Simple Coconut Oil Question From a Newbie

[ElvenArchess]

Alright so I've never actually seen or touched coconut oil before, and in all honesty I therefore have no idea what it's supposed to look/feel like. I always just assumed it was like any other oil, tea tree or olive for instance, where it just looks like.. tinted water. But the only coconut oils I've found in town look like Crisco, and I just assumed they were the wrong kinds until I looked at one of the jars (Spectrum coconut oil, refined) and it said you have to put the jar in warm water for it to become a liquid. So I'm just a completely uninformed idiot and I need to heat the coconut oil to liquid form before putting it in any hair-rescue recipes? And the Crisco-looking grease stuff they're calling coconut oil at Walmart is just fine?

Also, I have another question; I went to a natural food store and they had a bunch of different brands of coconut oil, can anyone tell me which is the best in their experience? These are the brands:
1. Spectrum Coconut Oil (refined - most recipes/treatments call for unrefined, though, and they don't have unrefined )
2. Good N' Natural Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
3. Barlean's ($15 freakin' dollars for a little tub thing) Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
4. NOW Healthy Foods Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil

Thank you so much for your help! ^.^ (Like I said.. I'm a newbie. )

[Fingolphin]

The stuff you're seeing is fine. It's not Crisco. It only becomes a liquid at temps above about 73 F or so. As soon as you rub it in your fingers, the heat of your body melts it. Personally, I am using the NOW brand currently.

[ElvenArchess]

Oooh~ Neat! Yeah sorry, I guess I didn't even think of what texture/form it would come in. Thanks! *Runs off to the natural foods store once again*

[Mountaingrrl]

Yes, coconut oil is normally solid. You can just scrape a bit of the solid coconut oil with your fingernail and rub it between your hands to melt it - no need to heat up the whole jar.

[Firefox7275]

It's a perfectly reasonable question; coconut oil is a strange kind of fat because it's more saturated (like butter or lard) than most oils. So as Fingolphin says the melting temperature is different. Just to confuse you it is possible to refine coconut oil until it is liquid at room temperature, but most recipes expect you to use the ordinary solid stuff. If you are trying to mix with other ingredients you probably need to microwave the coconut oil or immerse the jar in hot water. If any of the other stuff is cold when you mix, the coconut may go lumpy again (yes I have had that experience).

[Elfblaide]

Ahh excellent, I was going to ask this question as I was confused too Thanks y'all!

[tinti]

Heidi w has a great article on oils. It can be worth reading it before starting to mess with the oil if you're new to it, I wish I'd done that

Heidi w's oiling tutorial

[polette]

I use Spectrum Coconut Oil, and I love it, I use it in a spray bottle with aloe and water. I melt it before adding it, but when I use it directly in my hair, I just let it sit in my palm for a second, and it melts.

Word of caution; places like Walgreens sell "coconut oil" in their ethnic hair section, but it is NOT pure oil, the first ingredient is petroleum. I made that mistake as a newbie. Now, I buy the Sprectrum oil at publixs

[Intotouch]

Just be warned it doesn't suit everyone. If you find your hair sticking to itself and dryer later you may need to clarify to lose it. Most people on here love it though.

[AshNight1214]

Thanks for posting this question! I always wondered about that!