Coconut oil after it's melted?

[Periwinkle]

(wasn't sure where to put this, sorry if I'm wrong)

Is coconut oil okay to use after it's already been melted?

I have a jar of solid coconut oil. I keep it in a wooden chest in a dark place and I've never had any trouble with it.

It's been really hot today and when I took the jar down to oil my hair, I found that the whole lot had melted (not into liquid, just to a kind of slush).

Will this be okay to use still? Is there anything I can do to raise the melting point and stop it happening again? (Keeping it in the fridge isn't really an option, so the chest is the coolest place I have.)

[Heidi_234]

When you rub the oil between your hand, you melt it in order to use it. So if's already melted, you're saved 0.5 secs from your life rubbing it in order to melt it. :) No harm done.

[Kaamos]

Of course you can use melted coconut oil. Melted coconut oil is still good.
Usually it melts at about 25°C (about room temperature). I don't think that you can do anything to change the melting point.

[SimplyViki]

It's fine. Mine melts every time I take a hot shower, and then goes solid again over the next few hours. No harm so far.

[teela1978]

Mine is generally melted all summer and solid the rest of the year. It's how I tell summer is coming/going. If you don't mind using it as a liquid it's fine. If the liquid bugs you you can keep a small amount in the fridge. There's not really any way to get the melting temperature higher though.

Maybe if you mixed it with shea butter or something.... that sounds complicated though.

[Fractalsofhair]

If you're not planning on cooking with it, it should be fine. Mine's melted tons of times before. If you're planning on cooking with it, it should be in the fridge anyways, and kept pretty clean. You might have to adjust the amount you use though.

[Madame J]

If you're worried, give it a sniff. If it still just smells like coconut (or nothing for refined oil), it's probably fine for personal care use. Rancid oil has a definite bad smell. My coconut oil melts and rehardens all the time, with the vague slush stage in between. It depends on the temperature in the apartment -- when it stays a clear liquid for a day or two, I suggest to my husband that we turn on the AC so the dog doesn't get too hot during the day.

[Delila]

Mine stays at the vague slush stage, in between hard and liquid, for the duration of the summer, then gets hard again in winter, unless we accidentally set the heat too high.

Mine's several years old now, and seems just fine.

[enfys]

Mine's been melted all summer/week (depends on your optimisim).

What's the rancid smell like? And how might amla affect or mask it?

Just melted is fine, I think it's just if it starts boiling or jumps up and runs away when you open the tub or something you have to worry.

[Periwinkle]

Glad it's all right then :) If it does run away when I open the tub, I'll make sure to call on you guys for help!

[marialena]

(wasn't sure where to put this, sorry if I'm wrong)

Is coconut oil okay to use after it's already been melted?

I have a jar of solid coconut oil. I keep it in a wooden chest in a dark place and I've never had any trouble with it.

It's been really hot today and when I took the jar down to oil my hair, I found that the whole lot had melted (not into liquid, just to a kind of slush).

Will this be okay to use still? Is there anything I can do to raise the melting point and stop it happening again? (Keeping it in the fridge isn't really an option, so the chest is the coolest place I have.)

It is just fine to use it. But if the temperature gets higher and especially if you put your fingers in the jar every time you oil your hair, put the big jar it in the refrigerator and keep a small amount of your melted VCO in a smaller jar. ( because you can put bacteria with your fingers in the jar and make your VCO become brown. ).

In any other case, melted or not VCO works the same.
:) ( mine, if I take it out of the refrigerator becomes totally liquid in less than half an hour. But today we had 35 C in Athens so it is obvious why VCO melts. )