A beginner’s guide to coconut oil
So, what’s all the fuss about coconut oil?
Coconut oil has recently become wildly popular and people are using it for all sorts of things. If you haven’t used it before, it might seem a little confusing. I am going to give you a very basic guide to coconut oil with some useful links. The information here is sourced from my own personal experience and Bruce Fife’s book, The Coconut Oil Miracle and his website, Coconut Research Centre. I recommend you get yourself a copy as it makes for very interesting reading.
Okay, so isn’t this stuff high in saturated fat and bad for you?
Well, that seemed to be the popular thought, but from what I can gather, there was a general misunderstanding about how coconut oil works. There are medium-chain saturated fatty acids (like those in coconut oil) and long-chain saturated fat (like those in meat). The medium chain saturated fatty acids have a different effect on our body – they are broken down and used for energy and seldom end up as body fat. I don’t want to give you a science lecture, but if you are interested, go here for some more info.
Why should I use it?
Basically, because the health benefits are amazing. It helps a huge range of conditions as it is anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. In the gut, it also has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. I strongly believe that everyone should be taking coconut oil everyday, internally and externally. There are so many diseases it prevents and treats. The list is so long, I won’t detail them all, but check out Bruce’s book for a comprehensive list.
It is also a very safe oil to use in cooking. You can heat it without it oxidizing or going rancid like other oils will.
Is it a liquid or a solid oil?
This is where I find people get confused. Sometimes coconut oil is called coconut butter. Coconut oil is liquid until the temperature drops below about 18 degrees celsius. Then, it becomes a solid and white in colour instead of clear and liquid. If you want to use it solid, keep it in the fridge. If you want to use it liquid and the temperature is too cold, then spoon out how much you need and sit it in a bowl over another bowl of hot water.
How much do I need?
For optimal health, Bruce Fife recommends 3 1/2 tablespoons of pure coconut oil per day. If you have never used it before, start with one teaspoon and work your way up. You can get a little sick in the beginning as you get a toxic die off. Persevere.
What sort do I buy?
There are different types of coconut oil and to get the health benefits, you should buy organic, cold pressed, virgin or extra virgin coconut oil. Steer clear of copra, copha, refined or just ‘plain’ coconut oil. If it’s really cheap, chances are it’s not the real deal and can actually be harmful to your health!
There are many great brands on the market but try them out to find which one you prefer. I like Wholefood Pantry or Changing Habits. I try to choose coconut oil in glass jars to avoid any plastic leaching into the oil. The jars also are fabulous to upcycle in the pantry.
What can I use it for?
Again, the list is endless! You name it and you can probably use coconut oil for it! Some people just eat it by the spoonful to get their daily dose.
Let’s start in the kitchen:
– Use it for your primary cooking oil. I use it liberally in any dish that calls for oil. In most dishes, like currys and stirfrys, you can’t taste it. When I use it on roast vegetables (sweet potato and cauliflower are particularly amazing), you can detect a faint coconut flavour, depending on which brand you use.
– You can swap it for melted butter in recipes. Just make sure your other ingredients are at room temperature, so the oil doesn’t become solid again.
– Use it on your toast instead of butter.
– Add it to your hot drinks. I like it in hot water and lemon in the morning. It also goes nicely with green tea. My favourite though is a tablespoon in my Crio Bru (brewed organic chocolate beans). Just add a spoonful to your mug and pour the hot drink over to melt it.
– Add it to your smoothies or blended drinks (if you put it straight into a cold drink, it will harden up, so make sure you are whizzing it).
– You can use it for salad dressings and mayonnaise, but as it will harden, it’s best mixed with some organic, virgin, cold pressed olive oil.
– Because coconut oil hardens in the fridge, it makes it perfect for desserts and chocolate making! My Really Healthy Chocolate Crackles, Chocolate Mousse and Berry Coconuty Cheesecake have been very popular. You can also make your own healthy ice magic and chocolate.
– Pour it over your morning porridge or muesli. I use it to make this gluten-free breakfast cereal.
– For more coconut recipes, this website is amazing. It’s American, so you will have to convert your recipes, but it gives you an idea!
Now, let’s go to the bathroom:
As well as keeping a jar in the kitchen, we keep a jar in the bathroom. In the warmer months, I have repurposed a glass pump bottle for easy use. Coconut oil is a natural and cost-effective product you can use in place of many of your regular cosmetics. Here are some ideas:
– Make your own chest rub. We also use this recipe for a deodorant and for fungal skin infections.
– Use it as a hand and body lotion in small amounts and re-apply often. It works amazingly well for dry skin (the Natural New Age Dad loves it for this).
– Use it as a lip balm.
– Use it as a deodorant. I find it works well – I just add a couple of drops of manuka essential oil to the oil in my hand and rub it in!
– Use it as a toothpaste
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- A few drops of liquid stevia
- Several drops of peppermint essential oil
– Use it for oil pulling.
– Use it instead of shaving cream.
– Use it as a bath oil.
– Use it as a make-up remover.
– Use it on skin conditions such as fungus, psoriasis, blisters, burns, acne, warts,rashes, candida, bites, stings or any other skin inflammation.
– Use it as a sunscreen. According to Bruce Fife “one of the oldest uses for coconut oil is as a sun screen / suntan lotion. Islanders have been using coconut oil for this purpose for thousands of years. In the tropics where the climate is hot, islanders traditionally wore little clothing so that they could keep themselves cool. To protect themselves from the burning rays of the hot tropical sun they applied a thin layer of coconut oil over their entire body. This would protect them from sunburn, improve skin tone and help keep annoying insects away”
– Use it in the bedroom as a lubricant (you can pretend you are on a romantic holiday in Fiji!). Don’t use it in conjunction with latex condoms though!
– Add a handful of sea salt and use it as a body scrub.
– Use it as a face scrub.
– Use it as a nourishing hair treatment. I do this all the time – apply to wet hair and let sit as long as you can. Shampoo out. For dandruff, add some tea tree oil.
– Use as a leave-in hair conditioner to tame frizzy hair. You only need a tiny bit!
– Use as a massage oil.
– Make a batch of GOOT (garlic oil ointment to use against skin infections).
– If you feel a cold coming on, take a spoonful of coconut oil!
– Use it to ease a sore throat – just let it run down the back of your throat slowly.
– Use it to heal scars and stretch marks.
– Use in the prevention and treatment of head lice.
– Use it on cracked and dry heels.
– Use it with some peppermint oil as an insect repellent.
– Use it on solar keratosis by rubbing in. They will disappear.
So, there you have it – coconut oil in a (coco)nutshell. There are many more uses and benefits, as a quick Google search will tell you. Some people even use it to replace WD 40 and furniture polish!
I recommend getting a jar and start using it. We love it and are definitely coconut converts. For any ailment now, we check if coconut oil can help first!
Tell me, what do YOU use coconut oil for?
Wow, what a fantastic post …. great info, but I don’t need any convincing 😉 I am OBSESSED with coconut oil, it’s amazing stuff, not to mention delicious – I use it for EVERYTHING – cooking, baking, medicinal, skin care, body care, you name it, I do it with coconut oil!
Great slogan – you name it, I do it with coconut oil!! LOL – us too 😀
Yup I’m the same as Louise! and then I found Zenian fermented coconut oil!!! All the benefits of coconut oil plus the bonus benefits of fermentation.http://www.zenian.co.nz/
ooh that’s interesting!! thakns Caitlin 🙂
Can you please explain whats so special about fermented coconut oil? thanks
Very interesting…….must get some & try 🙂
Let me know what you think Kelley 🙂
Great article I just reread the Bruce fyfthe book yesterday as I also just ordered coconut magic oil and I love it so much better on my skin than the one I was using.
excellent!! 🙂
Hi, I’m on a special diet for ms. The crux of which is to avoid saturated fats. If coconut oil is healthy to eat, does this include coconut cream and milk? It would make my desserts so much more enjoyable!
yes, Bruce says to use them as they also have benefits and Cyndi O’Meara (nutritionist) also says to use them… but they are still high in calories, so it’s like everything – best enjoyed in moderation! I find using the coconut oil, milk and cream actually curbs my appetite though! 🙂
This might be worth a look at for you 🙂 http://helenpapas.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/can-you-eat-to-reverse-multiple-sclerosis/
I too have ms and are curious if would be any good for me. I have been told it is also good for weight loss. Which is why I am wanting try!
Thanks for a great article.
I have been using coconut oil regularly since the start of the year – I loved hearing about the other uses!
What are your thoughts on the difference (in benefits) between virgin and extra virgin?
I find I can use virgin (organic of course) in more things as it is almost taste free.
Hi Rebecca, I don’t know of any real difference between them! I think they are pretty much the same thing 🙂 I might have to research that one.
Hi just wondering what brand coconut milk n cream ur using in the pocture or where u get it from please.. Cheers
It’s SPIRAL brand – I use it as it has no BPA in the lining as well as being organic. I get it from here http://www.organicsonabudget.com.au/search.php?search_query=spiral+coconut&x=32&y=21
and if you type the word BUDGET into the checkout, Jane gives my readers 5% discount! 🙂
hey Sonia – incredibly fantastic post !!!! i have been using Loving earth coconut butter and it is FABULOUS !
I love their chocolate ! 🙂
Another MAJOR coconut oil addict here. I use butter or lard for cooking as well as coconut oil – all of those options are a heck of a lot healthier than using nut oils which are possibly already rancid or heating EVOO – and I use it in the bathroom too – face clenser, massage oil, moisturiser, and after moisturising I just run my hands over the roots of my hair. It’s great on hair roots. It can be used as is as a toothpaste and I did try it but I wasn’t a fan of the texture but I do use it in my deodorant, and in lotions I’ve made for myself too. I got a stretch mark or 2 with each of my 1st 2 children but used coconut oil exclusively on my tummy with my 3rd and biggest baby and nary a stretchie appeared. I was also complimented by my midwife on how lovely and soft the skin was on my tummy. Coconut oil is the best! 😀
Good to know it’s a preventative of those stretch marks… it’s too late for me to test it now!!! 🙂
I have been searching for a vegetarian, non-dairy high heat cooking oil for those times when I don’t want a coconut flavour. Please can you shed any light on whether or not any brand of refined coconut oil is ok? A health food superstore I go to was selling big buckets of the stuff – ‘fry safe’. Cheers
hhmm, I just don’t know Madelaine – Bruce Fife says not to go there!
Sonia, what oil do you use if you’re making something like bolognaise?
I use the coconut oil! I find you can’t taste it when you use it in dishes like this. I can only taste it if I put it on roasted vegetables and then, only faintly 🙂
Great post Sonia, so much info packed into this article, thank you. I LOVE coconut oil, use it for cooking, skin and hair care too. My kids hated it when I first started using it as a moisturizer though, they told me I smelt like a “Bliss Ball”
Interesting about the sun screen part, I use it everyday and was out and about in the sun all day, one day last week and I didn’t have any “factor” sun cream on and I didn’t burn. I told my hubby I was convinced it protected me and it seems maybe I was right after all. 😉
I think I read somewhere it has a factor 4, but not too sure how it all works 🙂
What a great informative post, and thank you for the recipes! I can’t wait to try them, they sound divinely delicious
they are Sherrie – healthy eating has never tasted so good!!! 🙂
Coconut oil does seem to be seriously multi-purpose – and I’ve been using it for months for many of the uses you wrote about. Just one little item, however. Coconut oil and coconut butter are two different products. Coconut butter is made with the whole coconut; meat, water and all. Coconut oil is just the fat.
yes! some products and people around the web are calling coconut oil, coconut butter, so it becomes very confusing!!
So I just bought my first jar if coconut oil about a month ago to make coconut bliss balls. About two weeks ago I cought a bit too much sun and my nose started to peal. Reluctantly I rubbed a bit of coconut oil on my nose (wondering if I had gone mad) only to find it worked a treat. After reading this yesterday I used it along with a bit of sea salt as an exfuliant and my skin has never looked so good. My 4 year old after told me I smelled good and she wanted to eat me lol. Thanks to this blog I now have so many more uses for this fab product. Thanks for sharing.
thanks Rebecca! your daughter is too cute!
Perfect timing, I bought a jar of coconut oil a few weeks ago as it looked interesting but I had no idea what to do with it! Going to try it out on my massive 31wks baby belly now 🙂
awesome! let me know how you go and good luck for bubba 🙂
Love this. There are some uses for Coconut Oil that I haven’t seen before. I love finding news ways to use it!
thanks Jen – it really is a miracle oil isn’t it?
I just found your post on Freaky Friday and would love if you would share it on GAPS Friendly Friday this week! Coconut oil is good for all the reasons you mentioned, and we make a lot of use of it in both our cooking and our personal care!
Hi Joy – thanks and will do ! 🙂
Hi Sonia
I was just wondering what the cold pressed means and if it is better if the oil is cold pressed rather than just extra virgin? You mentioned that you will be trying the Absolute organic extra virgin cococut oil, if you have how have you gone with it as it is really alot cheaper than the rest at organics on a budget. Thankyou
Cold pressed oils are just those pressed without heat and chemicals, so they retain their nutrients. Cyndi O’Meara (www.changinghabits.com.au) recommends only using cold pressed oils. I “think” that extra virgin oils have to be cold pressed to be able to called that, but I can’t remember where I heard that! 🙂 Sorry, haven’t tried the Absolute yet, still using up my bulk order of Banaban! 🙂
Fascinating post. After reading one of your recipes, I looked up coconut oil myself then found this post. I’ve never tried it. Wasn’t sure I’d like it since I’m not a huge fan of coconut. Do you think I’d be out off?
It is quite coconuty in taste. But recently BANABAN brand have released a gourmet coconut oil which has less coconuty taste, specifically for cooking, so that might be a better starting point! We use it for everything and also use the milk and cream as well 🙂
I’ve been meaning to do this exact blog – thank you for doing the work, now I will just re-blog you if you don’t mind.
I used coconut oil to make my own deodorant when I was pregnant and nursing.
5-6 tbsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup of baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
Just mix dry ingredients and then slowly add in warmed (liquid) coconut oil. I put mine in an old cleaned out deodorant container and put it in the fridge to solidify. It works great, but I have to keep it in the fridge so it doesn’t get too soft.
Tiffany
mumzstuff.wordpress.com
Great blog, thanks for all the suggested uses. I oil pull with it as well as have it on my porridge most mornings and have used it on my skin previously but this list is amaaaazing. Thanks. 🙂
I have only recently started using coconut oil started off in desserts and then now moved to using in savoury dishes.i cannot believe that it’s taken me this long to have it as a staple in my pantry.
Great post! I absolutely love coconut oil, it’s just incredible stuff. I use it in my skincare regime, in cooking & baking, and I usually add it to my smoothies in the morning. I have never heard of that toothpaste recipe, what a great idea!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
It is the miracle oil is it not!!
Wondering what the environmental impacts are of coconut oil..as in where are all the coconuts being harvested from…anyone done any research on this?
good question! I think they are farmed 🙂
Hi, I bought the big tub of Bananaban coconut oil, I find the oil smellls pleasant out of thr jar but it stinks when I cook with it, deterring me from using it! Seriously when I heat a pan with it the whole house stinks and same when I bake with it! Has this happened to you? It really sucks cos thr tub is huge!
No Miriam, it hasn’t! I would contact Banaban and let them know. 🙂
Is there a Coconut oil for dummies book I could get my hands on? 🙂
Hi Michele! Yes, that would be the one mentioned in the post. It’s got everything in there you need plus recipes! 🙂
I had gotten a hives-like rash on my face, especially around my eyes. Coconut oil was the only thing I thought safe to put regularly around my eyes…It not only made the rash more endurable until it went away…it made all my long-lost eyelashes grow back! ( This was after about 1 month of use. )
It’s fabulous stuff!