Are You Using the Best Quality Coconut Oil For Your Natural Hair?

We all know coconut oil is a God send for hair and skin, but what a lot of us don’t know is why we are told to use extra virgin coconut oil.

Knowing the facts behind which oils* you decide to use for your hair is important, so that you know exactly what it is that you’re putting into your hair and scalp.

There are many different brands of coconut* oil on the market today that have one or more of the following on their label: refined/RBD, unrefined, virgin/extra virgin, organic, cold pressed and expeller pressed.

Understanding what these terms mean can help you choose the best possible coconut oil for your natural hair.

The difference between virgin and refined coconut oil*

These are the two most commonly sold versions of coconut oil. Virgin or unrefined coconut oil costs more, which is why some folks resort to refined versions. You’ll notice that the refined coconut oils have a not-so-great taste and smell.

This is because they undergo extensive processing that include bleaching and deodorization. Virgin, sometimes referred to as extra virgin, has better qualities in aroma and taste. Plus, it still has more of its nutrients intact. This is obviously why we are told that virgin coconut oil* is the best choice.

Check for the processing method

Before you grab a jar of virgin coconut oil, you also have to keep in mind the process that was involved in creating the oil.

The two most commonly sold versions are expeller-pressed and cold-pressed. The two are actually sometimes one and the same, but a lot of people don’t realize this. And that’s because the labeling laws aren’t as strong as they should be.

Coconut oil that is expeller-pressed undergoes a mechanical process that involves high pressure and heat to remove the oil from the seeds.

Coconut oil that is labeled cold-pressed undergoes the same processing but in a heat-controlled environment that’s below 120 degrees. This is why it’s important to get to know the brands that you purchase your coconut* oil from. Cold-pressed is the better option.

If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of how your coconut oil is being processed, you’ll need to find out if it was wet or dry-processed, centrifuge-processed or fermented.

The quality and freshness of the coconuts and copra are also important. There are some manufacturers that use the Direct Micro Expelling (DME) method for extraction, which means that the coconuts are processed where they are grown, rather than being shipped to the processing factory.

In some cases, the coconuts are manually pressed by local families. DME helps to ensure the best quality and freshness for your oil. Plus, it’s eco-friendly!

As a side note, hydrogenated and fractionated coconut oils* should be avoided, since these undergo even more refinement and aren’t healthy.

You should be choosing organic

Coconut oil* filled with herbicides and insecticides isn’t something that you want to put into your natural hair. The only way to ensure that you aren’t is to go organic.

Although coconuts aren’t high-risk for pesticide use or genetic modification, organic is the better option. You still have to worry about the type of fertilizer that is being used to grow them, which may contain all sorts of chemicals.

If you are a humanitarian, you’ll also find that buying organic helps to ensure that the people who grow and process them across seas are paid fairly — so you’d be supporting the Fair Trade Act.

Only buy coconut oil in glass jars

When it comes to storing food and oil, plastic is never the option to choose. There’s plenty of coconut oil* being sold in plastic jars, which are filled with toxins that are being released into the oil. Then when you place the oil on your skin or scalp, it’s absorbed into your body.

And what makes it worse is that heat causes the leaching of the toxins into the oil to occur quicker. Since oil is heated before being placed in the jar, you can imagine all the leaching action that is happening. Not to mention, the transport to your local store, which is most likely in a hot trailer.

Quality coconut oil brands you should check out

There are a variety of trustworthy coconut* oil brands that you can purchase from. You just have to make sure to do your research about the company and their methods of growing and processing their oil.

But to help you along, here are five coconut oil brands that are considered to be high quality:

Nutiva Virgin Coconut Oil: Sold in a glass jar, grown in Southeast Asia, sold from California, organic, cold-pressed from coconuts that are fresh and isn’t deodorized.

Alpha DME Virgin Coconut Oil: Hand-pressed fresh coconuts (DME), fair trade certified, isn’t deodorized, sold in glass jar, organic, grown in Solomon Islands and sold from British Columbia.

Artisana Virgin Coconut Oil: Cold-pressed/raw, isn’t deodorized, grown in Southeast Asia, sold from California, sold in glass jar and organic.

Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil: Grown on family plantations, uses traditional small-batch pressing on fresh coconuts, organic, sold in glass jars, not deodorized, grown in Philippines and sold from Wisconsin.

Again, these are just some of the brands that have been checked out. If you want to do more digging around on others, you should definitely do so!

What brand and version of coconut* oil are you currently using on your natural hair?