Get a bowllll... add a big scoop of coconut oil, a half cup of sugar and squeeze half a lemon in there. Scrub yourself down and take a nice hot shower. Your body will look and feel so smooth and amazing.

DO IT NOW.

First off, let me just say that if you are using any kind of
coconut oil now and substituting it for any other oils and butters, you are
doing your body a huge favor. I will assume that you all are at least familiar with all the health benefits that coconut oil provides. If not, I encourage you to do your own research. You’ll find some very cool stuff about coconut oil! This will be more about the different grades of coconut oil and different types of coconut oils.

The nitty-gritty of what I know:

Refined vs. Unrefined

Refined: Processed. Bleached and/or deodorized. Thus making it tasteless and odorless. Still a great source of Lauric acid, but does not have the same health benefits as unrefined. *Virgin Refined is an untrue marketing statement (I’ve seen coconut oils marketed this way and I don’t understand…lol).

Unrefined: Oil is extracted/pressed from fresh, raw coconuts. Chemical free. Provides most nutrients.

Virgin vs. Extra Virgin: There is no ‘extra’ virgin in the coconut industry. It was borrowed from the olive oil industry and used as another marketing tool to make you think there was something ‘special’ about their oil. People who are in the coconut industry do not differentiate between a virgin or ‘extra’ virgin coconut oil. Virgin is supposed to mean from fresh coconut meat.

Cold Pressed vs. Expeller Pressed: Coconut oil is ‘pressed’ out from either fresh or dry coconut meat. It is more exposed to the ‘elements’ during this process.
Expeller tends to use heat in the extraction process, which also tends to denigrate the nutritional value. I guess you can say that cold pressed is better in that sense.

However, having a ‘Virgin’, cold or expeller pressed coconut oil may not necessarily be true. You would have to find out more about that company’s process. If it’s dry, it’s most likely in a less raw state.

Centrifuge Process: Coconut oil is typically extracted immediately from raw undried coconut meat. It is less exposed to the elements and produces the highest quality oil that is better and whiter than cold pressed coconut oils.
Definitely the highest nutrition value and at it’s purest using this process. Highest grade coconut oil.

Fermentation Process: Haven’t heard of too many companies doing a fermentation process. Typically though, fermentation has more water content and not as pure.

So from low grade to high grade coconut oils would be something like this: Refined, Expeller Pressed is lower tiered coconut oil. Virgin, Unrefined, Centrifuge Pressed is the highest top shelf coconut oil.

So what does all this visually look like when looking at all those coconut oils out there on the shelves?

Your lower tiered coconut oils will usually have a brownish tinge or flecks in the oil. This is more apparent when coconut oil is in its most solid state. The sediment and impurities will tend to settle towards the bottom of the container. You can see this by turning the jar upside down and looking at the bottom of the jar.

Here’s a list of coconut oils that, in my opinion, fall into this category:

-Dr. Bronner
-Trader Joe’s
-Spectrum
-Sprouts
-Nature’s Way EfaGold
-Artisana
-365 Organic

These brands also tend to be more coconutty in flavor and aroma. This is because the way the oil is extracted. It can be a little overbearing when cooking foods that don’t really mix well with a coconut flavor. I also really don’t like
using these for skin or hair as it can definitely leave that coconut cooking scent on you. I have had comments on how I smelled like I was always cooking something. However, out of the lower tiered brands I would use Artisana.

A couple of oils that would fall into a mid or maybe upper tier category would be like a Nutiva or a Barlean’s.

Of these two, I would use Barlean’s as they are cold pressed from fresh coconuts. Nutiva is good. But occasionally I do see brownish or yellowish tinge in their jars. I do believe their oil is expeller pressed using heat…which would account for the off color oil. Also means a slight denigration in nutrients, but still a higher quality than the other oils.

There are a bunch of others out there that I haven’t been able to try yet, both in the stores and online. I saw one the other day made by Ziggy Marley called, Coco Mon Coconut Oil. Cool marketing…but based on the look of his oil, it would fall under a lower-tiered oil.

There’s a company called, Tropical Traditions that I hear a lot of good things about. I just haven’t tried it yet. So I can’t really speak to the quality other than what I hear. They are online as well.

Again, if you are using any of these oils, it’s still better for you than using other oils and butters. Coconut oil in general is the healthiest oil on earth for your body…both internally and externally. The only thing to make sure of is that your coconut oil is not hydrogenated. That means TRANSFAT!! Stay away!!

Now for those of you who really are looking for the top shelf coconut oil you might want to try a new company that is primarily online for now. It’s a new company called, Nutri-Coco, Premium Virgin Coconut Oil. I found them online and ventured on trying their oil. I was pleasantly surprised on the
quality of their oil.

Nutri-Coco is a Premium Virgin Coconut Oil. They do an unrefined-centrifuge
extraction from fresh hand picked coconuts. This tells me immediately that as far as nutrition value goes, they are definitely upper crust. I understand that they are organic but are in the process of getting an ‘Organic’ certification. I also
read that their type of centrifuge process is a special family ‘top-secret’ process. I’m not sure what that really means, but whatever they do, their oil looks premium. So, right off the bat, they are a top shelf oil.

After trying it out I found that they oil is a perfect, pristine white color. No flecks, sediment, or off color tinge. When it’s in its most liquid form it is clear and looks like pure water. The aroma and flavor are very subtle. Which makes it
ideal for cooking a wide variety of recipes. I have cooked with it, used it as a butter substitute, popped popcorn with it, and even put it in my coffee. All very delightful tastes. (FYI; for a simple stir-fry dish, I will sometimes use Artisana just because the flavoring compliments the stir-fry). I have also used Nutri-Coco for oil pulling and use it as a substitute for skin lotion. My skin is as smooth as a baby’s bottom and doesn’t smell;-) I hear coconut oil is great for hair…but being that my dome is also smooth as a baby’s bottom, I can’t really speak to the benefits for your hair.

So for all you Cross-fitters, health nuts, and cooking aficionados out there, if you are someone who cares about putting only the best product in your body or on your skin then Nutri-Coco is it! Make sure to go check them out!! You will
see exactly why this is a top shelf, premium virgin coconut oil.

On a final note, I will reiterate that if you are using coconut oil in your daily diet/usage, then kudos to you. It’s a great step towards being healthy!

I know this is a long post and it is all just my opinion on what’s out there…but hopefully this is all good information for everyone. Plus, I am a coconut enthusiast and just wanted to share what I know.

Thanks for reading!!

The Happy Happy Happy Coconut Guy