About Coconut Oil

How To Make Coconut Oil In Your Home

Although you can buy virgin coconut oil from health shops and the internet you may wish to try and make your own. This is a relatively simple process but don’t expect to get huge amount of oil from your coconuts. It is also a satisfying experience to go through the processes and end up with your own oil. 

A mature coconut 

The first thing to do is to get some mature coconuts. These are the ones that are brown on the outside and contain a thick layer of hard white flesh on the inside. It is the flesh that you need and younger less mature coconuts won’t have as much flesh inside them. Once you have the coconuts drain off the coconut water. You can push a hole through the softer eye looking patches on the one end of the coconut.

Soft eye like areas of a coconut 

Make 2 holes and drain of the water inside the coconut. You can keep this as a refreshing drink to be used on its own or to dilute fruit juices. Wrap the drained coconut in a towel or clean piece of cloth and bash with a hammer or something heavy to smash it open. In mature coconuts the flesh is hard and stuck to the inside of the shell of the nut. Use a knife to push under the coconut flesh and prize it away from the shell. You may find this easier to do if you score the flesh with a sharp knife down to the shell first and then try to remove smaller chunks of the flesh with the knife. 

Remove the white flesh from the inside of the coconut 

Once you have the flesh separated from the hard shell you need to shred it into smaller bits. To do this you can use a hand grater, if you don’t mind some hard work. Alternatively you can put the large chunks of flesh into a blender or food processor. Use the pulse feature of the blender to get it started. If the blender blades won’t work on the flesh you should add a little water until the blades pull in the flesh and start to rip it up. Use the blend or chop feature of those blenders with program buttons. Once the coconut is nice and shredded pour it into a large bowl. Add some water, if it appears to be too dry. You need water for the oil to pass into and form the coconut milk. In order to get the oil to come out of the shredded coconut put your hands into the bowl and grab handfuls of the coconut and squeeze it. This will then help to press the oil out of the coconut flesh. Continue to do this until the water around the coconut has gone very milky. 

Next you need to separate the milk from the sold coconut pieces and you should use a fine sieve or a piece of fine muslin cloth. With your hand squeeze the milk out of the coconut pieces and allow it to collect into a separate bowl. You can put the shredded coconut back into water again and try to extract some more of the oil by repeating the process in the last paragraph. Put the coconut milk that you have made into the refrigerator and leave it over night. The pure coconut oil will collect on the surface of the water and you can then skim it off the water using a spoon the next morning. While the coconut oil is cold and solid you can put it into a fine sieve so that the excess water drains off. You should ideally leave it to do this in the refrigerator so that the oil remains solid. Once you have the oil on its own transfer it to a glass jar with a lid and store it away from sunlight in a nice cool place. Some people use jars made out of dark glass to help prevent the sun from affecting it. 

The oil should keep as long as the shop bought stuff but I dare say that you will have used the coconut oil that you have made within a few days! You can use it for cooking or for any of the other purposes

Nutrition Facts of Coconut Oil 

Nutrition Info of Coconut Oil

Serving size: 1 Tbsp (15 ml / 14 g)

per 100 gper servingEnergy862 kcal120.7 kcalCarbohydrate0 g0 gProtein0 g0 gFiber0 g0 gTotal Fat100 g14 gSaturated Fat92.4 g12.9 g- Caproic acid (SCFA, 6:0)0.6 g0.08 g- Caprylic acid (MCFA, 8:0)7.5 g1.05 g- Capric acid (MCFA, 10:0)6 g0.84 g- Lauric acid (MCFA, 12:0)50.5 g7.07 g- Myristic acid (LCFA, 14:0)16.8 g2.35 g- Palmitic acid (LCFA, 16:0)8.2 g1.15 g- Stearic acid (LCFA, 18:0)2.8 g0.39 gMono-unsaturated Fat5.8 g0.8 g- Oleic acid (LCFA, 18:1)5.8 g0.8 gPoly-unsaturated Fat1.8 g0.3 g- Linoleic acid (LCFA, 18:2)1.8 g0.3 gTrans Fat0 mg0 mgCholesterol0 mg0 mgMineralsCalcium, Ca0 mg0 mgIron, Fe0.04 mg0.006 mgMagnesium, Mg0 mg0 mgPhosphorus, P0 mg0 mgPotassium, K0 mg0 mgSodium, Na0 mg0 mgZinc, Zn0 mg0 mgVitaminsA, Retinol0 mcg0 mcgB-1, Thiamine0 mg0 mgB-2, Riboflavin0 mg0 mgB-3, Niacin0 mg0 mgB-5, Pantothenic acid0 mg0 mgB-6, Pyridoxine0 mg0 mgB-9, Folate0 mcg0 mcgC, Total ascorbic acid0 mg0 mgE, Tocopherol0.29 mg0.041 mgK, Phylloquinone0.5 mcg0.07 mcg

SCFA – Short-chain fatty acid

MCFA – Medium-chain fatty acid

LCFA – Long-chain fatty acid

The 10:0 or 18:2 ratios under Total Fat refer to the ratio of C:D. 'C' represents carbon atom and 'D' means double bond. A double bond between 2 carbon atoms reduces the number of hydrogens in the chain, making it unsaturated and vulnerable to free radical activities and oxidation.

Coconut oil may also contain trace amounts of phenolic compounds such as protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, coumaric acid and ferulic acid, depending on how the oil is processed. Because these acids may or may not exist, and even if they do they exist in very small amount, so, we don't add them to the nutrition facts of coconut oil above.

As arachidic acid (LCFA, 20:0) exists in coconut oil in the range of 0-0.5%, it's not officially documented as a nutrient in any coconut oil's nutrition labels or facts.

References 

1.  USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 16-1 (2004)

2.  Fatty Acid Composition Of Some Major Oils 

More and more people are getting aware of the health benefits of coconut oil, particularly virgin coconut oil. It is indeed very good for us because I've proven its power of healing myself. Upon flu infection, taking virgin coconut oil out of the jar plus adding more (than usual) to meals help me recover in 3–5 days. My wife has tested. My cousin has tested. So are the many people around me who have used the tropical oil for other antimicrobial treatments.

However, coconut oil can cause "bad side effects" especially in the detox aspect if you use it in the wrong way or you're unaware of its detox prowess. 

Side Effect #1 – Diarrhea-Like Symptoms  

Apart from the fact that coconut oil cures constipation (lots of "constipators" said coconut oil works extremely well on stimulating their bowel movement), it may also trigger the opposite reaction – diarrhea-like symptoms if you suddenly increase your oil consumption too much.

That's because MCFAs in the tropical oil help to soften stools and loosen bowels.

If you want to increase your coconut oil consumption for better health benefits, add it in moderation day by day and monitor to see if there's any sign of bad reaction or side effects. Doing so also allows your body to gradually get used to the greater amount.

The traditional Pacific islanders are eating as much as 10 tablespoons of coconut oil in their daily diet, I don't see why we can't be like them. The key difference is they've long been used to eating that amount while we're not, so we have to moderately raise the dose to condition our body to adapt to it eventually. 

Side Effect #2 – "Acne Breakout"

Many people have used virgin coconut oil for acne treatment. But not all experience the same outcome. Some had their skin improved immediately and got their pores closed up nicely and acne scars faded off, while some get an even worse acne breakout reaction with virgin coconut oil. Why?

The detox properties in virgin coconut oil are so powerful that they purge out layers of toxin from deep underneath your skin, so it may appear to you that you're getting worse from using the oil, which in fact is just a healing crisis – you get worse before you get better.If you can hold on to the breakout for up to few weeks (depending on how much toxin you've built up beneath your skin), you should be able to clear your skin of acne after that.

Other Bad Side Effects

On the surface, it may seem that using or eating coconut oil causes bad side effects but which in fact, similar to healing crisis as in the case of acne treatment, it's actually bringing its antimicrobial effect into play.

For example, coconut oil is very effective in killing Candida yeast. But when Candida bugs die, they discharge as much as 80 different toxins which can get absorbed into your system and cause all kinds of bad symptoms, including nausea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, swollen glands, joint or muscle pain, stomach upset, chills, hives or rashes, or other skin breakouts etc.

Don't forget that the oil is good at removing toxins too. So, those bad symptoms should subside as it cleanses your body.

That said, if you do experience some bad side effects or reactions after eating coconut oil or applying it to your skin, it means something harmful must have been lurking deep inside your body or in your skin for ages that coconut oil has to immediately deal with. It's actually a good sign.

Another reaction you should also look into is that, the symptoms you get might be related to an allergy. Some brands of coconut oil are produced in a facility that also manufactures peanuts or other allergy-causing foods. If you're allergic to certain foods, check the brand that you bought and see if the label says anything about the environment in which they make or pack the oil. If need be, contact the company that makes or packs the oil. Or you can simply change to another brand that you think is safer for your consumption and usage.

It's true that fractionated coconut oil was first manufactured by re-combining caprylic and capric acids into triglycerides that are left over in the process of extracting lauric acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid for making drugs, health supplements, soaps, detergents and cosmetics etc. But as more people get to know about the health benefits of caprylic and capric acids, manufacturers begin to treat these two medium-chain fatty acids as two of the important substances for extraction, and not as byproducts anymore.

My point is, whether it is made out of byproducts or not, and whether it is man-made or not, the fact is, fractionated coconut oil can't be any worse than most vegetable oils that contain mostly long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) and unsaturated fatty acids that are hard to break down and easily get deposited as body fat, and encourage oxidation, right?

Therefore, you're better off consuming fractionated coconut oil in the name of MCT oil or liquid coconut oil than eating soybean oil, peanut oil, safflower oil and even the so-called health-promoting olive oil that contain 100% long-chain triglycerides and predominantly unsaturated fatty acids.

Apart from being edible, you can also use MCT oil or liquid coconut oil for skin care, hair care and body care. In other words, you can use these 2 types of fractionated coconut oil for both external and consumption purposes, unlike the one that is labeled fractionated coconut oil, which you can only use it externally in most cases.

And make sure you get one that looks colorless (without a tinge of yellow caused by moldy impurities or other colored contaminants) and taste odorless (some MCT oils come with special flavor but that could lower your awareness to its rancidity when it goes bad). 

Fractionated Coconut Oil Vs Virgin Coconut Oil 

Fractionated coconut oil sucks... just because it is not as natural as virgin coconut oil?

No way! We can't simply base on such fact and say that fractionated coconut oil is bad. That's outright unfair to fractionated coconut oil, don't you think?

I would say each has its own benefits on health and skin, and in other aspects. But whether their benefits apply to you or not will depend on what you're looking for. Why not we compare their properties side by side first so that you can make a better decision on which one to choose for your needs? 

PropertiesFractionated Coconut Oil (aka MCT oil, Liquid Coconut Oil)Virgin Coconut OilTypeRefined, man-madeUnrefined, naturalContent100% medium-chain fatty acidsLess than 1% short-, 64% medium- and 35% long-chain fatty acidsAlso known as...MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil or liquid coconut oilUnrefined coconut oil or Extra-virgin coconut oilDegree of saturation100% saturated92% saturated, 8% unsaturatedMelting point14 to 25 °F (-10 to -4 °C)76 °F (24 °C)Smoke point320 °F (160 °C)350 °F (177 °C)Color in liquid stateColorlessColorlessColor in solid stateSnowy whiteSnowy whiteColor in solid stateSnowy whiteSnowy whiteOdorOdorlessScent of coconutUses   Skin care products, hair care, massage oil, medicine, special diet for athletesSkin care, hair care, food for health benefitsShelf life   Several months to 5 years2 years

It seems that the only common characteristic between fractionated and virgin coconut oil is their color.

Other than that, everything else is different. And their differences mean that their uses and benefits on your health and skin will be different. 

1. Health Benefits  

It seems that the only common characteristic between fractionated and virgin coconut oil is their color.

Other than that, everything else is different. And their differences mean that their uses and benefits on your health and skin will be different. 

Name of Fatty AcidSizeFractionated Coconut OilVirgin Coconut OilCaproic acidShort-chain0~ 0.5%Caprylic acidMedium-chain60 – 75%~ 8%Capric acidMedium-chain25 – 40%~ 6%Lauric acidMedium-chain0 – 10%~ 50%Myristic acid   Long-chain0~ 17%Palmitic acidLong-chain0~ 8%Stearic acidLong-chain0~ 3%Arachidic acidLong-chain00 – 0.5%Oleic acidLong-chain0~ 6%Linoleic acidLong-chain0~ 2%

Fractionated coconut oil composes mainly of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are indisputably very much healthier than long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs).

But that doesn't mean fractionated coconut oil is relatively better for your health. Look at the types of fatty acids it carries – caprylic and capric acids (with only a few percent of lauric acid and that occurs to only certain brands sold in the name of liquid coconut oil).

It's true that caprylic and capric acids convert very quickly to energy, and they do not require the release of insulin (that inhibit your body from burning fat) to transport them into cells, unlike long-chain fatty acids and carbohydrates. For these reasons, taking MCT oil (an edible version of fractionated coconut oil) can help reduce your body fat and boost your exercise performance.

Do you work out a lot and need to max up your performance? Are you seriously overweight that you need to burn lots of excess body fat? Then you need this fractionated coconut oil (MCT oil to be exact).

But if health is a much greater concern to you, virgin coconut oil that gives half of its content to lauric acid is your best choice since lauric acid is an exceptionally powerful germ killer. With little or no lauric acid in fractionated coconut oil, you'll have to depend largely on your own body's immune system to fight off any hardcore invading microorganisms.

Of course, caprylic and capric acids do hold antimicrobial properties too, but they're good at fighting certain strains of bacteria and viruses only, unlike the broader range of bacteria and viruses (such as HIV, measles virus, sarcoma virus, influenza virus, leukemia virus, H. pylori, chlamydia pneumoniae etc) that lauric acid covers.

To top it off, virgin coconut oil contains 7 other fatty acids (caproic, myristic, palmitic, stearic, arachidic, oleic and linoleic acids) with each targeting different types and strains of parasites, viruses, bacteria and fungi, giving an extra boost to your immunity.

What's more, after energy conversion you're left with little caprylic and capric compounds to kill germs if you were to take fractionated coconut oil. Hence, fractionated coconut oil can't protect you like what virgin coconut oil does.

2. Skin Benefits  

When it comes to skin benefits, I can't side with virgin coconut oil too much because fractionated coconut oil, to be honest, is more popular in the skin care aspect, particularly in the massage therapy industry.

Virgin coconut oil is rarely in use for massage therapy because of its composition of LCFAs, which make the oil more viscous than fractionated coconut oil. Which means, fractionated coconut oil gets absorbed relatively faster by your skin. Thanks to its 100% MCFAs that are so small they can effortlessly and quickly penetrate your skin cells and moisturize your skin. This makes you feel less greasier on your skin.

In fact, virgin coconut oil is good for skin too. It's true that it does not penetrate your skin as fast as fractionated coconut oil, but it protects your skin from harmful germs very much better than fractionated coconut oil. Again, because it comprises a set of 10 antimicrobial compounds as mentioned moments ago.

Upon applying virgin coconut oil to your skin, friendly bacteria on your skin will eat up the glycerols that tie the fatty acids together and then release lauric acid, capric acid, caprylic acid and other fatty acids (as well as their monoglycerides) to form an army of antimicrobials layering on your skin to combat and kill any invading bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and other germs right on the spot.

Defending your skin against germs is not what the massage therapists focus on. Their job is to primarily make your skin smooth so they can perform the massage on you and make you feel relax quickly.

So what is your focus? If your skin is dry and you need some oil treatment to wet your skin so it looks supple and bouncy, use fractionated coconut oil. But if you're not so particular about getting the oil absorbed quickly and all you want is protection against health-detrimental germs, then you need virgin coconut oil. Virgin coconut oil will still get absorbed by your skin though, it's just that the rate of absorption is relatively slower.

You can actually use both – apply a thin layer of fractionated coconut oil followed by another thin layer of virgin coconut oil. Putting on thin layer is to prevent your skin from getting saturated and becoming oily.

I'm not so particular about the absorption rate, which is why I use virgin coconut oil for skin care since I'm already having it as food. You might feel a little awkward to have something that goes into your mouth putting on your skin too or vice versa. But that's what you can also do with virgin coconut oil. You can't eat fractionated coconut oil that is made for skin care.

3. Convenience  

Anytime you need fractionated coconut oil it is always there for you to use, even in places where temperature falls below 32 °F (0 °C). This means that you can refrigerate the oil and it'll still remain as liquid. And when you need to use it for skin care, cooking, or add it to your food you do not need to warm it. Just take it out and you're ready to use.

I say that because virgin coconut oil begins to turn cloudy at temperature below 76 °F (24 °C) and becomes as hard as rock as temperature falls way further. Chiseling is one way to get the oil out of the jar for use (not kidding, I've done that stupid thing before and it messes up my kitchen top). Of course, there is a better solution to use the hardened oil – warm it, but it takes quite a while.

If time is a critical factor to you, you would fall in love with fractionated coconut oil.

The low melting (or freezing) point also gives fractionated coconut oil an edge over virgin coconut oil in massage therapy. It remains in liquid state in an air-conditioned room. It'll drive the massage therapists banana if they were to use virgin coconut oil.

So, would you choose fractionated over virgin coconut oil just because fractionated coconut oil provides greater convenience for you?

4. Cooking  

When you cook with liquid coconut oil (the edible form of fractionated coconut oil), you must try to keep the temperature below 320 °F (160 °C) because at this point the oil will start to smoke and its chemical structure will break down. When it breaks down, it means every bit of the oil's healthful properties will be destroyed.

Virgin coconut oil has a relatively higher smoke point @ 350 °F (177 °C). However, both are not suitable for high heat cooking where temperatures range between 450 °F and 650 °F (232 °C – 343 °C)

Both are good for low to medium heat cooking, with virgin coconut oil slightly advantageous since it can withstand relatively higher heat. Also, virgin coconut oil can help to enhance the flavor of your food, making it tastier and more delicious, but that's provided you like the natural coconut scent it carries, like me.

If you really can't stand the coconut odor that is intrinsically and uniquely present in virgin coconut oil or you want to preserve the original flavor of the food, then use the tasteless and odorless liquid coconut oil for cooking.

5. Life Span  

Because fractionated coconut oil comprises 100% saturated fatty acids (all its MCFAs are saturated), it can stand against oxidation very effectively. If left unopened and there is zero moisture inside the container, you can keep the oil for as long as 5 years or even longer. But once you open it for use, as long as you really handle it very well and keep it away from any potential contact with moisture, bacteria and other germs, the life span of the oil can still hold up to 5 years before it goes rancid.

On the other hand, virgin coconut oil may not last up to 5 years due to its natural inclusion of unsaturated fatty acids (about 8%) that may start to oxidize over time. Its shelf life is normally given as 2 years. But again, if you handle it properly even after opened, it can last a few months more.

But honestly, I've never kept virgin coconut oil for that long. In about 2 weeks a jar of 23 oz (680 ml) would be gone. Even fractionated coconut oil that we use regularly for massage purpose lasts for only a few months and not more than a year.

If you're serious about using them for your health or skin care, you wouldn't store them for that long, unless you really buy them in gallons and have to stock them up for quite some time. But I would not suggest doing that. Just buy the amount you need for 3 to 6 months and replenish your stock as soon as they're almost finish. That way you can make sure the oils are still in pretty good condition. That's what I do.

6. Price  

Don't think that fractionated coconut oil is cheap just because it is synthetically made. It is produced via a very complex industrial process. This involves money, so it's not cheap though. This is why sometimes you can see fractionated coconut oil selling at a higher price than virgin coconut oil for the same volume.

For the same amount with similar or even slightly lower price but yet virgin coconut oil gives you very much greater health benefits and stronger protection against health-damaging super germs, I don't see why you should use fractionated coconut oil unless you really have a specific purpose like massage therapists who need it as a carrier or massage oil, or bodybuilders who need MCT oil to help reduce their body fat without losing their hard-earned muscle mass.

That's my take, what's yours?