Everyone is using coconut oil and virgin coconut oil in their everyday lives, but most people don’t know the difference between them. Coconut oil has been shown to give many amazing benefits, and you should know the difference between them and their intended uses before purchasing.
Two Types of Coconut Oils?
All coconut oils are broken down into two different categories. One is the virgin kind and the other is the refined kind. The primary difference between refined and virgin coconut oil is how much processing is done to the original product before it is used by someone.
Refined Coconut Oil
With the refined version of coconut oil, there has been more processing. It is often considered a lower quality oil. Often, it is made from the dried kernel meat from the coconut. This process is done by allowing the coconut to dry in humid conditions under the sun. In the food and retail industries, coconut oils are often called RBD, which means that it has been either refined, bleached or deodorized, or a combination of the three. Most people think that this is the kind that should be put on your skin, but the processing has taken away a lot of the good essentials to the coconut oil, which can leave your skin clogged and damaged looking.
Virgin Coconut Oil
With the virgin version of coconut oil, little to no processing of the coconut has been done. It is usually made from pressing the coconut rather than drying. Most often, artificial filters are not used to extract the oils and this allows for the most pure form to be retained. It is also richer smelling and will taste sweeter when used in foods. Also, no chemical treatments are used in the process of obtaining virgin coconut oils. It should actually have the smell and taste of real coconuts.
How Can You Tell The Difference?
One of the ways you can tell if you are using virgin or refined coconut oil is how it appears and moves in the hand. If you place several drops into the palm of your hand and it is absorbed easily with a little rubbing or melts from body heat alone, then you are most likely using a virgin version of coconut oils. If it is thicker and doesn’t absorb easily or at all, you are using a very refined version.
Refined versions of coconut oils do not have a very long shelf life once the bottle has been opened, usually fading out in about a year. Good, virgin coconut oils tend to last around two years or more once the bottle has been opened.
How Are These Good For You?
Want an added benefit? One of the main components to the meat of the coconut is the fatty acid. About half of the fatty acid is made up from lauric acid, which is known to have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoal properties. Once it has been ingested into the body, it is turned into a component that defends the body by attacking lipid viruses (these include herpes, influenza HIV). This will not prevent you from contracting any of these, but it can help the body defend itself from them better
While everyone wants to use coconut oils in their everyday life, knowing the differences between the two can help you stay aware of which you are using.