View Full Version : coconut oil gunk
Sabriel
July 28th, 2011, 08:41 PM
So I fell in love with coconut oil about three months ago. It does wonders for my hair and I use it all the time :). Well, a couple days ago I noticed some icky brown stuff at the bottom of the jar (I use nutiva organic extra virgin, if that matters). So I did a google search to try to figure out what it was and if I need to throw the whole thing away. (I actually got a two pack so I have another jar I can easily switch too :D but I'd hate to waste it, it would last months) The only thing I could find about this happening was an LHC thread (of course ;)). Someone had what sounded like the same problem as me. A couple people said she should chuck it, and one person said that it might be a bacterial growth from putting her fingers in the jar.
So, my questions are - Do you agree that I should chuck it? I think I will to be safe.
What do I have to do to keep this from happening again? In all the youtube tutorials I saw they stuck their fingers in the jar lol. But, if I can't anymore so be it. But how careful do I have to be? Someone suggested keeping most in the fridge and getting a squeeze tube to refill. Do I have to go that far? I mean it's fine when it's in liquid form, but I imagine that would be a pain when it's solid all the time in winter. I also find transferring coconut oil to be a pain, it gets everywhere lol. Maybe I can just have a little jar and something to scrape the oil out with (That I will have to keep washing)? Or can I just wash my hands before dipping my fingers in? (The girl who posted the other thread said she usually did that :()
Thoughts?
Quahatundightu
July 28th, 2011, 09:46 PM
Hmm without seeing this gunk it's hard to say. Might be better to chuck it, mould and bacteria isn't something to mess around with, some of it can be really harmful!
What I do is that I have a smaller pot which I put coconut oil into and use it from there. My main glass jar is so huge that it's just more practical. So I only dip into the main jar once every few months. It's much easier to take coconut oil away with me for the night or when I'm traveling too, it's already in its small travel pot :)
Perhaps it depends on your climate too? I have never had coconut oil go bad, butif you live somewhere hot enough that the oil is always liquid I would have thought it's better to keep it somewhere cooler, even in the fridge.
neko_kawaii
July 28th, 2011, 11:18 PM
I don't know what the discoloration is, but if you don't want to use a smaller container to dip into, you could dip into the jar with a spoon. I did that with my jar of coconut oil (its for cooking, but look, I can use it on my hair!) before I remembered that there was another jar in the fridge that was nearly empty so I let that one return to liquid and poured it into a small tuperware and now dip out of that. Now, if I can just find a small jar to use instead.
MaryLA
July 28th, 2011, 11:25 PM
I would throw the jar away, just to be safe. I keep my coconut oil in the fridge. When I need some oil, I scrape out what I need with a spoon, rub into my hands to melt then apply to hair.
pelicano
July 29th, 2011, 03:16 AM
I sometimes see brown stuff at the bottom of mine. I think it just shows the product is natural and unrefined, to be honest. I don't use it though - when I get to that stage, I start a new pot. In my case there is no way that it is coming from fingers. Because we take it internally too (well, my husband does), I only ever put a spoon in the pot, never fingers.
Carolyn
July 29th, 2011, 06:52 AM
I would scoop out all the stuff that looks OK and put it into another jar and toss the rest.
Deborah
July 29th, 2011, 09:57 AM
I would scoop out all the stuff that looks OK and put it into another jar and toss the rest.
I agree with this. I buy the big 54 ounce jars of the organic Nutiva, and have never had the slightest problem with it. I stick my fingers in to get it out, I eat it and use it in my bath (not on my hair - it feels too heavy), and have done so for several years now. I store the open jar, covered, on the top of the toilet tank (cool there) with no problem ever.
I suppose you could have a bad jar, but I doubt it. I have used up at least 8 of these big jars quite successfully.
PrincessBob
July 29th, 2011, 09:58 AM
I have a tiny jam jar (like for home canning) that holds around 4 ounces, I just put some in there and leave the rest aside. I can treat that as my supply for later and only use from the tiny jar.
StormVixen
July 29th, 2011, 10:04 AM
on my tub of EVCO it says that it may contain brown stuff due to it being a natural product...
pink.sara
July 29th, 2011, 11:36 AM
I agree with this. I buy the big 54 ounce jars of the organic Nutiva, and have never had the slightest problem with it. I stick my fingers in to get it out, I eat it and use it in my bath (not on my hair - it feels too heavy), and have done so for several years now. I store the open jar, covered, on the top of the toilet tank (cool there) with no problem ever.
I suppose you could have a bad jar, but I doubt it. I have used up at least 8 of these big jars quite successfully.
Hang on, hang on... You store it on top of your toilet but still eat it?! God I hope you mean differently!
I felt bad enough sticking a finger in the kitchen supply then finding out my SO had cooked with it.
islandboo
July 29th, 2011, 03:03 PM
I use a small plastic spatula to remove my coconut oil from the jar (the type they use for samples at the cosmetics counter in large department stores). I also wash it when I am done applying the oil to my hair (I wash my hands to get the oil off so I just rub the spatula with my soapy hands a few times then rinse it off). I don't like sticking my fingers into jars - I worry too much about contamination.
Sabriel
August 3rd, 2011, 08:31 AM
So I decided to chuck it just to be safe. I'm going to be a lot more careful with the new jar - I'll keep most in the fridge and find something to keep a bit in at a time. I wont stick my fingers in anymore and will wash whatever I do use. If I see this stuff again I think I can assume it's harmless at that point. Thanks guys!
Cowgirl16
August 3rd, 2011, 09:37 AM
I keep what I'm using in small pourable container and the rest in the refrigerator. In the winter I warm it just a tad under the water faucet to get enough to pour; but in the summer it is always liquid and no problem. I have never seen brown stuff in mine :shrug:
spidermom
August 3rd, 2011, 10:10 AM
I've never seen brown stuff in my coconut oil, but I'd get rid of it if I did.
I keep my big jar in the refrigerator and melt it off as needed to refill the small jar that I keep in my bedroom. I use my fingers in the small jar, never the big jar.
archel
August 3rd, 2011, 01:25 PM
If it's mold, it has permeated all the product before it shows on the surface of the product. This is why I tell people that pulling a moldy spot off their bread and eating the rest is still eating moldy bread (gak).
Chiara
August 3rd, 2011, 05:04 PM
I always decant a bit of oil and keep the rest in the fridge too.
Last summer we had a series of very hot days (days at about 40 degrees C and nights around 25 degrees C) and the coconut oil I had in the bathroom went bad. There was no mistaking it, because it smelt BAD... really rank!
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.