for all skin types and have a soothing and moisturizing properties. It can also help treat skin conditions. It can also help replenish rough and damaged hair.
Coconut milk at home DIY recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 full freshly grated coconut
- ½ to ¾ cup of water
Method:
In a mixer grinder, add in the grated coconut and the water (you can add the additional ¼ cup if you’ve used a big coconut or else ¼ cup should suffice) and grind until very coarse. Then take a bowl, place a big strainer on top of it and on top of the strainer place a muslin cloth (or you could even use a big sized handkerchief if you do not have a muslin cloth) and pour in the ground coconut mixture and pull the muslin cloth upwards from all four sides and press it downwards together to be able to squeeze the coconut milk into the bowl.
If you want your coconut milk to become into a thick paste, pour the coconut milk into a glass and keep it in the refrigerator for around two to three hours. Then, when you take it out, you will find that the coconut milk has come to the surface and a watery liquid has settled down. Scoop out the top coconut milk cream into a container. This can be used as thick coconut milk paste or thick coconut milk cream. READ MORE – OVERNIGHT HAIR SPRAY to stop hair fall, thinning hair and regrow thicker hair
Here are some tips to use coconut milk for beauty:
Coconut Milk for glowing Skin –
(i) As a face pack, you can directly apply the coconut milk or thick coconut milk cream onto your face and gently rub in circular motions Or another way to make the face pack is by adding, in a small bowl 1 tsp of coconut milk ,
1 tsp of besan flour/gram flour and ¼ tsp of turmeric, mix into a fine paste and leave on for 20 minutes before washing off.
(iii) For the facial scrub, in a small mixing bowl add 1 tsp of coconut milk and 1 tsp of rice flour and mix well into a fine paste and then apply onto the face. Gently rub in circular motions for 5 minutes and the wash off. It can help exfoliate the skin.
Coconut Milk hair –
(i) As a hair mask, you can directly apply the coconut milk or coconut milk cream onto your hair and scalp, gently massage it in and leave it on for an hour. Wash off with a mild shampoo.
(ii) For a hair growth shampoo bar, in a mixing bowl add 1/4 cup of coconut milk, 1/4 cup of fresh aloe vera gel from the plant and 1/2 cup of castile soap or baby shampoo. Mix it really well or use a blender to blend everything on high for a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture onto an ice cube tray to freeze overnight. Pop one ice cube and lather it in your palm and massage it on your scalp. Rinse off and follow up with a conditioner or best used with an apple cider vinegar hair rinse – Hair Rinse you can make at home for a healthy scalp and stronger hair
(iii) You can also mix this coconut milk or coconut milk cream with your henna mix.
For your food consumption: You can use it as a milk substitute in your cereals, smoothies or even in your oatmeal. It can also be used to replace milk cream, in soups, if you want a creamy taste.