Vita Coco – Coconut Oil – 100% Raw and Organic
I have been lucky enough to trial out a product recently that I have never used before. Not knowing what to expect, but having heard great things I was excited to see the results.
Vita Coco sent me this fabulous box with a sample for me to use. Its description reads, ‘Eat It • Wear It • Swear By It’. Even before it arrived to me I already knew how I first wanted to use the coconut oil.
My hair is naturally curly and can be quite dry. I have read about a number of celebrities who swear by regular coconut oil hair treatments. After doing some reading I decided on the best way to test if the product would work on my hair. I would photograph myself during the initial day of testing to determine visual differences. What I hoped to see was shiny and smoother hair after the first use.
The following set of images show the status of my hair during each aspect of this review, and I will then describe the final look and feel after the experience of using coconut oil.
This is how my hair would normally be, a mixture of waves and curls, and it usually has quite a lot of volume. It can often look messy and I have to tame it most mornings with spray.
Prior to applying I brushed my hair teasing out all of the curls and any knots so that it was easy to smooth the oil through. This next photograph shows my hair after the brushing; as you can see it’s quite frizzy and is certainly dry to touch.
Now for the product. I first applied the coconut through the lengths of my hair focusing mainly on the ends because that is where a lot of dryness occurs in my hair. I then tied my hair up and left the oil on my hair for the next 4 hours so that it could nourish it. I have considerably long hair but I didn’t use a great deal of the oil, it went a long way which was a nice surprise.
Once the 4 hours were up I washed my hair with my regular shampoo and conditioner and took gentle care when rinsing it.
When blow drying my hair I used a medium heat, and like I normally use with my hair type, a diffuser. Just scrunching my hair lightly as it dried, I could immediately feel the variation from a few hours earlier. This is the image I took after my hair was thoroughly dried.
As you can see from my images the difference is clear, my curls are more defined and the hair surface is shiny. I was also impressed with how soft my hair felt, even two days later it’s still soft to touch and I have found it to be more manageable.
I will definitely continue to use this product on my hair and I have decided that that will be once every fortnight, that should be enough to maintain the softness in my hair now that the warmer months have arrived.
So what else can you use this coconut oil for? Cooking is one option, and I have a wonderful curry recipe that I plan to use it on. I would normally buy dried coconut but I think that the raw coconut may mix better and be more cost effective, because it’s so versatile in this state.
Another use is on the skin, if you have dry patches, and I will no doubt give that a try as well at some stage. I can imagine it being very handy in Winter. And I do plan to use it on my skin once I’ve finished making my hair look all the more amazing!
Not only that but I have also heard of people using this raw coconut as a makeup remover for more stubborn aspects of makeup, as well as for use when shaving your legs to achieve smooth and supple skin. Well in my opinion both of these things are worth a go regardless of the outcome, but there isn’t smoke without fire, people are using this stuff for all sorts.
The great thing about coconut oil in this form, is that it can go such a long way, a jar of this size will last you a while. And because it’s uses are so many, a jar of this product can live in your bathroom, your bedroom and your kitchen!
I want to thank Vita Coco for sending me this fantastic product, it will be a firm purchase of mine for the foreseeable future, and I’m so happy that I have had this opportunity to review it. It is fast becoming one of my regular products to use.
If you’re interested in purchasing this wonderful product you can find it at a majority of Boots stores.
I hope you have enjoyed this review, I know I have enjoyed trying something new!
★ Sabrina ★
So to give an overall review of this product my husband says he would give the contents of the box an 8/10. This is because he loved the figurine and says the quality of the t-shirt is excellent. He won’t be keeping some of the items and I believe he is considering gifting them to friends at Christmastime. But he liked the little ghostbusters ghost plush, even though he is a little old to receive cuddly toys!
I’m very impressed with the colour because of how bold it is. As you can see on my swatch on my arm it’s a deep shade of purple, not as dark as it appears in bulk in the pot, but still a wonderfully bright shade. Although only a very small pot at 4.5g, I feel as though this makeup will go a long long way. I barely used any of the powder for the swatch and I know that with the correct brushes it can be blended well.
Thank you to VLA Cosmetics who got the prize to me very quickly and well packaged as well. I am very happy with the product, and having not tried any MAC makeup before, I am impressed with the pigment.
I have always been a fan of juices and smoothies, and any simple way that I can get nutrients into my body quickly. When I heard about Juice Burst drinks I wanted to try them and give a short review for those who may not have discovered them yet.
Every one of the products counts as one of your five a day, and they are all smooth to drink and delicious too. Juice Burst have core flavours, and a new range of skinny drinks as well. These core juice drinks contain a lot of fruit juice and range from paired fruit perfections such as Orange and Passion Fruit, and the more unusual such as Blood Orange. As for the skinny options these have no added sugar and still contain enough fruit juice to be classed as one of your five a day.
I have been lucky enough to try some of these drinks, and I’m going to review some of them individually for you, outlining the nutritional information as well as what I thought of the flavours.
Spectrum Brushes are some of the most beautiful makeup brushes I have ever seen, no scratch that, they are definitely the prettiest I have seen! But what makes them so good? Well I decided I wanted to try them for myself and review them. So here I am in action, using these brushes and photographing them as I go, to give you an overall review of these unique looking products.
Being lightweight and soft the brushes are each designed for a specific makeup application. The shapes are specific to applying all kinds of makeup including Powder, Cream and Liquid. There are Eye Shadow, Foundation and Contour defining shapes as well as the general brushes for everyday use.
I kept hearing great things about the quality of these brushes from all over social media. And when I held them in my own hands and used them to apply makeup to my skin I could understand what all the fuss was about. Soft and shape specific, they made the application of my makeup products easy and precise.
I’m very pleased that I can add these stunning brushes to my collection, and I hope they last me for many years to come.
If you have enjoyed this review then please feel free to leave me a comment, and look out for more beauty reviews and pictures including these brushes in use, coming soon…
So it’s that time again! The start of a new month means a new treat box arrives in the post. I’m very excited to see what could be in this one and I couldn’t wait to photograph during this reveal!
I grinned from ear to ear as I opened the box and saw purple tissue paper. I love purple and hoped the theme might continue inside. The quote on the card read ‘She believed she could so she did’ which is a wonderful sentiment for everyone, to believe in yourself. I hope to get this card framed in a pretty frame I can see every day and remind myself this quote is true.
Inside this months treat box you will find a quote card that reads ‘She Believed She Could So She Did, a Cushion that reads ‘Follow your Heart’, a fabulous Queen Bee bookmark, a polka dot bag with a lovely Compact Mirror inside that reads ‘You Look Lovely Today’ on the back of it, a Wooden Board with the words ‘Life is too short to be anything but Happy’, some hanging Metal Hearts that chink together and are a very nice decoration and lastly some lovely pink decorative tape.
One thing that all of these wonderful gifts have in common are that they are inspiring and confidence boosting. Reminding the people who have received these wonderful treats that they should believe in the things they do, to follow their dreams and hearts to success and happiness.
Overall I’m so pleased with this months treat box, I love every single item that has been received. The quality is excellent and I know that I will find place in my home for all of the things in this treat box. My favourite item, (if I have to pick one because it’s so difficult with this box) is the quote board. I think that it’s words are rather poignant, Life is Short, Be Happy, is something I try to live by, and think of a positive even on the bad days.
If you would like to order your own treat box then you can find Treatbox by searching that keyword on Facebook and/or visit their website to subscribe for your own treat box 
Day 3. Today I began to notice a few very tiny chips at the edge of my thumb and first finger. Not that noticeable though unless you were up close. This was bound to happen to me because of all the things that my hands go through every day. But it’s not bad enough to ruin the manicure. My nails are still a wonderful shade and are shiny, I have been both cooking and cleaning and typing the past 48 hours, so I am surprised they are in such good condition. So far so good!
Day 5. Other than a few minor chips my nails look great. The look and feel of he polish is still smooth and shiny which is what I would expect to see from a successful manicure. So far the quality of both the polish and the gel top coat is excellent.
Day 7. It’s been a week since the application and overall my nails look fabulous! The shine, colour and smoothness is still apparent and other than my thumb and first finger loosing some polish at the tips the manicure is still in a very good condition. When looking at them not close up you wouldn’t notice the chips.
Day 9. Today I inspected my nails and as you can imagine they are beginning to grow out now at the backs. Their pink lines stand out against the dark red colour painted upon them. Saying that though the look of my nail varnish is still very good. My first finger, thumb and middle finger are now beginning to look worse for wear, but from a distance you can’t tell very much.
Day 11. Not much difference in two days despite my daily duties. All of the nails are beginning to grow out now and most are chipped at the edges. Saying that I have never known a nail polish to last this long without me needing to remove and re-apply at least one of the finger nails.
Day 12. More growing out and a tiny bit more chipping, but otherwise my nails look great for having been applied 12 days ago! I’m starting to really like the quality of this product. It goes to show that when you apply things correctly it can really work in your favour, no wasting time reapplying polish every day or so.
Day 14. Time to remove the nail varnish, but I’m impressed with how well it’s lasted. My daily routine involves cooking and cleaning and I would’ve expected more chips than I have. As you can see in my photograph my nails have lasted reasonably well overall and I think if I were applying this nail polish long term it would be very useful investment knowing that when applied correctly it will last a minimum of a week, almost 14 days if looked after.
Back in February of this year I was lucky enough to win a competition through Intu shopping centres to win this wonderful book by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones. As it says on the cover the author has cleverly created recipes that allow us to harness the power of food so that we may live healthier lives. There are lots of aspects of food that can provide the health benefits our bodies need. Making the most of things such as antioxidants and vitamins that foods such as tomatoes naturally provide.
This recipe was easy to follow and the instructions were very clear. I have always loved to cook so it was nice to try something different. The only thing I did change however was one ingredient, which was relating to nuts. My husband is very allergic so it’s not something that we even have in the house. ‘Cook Yourself Young’ contains many recipes which have nuts in, and although I won’t be able to include nuts in the ones I do try out, I either substitute them or leave the ingredient out completely.
So overall this is a wonderful and unique book filled with recipes and facts that will keep you entertained for months as you create these interesting and healthy dishes. Even if you have to substitute ingredients like I have done, the recipes are still fantastic and it’s well worth it for all the facts about your body and the way it reacts to food.