Q:
“Do You Have any Suggestions for Using Coconut Cream & Coconut Milk in DIY Beauty Recipes? I would like to know if there are any beauty recipes I can make with some leftover Coconut Cream and Coconut Water? I would love to make a body scrub or bath soak with either of these products.”
– Kim
A:
Hi Kim,
Thanks for the question! Both coconut water and coconut cream can be used in a wide variety of body and bath products.
Coconut water is the liquid found in the center of coconuts; it is also called coconut juice. It is a wonderful ingredient for skin care. It is very hydrating and rich in many nutrients, including vitamin C. You can use coconut water in the water phase of any product. I use coconut juice in a few of Earth Alkemie’s products like masks, scrubs, and herbal cleansers.
For a bath soak, you could add coconut water directly to your bath water. It is great for the skin! I would add at least ½ cup to 1 cup or more to your bath water.
For scrubs, just substitute coconut juice for the water or other water rich ingredients in a recipe. Here is my recipe for a vegan coconut sugar scrub, made with coconut juice and coconut cream.
https://allnaturalbeauty.com/vegan-coconut-scrub/
Coconut cream is similar to coconut milk, but coconut cream is thicker and contains less water. Coconut cream can be used in much the same manner as coconut milk in beauty recipes, however since it is thicker, you may need to thin it with distilled water or a water rich ingredient. You can use coconut water, aloe, hydrosols, herbal infusions, or another type of juice, etc. Coconut cream is a very emollient ingredient, and it is rich in vitamin C.
I use coconut cream and coconut milk in a lot of products for my personal use, and in Earth Alkemie’s products too. Mix coconut cream with a scrubby ingredient, such as sugar or oatmeal, for an awesome scrub. You can add coconut cream to the bath for a luxurious bath. Coconut cream makes an amazing deep hair treatment too!
Make your bath special: have an aromatherapy milk bath! Just substitute the coconut cream for the milk!
Check out my recipe for a super easy coconut deep conditioning hair treatment! Use coconut cream instead of coconut milk, and add coconut juice or another water rich ingredient if needed.
https://allnaturalbeauty.com/easy-deep-conditioning-hair-treatment/
If you use coconut water, coconut cream, and coconut milk in cosmetics, I highly recommend making small batches, refrigerating any excess, and using it up quickly (within a few days). For a longer shelf life, add a more natural or eco-cert preservative, like leucidal or geogard ultra.
Please note: don’t confuse coconut cream with creamed coconut (also known as coconut butter), which is a different product. In addition, there are at least a couple of skin care ingredient vendors that call their cold pressed, unrefined, virgin coconut oil ‘coconut cream’, which is also a different ingredient.
– Li
