Coconut oil has been a staple in most coastal Indian households for ages. Unlike your regular bottle of coconut oil, virgin coconut oil is extracted through the natural process of cold-pressing. The oil is unrefined, untouched, and unbleached, possessing only the natural aroma of the fresh coconuts. When used correctly, virgin coconut oil benefits are aplenty.

What Is Coconut Oil?

The two common types of coconut oil are cold-pressed virgin coconut oil and refined coconut oil. Unlike olive oil, where ‘extra-virgin oil’ has additional properties than ‘virgin oil,’ extra-virgin and virgin coconut oils are the same.

Extra virgin coconut oil is extracted from raw, mature coconuts without the use of heat/steam or high temperatures. Special oil extracting machines press the fresh coconut meat to extract the milk and oil. The oil is separated from coconut milk in centrifuge machines or through fermentation. Its low smoke point makes it ideal for quickly sauteing veggies or baking, not deep frying or high-temperature cooking.

Refined coconut oil is extracted from dry coconut meat or copra. The scraped-out coconut meat is traditionally sun-dried for weeks to dissipate any moisture within the meat. Special heating machines are also commonly used to speed up the “drying” process. The dried meat is then passed through extractor machines, and the resultant oil is heated or steamed and filtered to extract the oil.

What Are The Uses Of Virgin Coconut Oil?

Virgin coconut oil benefits for health are aplenty, but it is also one of the few oils that has uses beyond just cooking. Here are a few uses of virgin coconut oil:

1. Hydrates Skin

You cannot ask for a simpler, natural, and effective moisturizer for dry, cracked skin. It is suitable for all skin types.

2. Triggers Weight Loss

Virgin coconut oil triggers the body’s mechanism to burn stubborn fat. Every day, two teaspoonfuls of this magic fat melting oil can help trim the inches off your belly.

3. Shields Skin From Sun Exposure

Virgin coconut oil can block close to 20% of the sun’s harmful UV rays that cause sunburns and other skin ageing problems. So avoid those chemical sunscreens and use virgin coconut oil instead.

4. Treats Skin Disorders

Using virgin coconut oil during the early stages of skin disorders like dermatitis and, eczema, & other skin disorders can help control and treat these disorders.

What Are The Benefits Of Virgin Coconut Oil For The Skin?

Whatever your age or gender, managing your skin health is essential to keep it alive and young. Ideally, you should learn to take care of your skin beginning in your teens to have flawless skin throughout your middle-age years and into old age.

Virgin coconut oil is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that help fight free radicals and inflammation, the primary causes of premature ageing. It has hydrating properties that can nourish dry skin and repair cracked heels. Used as a nighttime moisturizer, virgin coconut oil’s antibacterial and antifungal agents work as a potent cleanser keeping skin issues like acne and dryness at bay. Use it as an under-eye hydrator, lip balm, or lip gloss. Virgin coconut oil is rejuvenating massage oil and can be used as a hand lotion and an alternative to shaving cream.

What Are The Benefits Of Virgin Coconut Oil For Hair?

Coconut oil has been every mother’s go-to oil for hair care. There is a growing misconception that virgin oil needs to be treated differently before using it on your hair. You can use virgin coconut oil the same way you use regular coconut oil. In fact, its rich nutritional profile provides more benefits than conventional store-bought coconut oil.

Benefits of virgin coconut oil for hair include stronger and thicker hair. It contains vital vitamins and minerals that strengthen your hair follicles, making hair strands strong and shiny. Its rich fatty acids nourish your scalp, reversing hair styling products’ harmful effects on your hair. Its antibacterial properties fight scalp irritation that causes dryness and dandruff.

What Happens When You Use Coconut Oil Every Day?

Virgin coconut oil ticks all the right healthy boxes and earns a deserving place in your healthy daily schedule. Keep it by your bed for a quick relaxing massage to improve your sleep quality or moisturizers for a quick nourishing dab before a bath or on your kitchen shelf to dial up the health quotient of your recipes.

1. Helps Keep Cholesterol In Check

Even though the human body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells, high cholesterol levels can hurt your heart health. With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. 

The best thing about edible coconut oil is that it’s rich in healthy fatty acids. An excellent energy source, coconut oil can help you burn your body fat. All while raising HDL (good) cholesterol levels in your blood which can, in turn, reduce the risk of heart disease. Simply cooking with edible virgin coconut oil can help decrease many health risks in healthy individuals. 

2. Controls Diabetes

Thousands of people around the world are affected by diabetes today. While there is no said cure to this lifestyle disease, one can work towards maintaining their blood sugar levels to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Consuming virgin cold-pressed coconut oil as a part of your daily diet can help enhance insulin secretion and yet not cause an insulin spike. The virgin coconut oil is rich in MCFAs, which helps reduce strain on the pancreas by providing an independent energy source other than the glucose found in our blood. Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fats that are harder to burn.

3. Helps In Weight Loss

Research has long shown that our diets are often more critical than our exercise schedules. It’s vital to count your calorie intake and the source of where you are obtaining the said calories. One crucial source of calories and unwanted fats in your cooking oil. Start with replacing your regular oil with cold-pressed, unprocessed virgin coconut oil.

Packed with Vitamin E, antioxidants, and polyphenols helps maintain the body’s hormone levels. Also, since virgin coconut oil is free from any saturated fats, it is considered a good alternative for weight loss. Due to this fact, many athletes swear by virgin coconut oil benefits.

4. Alleviates The Risk Of Heart Disease

We need to understand that heart is an important muscle and one that never relaxes. The heart muscles need proper nourishment while avoiding foods that cause it harm.

Fats, especially saturated fats, are responsible for plaque buildup that leads to atherosclerosis, narrowing the arteries and causing heart attack and stroke. So even though virgin coconut oil contains more than 90% saturated fats, what makes it unique is a type of medium-chain saturated fat called lauric acid. Research shows that lauric acid raises HDL (good cholesterol), protecting the heart from damage.

5. Heals Wounds And Injuries

Most people have long considered coconut oil an unhealthy option due to its high saturated fat content. But lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid, is the magical ingredient that makes coconut oil special. It contains antioxidants that fight free radical damage, stop inflammation and boost the process of healing. It elevates the amount of collagen, which is a critical ingredient in the formation of skin tissue and wound healing. Infections in open wounds are common. Virgin coconut oil not only hydrates the skin, but its antibacterial properties ward off infection-causing bacteria and other pathogens.

6. Enhances Brain Functioning

Virgin coconut oil has got the moniker “potential cognitive strengthener” due to its unique ingredients. They include medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) from saturated fat and ketones – energy molecules metabolized from MCTs by the liver.

The brain cells draw most of their energy from glucose in carbs. In patients with impaired cognitive function (like in Alzheimer’s disease), the ability of brain cells to absorb glucose diminishes. This is where ketones from virgin coconut oil provide the brain with an easily-absorbable, alternate energy source. The ketones also protect neurons from damage caused by plaque formation, typically seen in Alzheimer’s patients.

7. Treats Arthritis

MCTs, present in cold-pressed virgin coconut oil, has analgesic properties that reduce inflammation in joints and heal damaged tissue. Its fast-absorbent nature helps quick and effective joint lubrication. Coconut oil boosts calcium and magnesium levels, that aid in stronger bones. Its anti-bacterial properties fight bacteria than are the cause of certain types of arthritis. The ability of virgin coconut oil in promoting blood circulation helps relieve pain in patients with arthritis.

8. Strengthens Immunity

Cold-pressed virgin coconut oil comprises two unique anti-viral ingredients – lauric acid (almost 50%) and caprylic acid, effective against viruses and other lethal pathogens. These super ingredients target the lipid membranes of a wide range of lipid-coated bacteria, disturbing the virus assembly and maturation cycles.

Monolaurin, formed by the body from lauric acid, is a known virus killer that specifically destroys virus cells’ outer protective lipid layer. MCTs in virgin coconut oil are known to cleanse the liver of toxins, boosting our immunity shield against attack from external invaders.

9. Promotes Oral Hygiene

Virgin coconut oil contains antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that fight against a host of bacteria that cause bad breath, cavities, and overall gum and tooth decay. It reduces the formation of dental plaques due to the accumulation of food debris. The ingredients in virgin coconut oil reduce inflammation in the gums. The most effective way to incorporate the power of virgin coconut oil benefits for oral health is through a traditional Ayurveda method called oil pulling. Just swish about 1 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for about 2 to 5 minutes.

Unlike regular coconut oils, Kapiva’s cold-pressed virgin coconut oil is sourced right from the nourishing coconuts of Kerala. Only the freshest white coconut meat makes it into our bottle of the Kapiva virgin coconut oil.

Here’s a simple and quick way to melt virgin coconut oil:

Summing It Up

With so much evidence stacked in its favour, virgin coconut oil gives olive oil a run for the money as the “healthiest oil.” Used as cooking oil, salad dressing, moisturizer, hair oil, massage oil, etc., the uses of this versatile oil are numerous. So please pick it up from a reputed store and enjoy the benefits of this miracle oil.

FAQs

Q: Can we consume virgin coconut oil daily?

Yes. You should drink virgin coconut oil every day to improve HDL (good cholesterol) levels, manage diabetes, reduce weight, improve skin and dental health, boost immunity, manage arthritis, and improve memory and cognition. Add about a tablespoon (between 10-20ml) in tea or coffee or as a cooking oil daily.

Q: What is virgin coconut oil good for?

Virgin coconut oil improves heart health by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels, controlling blood sugar levels, helping in effectively managing weight, improving skin and dental health, boosting your immune levels, strengthening and nourishing joints, and improving memory and cognition levels.

Q: How much virgin coconut oil should you consume a day?

The ideal dosage is between 10-20ml or 1 – 1.5 tbsp. Consume it with your tea or coffee or use it as healthy cooking oil for your recipes.

Q: Is virgin coconut oil good for the skin?

Yes. Virgin coconut oil is packed with antioxidants that nourish and hydrate your skin to prevent premature skin ageing. It boosts lipid levels and reverses the impact of dry, damaged skin, especially during the winter season.

Q: Who should not consume virgin coconut oil?

Virgin coconut oil is generally safe for everyone. Consistently taking more than the recommended daily dosage of 20ml can increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Some people may feel stomach discomfort, cramping, and mild diarrhea.