LOCO...but for which COCO???

As the years have passed, coconut oil has become a staple in more and more households. The endless benefits of the sweet little nut has become center stage and it seems like we just can’t get enough! The problem we have now though, is there are so many options… which do we pick? What’s the best for us? Why does it all matter? Is organic really better than non-organic? What’s the difference between refined and unrefined, and does cold pressed really make a difference? Time to get this all sorted out…  

Unrefined vs. refined coconut oil. Let’s make this an easy one, unrefined is better than refined. You are dealing with labels that read ‘virgin’ or ‘extra-virgin’ when buying unrefined coconut oil.   The oil is made from fresh raw coconut instead of dried coconut like its refined counterpart. Once the coconut meat (kernel) has been dried, it has to go through a process (which includes bleaching and deodorizing) to filter out impurities that it incurred during the drying process to make it more stable, before it becomes an oil again. Plain and simple buy unrefined coconut oil, not refined!  

Cold pressed coconut oil is basically taking unrefined ‘virgin’ coconut oil up a level. During the cold press process temperatures are not allowed to exceed 120* which helps preserve even more of the raw coconut goodness. So if you can find unrefined cold pressed coconut oil, you can maximize the benefits and be even more loco for the coco.

As for organic coconut oil, being compared to non-organic coconut oil, its really a matter of personal preference. Organically grown coconuts can help satisfy our need to avoid chemicals and pesticides used on our non organic counterparts. However, there has not been much evidence that these chemicals and pesticides actually affect the oil. So this could be an area where you decide that economically this is an area that you can pinch some pennies and not worry (too) much about buying organic. We can thank the hearty shell of the coconut along with the fact that they are grown so far from the roots up in those beautiful palm leaves! I love how Holly Daffurn explains this from Gnet.org as well :) 

We all want to maximize the benefits of what we put on and in our bodies. We have to remember that our skin is the largest organ we have and absorbs what we put on it like a sponge. Knowing that Coco Loco uses organic coconuts that are ‘virgin’ and have gone through the unrefined process allows us to be even more loco for the coco! No yucky stuff really does mean sexy, healthy skin, which is something we can all glow about, especially once we’ve applied that body hydration oil!!

Sources: 

http://www.gnet.org/organic-vs-non-organic-coconut-oil/

http://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/your-ultimate-guide-to-coconut-oil-benefits-types-uses/

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/refined-vs-unrefined-coconut-oil-2296.html

Coco Loco Products does not claim to be a final authority on this subject and is a matter of opinion after personal research. Blogs are used to showcase our ingredients, the benefits of using Coco Loco Products and share our love of coconuts with our Coco Loco family.