Question about coconut oil

[lynnala]

I bought some coconut oil at an Indian grocery store, for use on my hair and in cooking. The jar says "100% natural coconut oil, no preservatives or added ingredients". The oil is a milky color. My confusion is in researching coconut oil, I see there is 'virgin' and 'extra virgin', which are either clear or milky. Which is better, clear or milky? It seems that the clear oil must be more refined? And who has had success with coconut oil for weight loss?

[Riot Crrl]

I have extra virgin, and when refrigerated it is solid white. When melted it gets clearer, similar to what butter would do.

[Aisha25]

Well what is the name of the brand and when you pour it in your hand is it like chucky or is it smooth? Also how does it smell?

[lynnala]

Because it's from an Indian grocery store, it has a very 'homemade' look to the jar and label. It says 'Jawa Products', but Jawa is the island of Java in Indonesia, so I think it's not really a company, just a label. It also says 'product of the U.S.A.', so I suspect it's bought in bulk from Indonesia and put in jars for the store. It doesn't really have much of a scent at all, or a taste. Right now it is brutally hot here, so it is completely liquid, a kind of milky color, with some white pieces at the bottom of the jar. When I bought it it was semi-hard, I had to stir it to mix the oil into the more solid substance.

[Flaxen]

According to this description of how coconut oil is made, "extra" virgin is just a buzzword (scroll way down), and there really is no such thing.

[Wavelength]

According to this description of how coconut oil is made, "extra" virgin is just a buzzword (scroll way down), and there really is no such thing.

Flaxen is correct -- that's what I discovered as well. There's no practical difference between virgin and extra virgin when it comes to coconut oil. They're just using the same terms as olive oil to make you think "extra" means "better". It's a marketing gimmick to take your money.

[frizzinator]

You will probably only notice a differerence between refined and unrefined. Unrefined will smell like coconut, which makes me want to eat it.


It's possible that refined lasts longer than unrefined, but unrefined will last a year before going rancid.


I read something about the skin readily absorbs these unrefined oils: coconut, olive and avocado. The refining process makes the molecules in oils too big to be absorbed by the skin.

[Sari]

Actually the difference is between fractioned and non-fractioned. Fractioned oil tends to stay like a clear liquid at lower temperatures than non-fractioned. If it solidifies a bit then it is non-fractioned and less processed. Fractioned oils are also used with other essential oils and fragrances.