Refined Vs. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
I have a question about Virgin Coconut Oil. I saw "Pure Coconut Oil" on the shelf in a local supermarket, and wondered if this is the same as Virgin. Could any coconut oil connoisseurs tell me the difference? Thanks, Lia in NC
Refined Vs. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Is this a good choice?
From my reading "non-hydrogenated" is preferred, as is "expeller pressed". But it is refined. What is difference in Refined vs Unrefined? What is difference in Virgin vs what I bought?
Is what I bought a safe and effective choice? Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I am new at this and trying to learn as much as possible.
(Brisbane, Queensland, Australia)
11/22/2010
Hi Crain, I think you will find the health food store has organic extra virgin coconut oil. The supermarket tends to sell the refined version. The unrefined isn't heat treated, chemically treated etc. Extra Virgin is the first pressing of the nut to extract the oil. Much the same as olive oil. Hope this helps. Lily
Refined Vs. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Refined Vs. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
★★★★★
WHAT IS COPRA OR COCONUT OIL?
My husband is a Banaban islander from Rabi Island, Fiji and was not only raised on coconut and coconut oil as part of daily life but also cut copra to make a living on his small impoverished island. Copra or dried coconut flesh is what is made into basic COCONUT OIL. It is a completely different form of oil compared to Virgin or Extra Virgin Coconut Oil now on the market.
When he cuts copra he first gathers coconuts that have fallen on the ground, cuts the nut in half and removes the white coconut meat. The coconut meat is then usually dried on a rack over a fire (they call them copra smokers) which helps to dry out the coconut meat and it turns a grey colour and has a rancid smell. The biggest and most abundant amount of wild coconuts are found in remote villages scattered across the Pacific and Asia. Sometime it can take up to 3-4 months before the villagers can get their bags of smoked copra to the big copra mills in town. The mills are usually situated 100's of miles away from these villagers. The copra mills resemble a smaller version of a sugar crushing mill and processing of the copra is similar to that found in the sugar mills. The copra is pressed and because the coconut is very smoky or rancid they use chemicals to bleach and clean the oil. This happens in all the basic edible food oils today in the market place. This is also the reason why this style of COCONUT OIL (Copra) processing became known in the old days as poor man's oil or dirty oil.
But for people in the village they only used freshly processed coconut oil and the premium or special oils that their grandmother's made from freshly squeezed coconuts were put aside and bottled for the special ceremonies in the village. Today this special oil is known as Extra or Virgin Coconut Oil and any comparisons to the processing of olive oil should not be used. The term for Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in the Coconut oil industry today means that this form of coconut oil processing is the most unrefined and most natural form and no artificial filtering or expeller pressing (centrifuge spinning -also known as oil polishing) is used. The oil remains in its most natural form and retains a rich smell and sweet taste of coconut.
Today because of the high demand for Virgin Coconut Oil many unscrupulous manufacturers are getting cheap copra oils and running them through centrifuge spinning machines to clean up the oils and also state they are ORGANIC. While the centrifuges remove the smell and all flavour from the oils the Copra COCONUT OIL is a much thicker oil that will NOT quickly absorb into the skin and does contain TRANS FAT. Accept for a higher level of lauric acid it is very similar to all other trans fat food oils on the market due to the processing. If you put this type of oil on your skin it is just that OIL and will clog the pores of your skin.
WHAT IS EXTRA VIRGIN OR VIRGIN COCONUT OIL
Good quality Extra Virgin or Virgin Coconut Oil should taste and smell like coconut. It should be a very fine oil and will quickly melt in the palm of your hand with body heat. If it does not solidify or melt quickly you know it is a much thicker and inferior oil. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil should be in a natural form and gravity or natural filtering of the oil is used. This type of Virgin Coconut Oil will still retain a level of fine coconut particles and usually a very high level of lauric acid. This type or premium VCO should not contain any microbe activity or foreign matter. If wild forest coconuts are used and are very mature trees they retain a very high lauric acid level and the oil can retain a slight golden colour.
While some of the Virgin Coconut Oils currently on the market are crystal clear in appearance they usually are made from the soft immature coconut flesh before the nut hardens. This type of coconut processing usually makes it easy to remove the coconut flesh and extract the oil with fermentation or boiling off the liquid. Because the coconut is not as mature it usually has lower lauric acid levels and the smell and flavour of the oil is not as strong.
It must be remembered that all coconuts when opened will quickly ferment and unless the moisture is removed properly during processing the oil will sour. Good quality Virgin Coconut Oils should have a shelf life of at lease 2 years without any deteriorate of the oil at all. When cooking with Virgin Coconut Oil the oil will fry at very high temperatures. Good quality Virgin Coconut Oil can be mixed in both hot and cold drinks.
To reap the great benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil make sure you know the difference between VIRGIN COCONUT OIL and Copra (basic COCONUT OIL) found in today's market place and why they should not be confused.
(Manitowoc, Wisconsin)
08/12/2009
Refined Vs. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
★★★★★
RBD oil is also sometimes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. This happens mostly in tropical climates, since the natural melting point of coconut oil is about 76 degrees F, and already naturally a solid in most colder climates. Since coconut oil is mostly saturated, there is little unsaturated oil left to hydrogenate. Hydrogenated oils contain trans fatty acids.
Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin Coconut Oil can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat or what is called non-copra. Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since the natural, pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years. There are currently two main processes of manufacturing Virgin Coconut Oil:
1. Quick drying of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil. Using this method, the coconut meat is quick dried, and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means. (see our Green Label Virgin Coconut Oil)
2. Wet-milling. With this method the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying first. "Coconut milk" is expressed first by pressing. The oil is then further separated from the water. Methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes and mechanical centrifuge. (see our Traditional Virgin Coconut Oil)
If you would like so see how they process the extra virgin oil, then go to youtube and you'll find it under.
The Cocovida virgin coconut oil production process...Take 11
Ringworm
I've found that the thing that worked quick for my cats on their ringworm was MSM ... in their food.
I gave them -1/32 tsp twice daily (in their meals) ... based on the fact that their weights are from 8.5 lbs. to 9.5 lbs.
Too much MSM will cause runny stool, so best start with a smaller amount than the recommended dose, then work your way up to what they can use (which will not cause runny stools)....
Within a few days their ringworm lesions were noticeably better, & began shrinking right after, until totally gone.... I can't fathom why not even holistic vets seem to know about it!!!
Saturated Fat in Coconut Oil
I need some help here. Any insight will be appreciated. Take care all.
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
07/28/2010
Hi, maybe you should consider reading some books on the subject. . . . . That is what I did after getting some great information from Bill from the Philippines. I have recently posted a review on a book called Cholesterol and Fats are good for you but there are others specifically on coconut oil and coconut products. There is a lot of misinformation out there. . . . . I have started cooking with coconut oil, doing oil pulling with it too and using it as sun cream. So far, so good. . . . . . . We were in England last week and I got a magazine offered by the chemists (mainstream ones) where they had an article about how good coconut oil is for the health. I am going to read a few more books soon.
(North York, Ontario, Canada)
07/28/2010
Hey Francisca, thank you for the reply. You are right one should read all articles available to be sure. I have been on VCO for the past two weeks :) and have also started cooking with VCO, so far I feel great. Earth clinic was a blessing for me and I would like to thank everyone for taking the time and posting their progress on this website.
(Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France)
07/30/2010
Hi Tish, I have started reading a book today which I think is very interesting and which gives a lot of information: Trick and Treat. It is not only about fats but about health in general and how we are all getting more and more ill. Maybe I will post here a review at the end although I haven't understood yet whether people are interested in reading books.
Saturated Fat in Coconut Oil
(Englewood, Florida, Usa)
06/29/2010
(Regina, Sk)
06/29/2010
Graham: Not true!
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/fattyacids1.html
You are confusing terms, and also propagating another myth as bad as the cholesterol myth, and one that goes back even farther.
A glycerol or glycerine 'backbone' can attach one (mono), two (di), or three (tri) fatty acids, and each of those can be any degree (short, medium or long; un-, mono-, poly-)of unsaturation. Saturated fats are NOT bad for you in any amount or way or shape or form, and there are zero properly conducted scientific studies ever done that show them to be bad! If they were bad, then there would have been no 'primitives' living on the tropical islands for Dr. Weston Price to study in the 1920's for their superior health! They used coconuts almost exclusively for their dietary fat.
Coconut has MCTs, medium chain triglycerides, which are shorter than 'long chain', and MCTs are burned preferentially by the cells for energy. The reason is that the body uses the saturated fats as an essential building block in such things as cell membranes. But note that in the table in the link, coconut oil is very predominately composed of saturated fatty acids (over 90 %)!
Yet the tropical residents whom Dr. Price studied were among the very healthiest he'd ever seen,and especially compared to the First World people in the USA, Britain, etc. Of course since then the average First Worlder diet has gone way downhill, and there are almost no peoples extant still living the simple unprocessed food life that Price found quite common in the 1920's.
Seizures
★★★★☆
(Forest Park, Ohio, Usa)
03/01/2010
Three years ago I started using raw coconut oil for my seizures after reading about the ketogenic diet which has helped people control their seizures. I kept my seizures away for three years until one day I stopped to detox with smoothies. That day I had a seizure and have since then gone back on a high fat diet to control them! I use coconut oil, olive oil, and real butter.
Shelf Life
The thing is... This was a few years ago. He has since passed, & adding that my daughter is highly allergic to coconut, I just felt it was better left alone, for the time being. (to rot?) OK, my daughter has now moved out. This gallon of fine virgin fat has been with me this whole time. I have been storing this gallon of (quite expensive) coconut oil, .. And yes, still I have it, sitting on the floor of my pantry.
OK, so I just now finally opened it up... yes, in the middle of writing this... But thought if it were rancid, I could save the trouble of asking/posting, here... But to my surprise, it was just as fine as could be. The surface hadn't even been touched! (I'm SO thankful that little furry green coconut babies didn't come oozing out..!! & I'll bet I've just stirred my dear old Dad's soul when I too, noticed that it looks just like a tub o' lard! ) Sorry, I don't mean to delay my point, or question, rather. I'm just in one of those writing modes, I guess...
So my question is: No harm in trying it out... Is there? Even being "aged", as it is? It doesn't smell like anything at all, but when I dipped some out into a smaller container & rubbed it into my hands and arms it got a light coconutty sweet smell to it, but not strong at all... Quite pleasing, really. Not at all rancid, sour or otherwise spoiled. I almost feel silly even asking, now that I've tested it out topically... & I suppose, if nothing else, I could make some kind of skin preparation from it! But since I've gone and typed all this out .... Maybe it will save someone else from having to ask. Or... Otherwise let the world know that it is probably ok to use even "aged" for... Ok, 2007, is when he floated on outta here, so... I'd give a likely guess at probably 6 or 7 years old, now. That's quite a long shelf life! Only due to its appearance, am I almost already comfortable with its future use, but, really, I know nothing about any kind of longivity for its health benefits to remain... I still value the opinion of an expert or knowledge of experience... Whichever...
So, please, do let me know if you see any adverse reasons for using this product!!! While I can't yet see myself spreading it on my toast, I don't forsee any harm if I were to swish it and spit it! I must say, it feels good to have that feeling of, "I just KNEW I'd find a use for ~that~.. someday! " I Thank you so much in advance for your consideration, and subsequent opinion/advice.
(Uk, Europe)
05/13/2011
It would be a real shame to use the coconut oil for pulling (use sesame or sunflower oil instead) - you should use the coconut oil neat on your skin like moisturizer or better still as you would vegetable oil. It melts at 75 degrees F and, unlike many other oils, it can withstand the high temperatures undamaged. If you like the taste, you can eat it any way you like.
Sinus Infection
★★★★★
(Bc)
11/08/2023
Could you please elaborate on the amount of coconut oil in the netti pot? How many drops or how much in a cup of warm water? I can't stand the constant stuffiness sounding as if I have a cold in my nose and recently developed nasal vestibulitis which will not heal and causes such intense itching it is driving me crazy. Thank you for any suggestions.
Sinus Infection
★★★★★
About a week ago I was reading about the benefits of coconut oil and decided to take a few drops and put it deep into my nostrils. I also mix a bit in my netti pot with warm water.
So, I'm using steam, coconut oil drops and the netti pot with warm water and some oil. The improvement has been nothing short of amazing. I even cancelled a doctor appointment I had scheduled for tomorrow.
I'm a new guy of late, my mood is a lot better, and I'm not obsessing over my nasal issues any more. I strongly recommend everyone try this remedy, it's been nothing short of amazing.
Sinus Infection
Sinus Infection
★★★★★
I was totally fed up with the above symptoms. I spent 4 months of last year fighting my health problems... did some research into extra virgin co.. and thought why not.... well let me say i cannot believe the difference this oil has made to my overall health... look truly i recommend anyone to give it a go..... you have nothing to lose and so much to gain....!
Skin Issues
| 5 star (37) | 79% | |
| 3 star (1) | 2% | |
| 1 star (5) | 11% | |
 (4) |
9% |
I was hit by a car in the abdomen at 3 and flew 15 feet and hit a firehydrant with my head, so I have trauma to the brain, ADHD , Dyslexia and memory problems and learning challenges... so I followed some things I read and started on a tsp a day in my oatmeal and put a little on my skin and it soaked right in. My skin is EXTREMELY SENSITIVE , but NO Problems with the coconut oil. I am up to 3- 7 tsp. a day and coat my face neck hands and feet daily. dry heels are GONE.
I got a little acne at first and I've always had some but I haven't had any in a while , just kept putting the oil on the outbreaks. Hope it helps.
