The Current

September 1, 2020 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 7 Arts & Entertainment OFFSHORE CALENDAR Put some coconut oil on it By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor Sept. 2 marks World Coconut Day, and when I think of coconuts, I automatically think of coconut oil. Coconut oil offers a tremendous amount of health benefits in a wide variety of ways. If you’ve ever watched “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” instead of putting Windex on everything, just put some coconut oil on it. Here are some useful and clever ways to use it. Put it on your skin Whether you’ve got a fresh tattoo, wound or scar, put some coconut oil on it! Because of the medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil, it can reduce inflammation and help your skin heal. This is because it has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and restorative properties, as stated by the Natural Medicine Journal. According to Healthline, coconut oil also has proven benefits in treating skin disorders like eczema, dermatitis and irritation. It even helps with acne and can act as a moisturizer, helping to repair cracked and dry skin. Put it on your teeth If you’re the type of person who sometimes goes to bed without brushing your teeth, doing a coconut oil pull or brushing your teeth with coconut oil can be beneficial. Coconut oil does a good job of removing harmful bacteria from your mouth. In a study done by the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s National Institutes of Health, coconut oil was found to help reduce plaque buildup, fight gum disease and even prevent tooth decay. Using coconut oil as a mouth cleanser can also help you have better breath and fewer cavities. It may feel a bit strange to slosh some coconut oil around in your mouth, but it’ll definitely leave you feeling new and fresh. Put it in your hair Did you cut your hair during quarantine and now wish it were longer again? Well, putting coconut oil in your hair has been proven to stimulate hair growth. According to Love, Beauty and Planet, a company dedicated to providing customers good-quality skin and hair products that are natural and also good for the environment, applying coconut oil to your hair also helps your hair to not only grow back faster and longer, but thicker too. This is because of the high fatty acid contents in the coconut oil, which help nourish the scalp and remove buildup from hair follicles. If you’re used to putting a lot of product or heat in your hair, coconut oil can even help repair split ends and add shine. Try incorporating coconut oil into your hair routine at least two or three times a week. It won’t be long before you start seeing results. Coconuts are a holy grail. They’re not only edible and even drinkable, but they’re nature’s medicine too, providing us natural ways to heal and better our health. You can eat it, cook with it, drink it, put it in your hair, put it on your skin, put it in your mouth and so much more. No matter what’s happening, coconuts and coconut oil can make things a little better, and if you’re skeptical, just put some coconut oil on it! PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM F. MIRELES Coconut oil is not just good for cooking, but good for everything else too Staying connected while staying apart: new ways to socialize safely The pandemic has affected infinite aspects of our everyday lives and it’s no doubt been tough. It’s natural to want to see your friends, either for support or just a sense of normalcy, but that’s not always possible right now. There’s any number of reasons you might not be able to socialize in person -- out of safety, because you or your friends are attending classes remotely or everyone just lives far away and you aren’t looking to take part in long distance travel. Whatever your motive for physically distancing yourself is, here are a few ideas to help you stay connected while staying apart. Physically distant dining Do you miss going out to dinner with your roommates? Brunch with your best friends? While you might not be able to recreate sitting with a friend in a familiar diner with a cup of coffee or those avocado toast-filled Instagram photo ops, you can still catch a bite together. Plan a time to “get together” over a meal with a friend. Make something fancier than usual, whip up your coffee, drizzle some expensive olive oil over your plate, garnish with edible flowers, do whatever you need to do to make it feel like you’re eating at your favorite restaurants together. You might not be able to share food from across screens, but you can still share each other’s company. Getting social with screen sharing Fortunately, with Zoom’s screen- sharing abilities, playing games with friends from far away is easier than ever. Never been in the “online gaming” community before? Don’t worry -- the industry has gone far past arcade or combat style games, if that’s not your thing. Check out developers like Jackbox. Jackbox makes games specifically for groups of people, where most attendees play by using their phone and seeing the “gameplay” on a shared screen. If that’s still not how you’re looking to spend your Friday night with friends, consider streaming a movie or television show together. Even if you don’t literally “share screens,” you can sync up so that your movie is playing at the same time. There’s also a few extensions that were developed to help with this -- just be sure to do your research before downloading any new programs. Planning during a pandemic If you’re like me, you’ve somehow managed to yearn for those messy group chat conversations where you were trying to find the perfect time to get your 10 best friends together to hang out all at once. It can absolutely be a pain, but making “plans,” even if it’s just to video chat, can help make socializing feel a little more normal -- and it can help you prioritize seeing your friends. It’s really easy to say “I miss you, let’s FaceTime!” and never actually get around to it, despite everyone’s best intentions. Now that you hopefully have some more ideas for hanging out, set aside some time in your schedule for socializing -- like you normally would -- even if you don’t leave your room. Fair Eats Drive-Thru at South Florida Fairgrounds September 5th-7th | 11:00a.m.- 8:00 p.m. Bayfront Park Free Virtual Yoga Class September 1, 3, & 8th | 5:00 p.m. Live @ Frost Science Speaker Series September 2nd | 2:00 p.m. Blamie’s Quarantine Bingo Thursday September 3rd | 8:00 p.m Veza Sur Virtual Happy Hour September 4th | 5:00 p.m. Food Truck Night Miramar September 4th | 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Indian Cooking Demo September 5th | 1:00 p.m. Virtual Qurantina Karaoke Night by Karla Croqueta September 7th | 5:00 p.m. PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM M. RINKA Has your planner been downright devoid of anything fun with friends? Try these new ideas to hang out from a distance By: Madelyn Rinka Co-Editor-in-Chief