Frequently Asked Questions About Coconut Products

Q. I thought coconut oil was liquid. Why is it white and solid if it is oil?
A. This is probably our most frequently asked question. Coconut Oil is naturally solid and white until the temperature reaches about 80°F, then it turns clear. Once it cools it then returns to its natural solid form.

Q. Do I need to keep my coconut oil in the refrigerator?
A. This is another very popular question. Coconut oil does not need to be refrigerated. If you do put your coconut oil in the refrigerator, it becomes as hard as rock. Maybe a useful thing to do in warm weather, but not necessary unless you are going to use it to make pastry or something else requiring harder oil.

Q. How long does coconut oil keep?
A. Our organic virgin coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of at least two years.

Q. Isn't coconut oil bad for you?
A. This is one of the most common myths we hear, but entirely untrue. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is very beneficial to your health and should be included daily in your diet. It is cholesterol-free, has no trans-fats, and contains medium chain fatty acids (as opposed to long chain fatty acids found in meat -based fats. 50-55% of the fatty acids found in OVCO are lauric acid, a substance found in mother's breast milk, and essential to maintaining a healthy immune system.

Q. How do I use coconut oil?
A. You can use coconut oil to replace other oils in cooking & baking, whether as a solid fat like butter or shortening, or melted as liquid oil. You can:

- sauté with it
- melt coconut oil and add to smoothies
- spread it on toast (even sprinkle with cinnamon :)
- melt it and toss with popcorn before seasoning
- blend into recipes that use firm butter or shortening (pastry, biscuits, etc)
- melt it and add to recipes like muffins, pancakes, etc
- use it for skin care after shaving, for dry skin, baby's diaper rashes, skin moisturizer, etc.
- as a massage oil
- as a natural insect repellent (bugs actually hate the smell of it)

Q. What is the recommended daily intake of coconut oil?
A. Natural health professionals recommend taking 3-4 tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil per day, in various forms. straight out of the jar, in sautéing, in your cooking, etc.

Q. How do I use coconut oil for my skin and hair?
A. Coconut oil is simply awesome for topical use. Try rubbing a bit of oil into your hair before you wash it. Coconut oil works great as a skin care lotion. Since coconut oils melts easily, it is absorbed by your skin, instead of evaporating like most commercial lotions. It leaves your skin smooth and with a light, tropical coconut scent. Coconut oil is also popular as massage oil. Reports from pregnant women say it helps to reduce stretch marks.

"On a more personal note, since it is all-natural, hypo-allergenic and very slippery, it is also excellent for lubrication in the bedroom." (Not to be used with condoms, though)

Q. You say your coconut oil is organic. Aren't all coconuts organic?
A. Nope! Many people assume that all coconuts grown are organic, but this is not always the case. In areas where cross-contamination occurs this certainly isn't the case. Chemical agents are often used to keep grass and weeds under control and the run off is impossible to control.

Ours, however, are grown in the country-side of Vietnam, far away from any urban area and totally free from any contamination whatsoever. You can rest easy knowing our coconut products are pure, natural, and, YES, organic :)

Q. Does Coconut Oil contain Omega 3's?
A. No. Well, traces of omega 6, but very little. The primary health benefit of coconut oil is that it contains medium chain fatty acids, and 50+% lauric acid, essential for a healthy immune system. Nowhere outside of coconut oil can you find the combination of benefits that you receive from using it daily.

You will need to get your Omega 3's elsewhere, such as wild salmon oil capsules, flax seed, walnut, etc.

Q. Do people experience side effects when first starting to use the virgin coconut oil?
A. Great question! Yes, sometimes. People who live on low-fat diets, or people whose diet is generally unhealthy altogether, might experience more side effects than those who don't. The reason. there could be some "die-off" effects as the lauric acid in the coconut oil cleans up your system. Coconut oil contains high levels of lauric acid which is a strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent. As the nasty microbes are killed and eliminated from the body, they can cause "temporary" side effects like diarrhea. For this reason, especially if you have candida or parasite problems, you may want to start out slow. Stay the course through this transition, though, and you will soon stabilize your body and feel better than you have in years!

Like any food, some people may be allergic to coconuts. Not likely, since the coconut is not really a "nut" at all. Remember that coconut oil has been a staple in the diets of millions of Asians for thousands of years. Didn't seem to hurt them any, did it?

Q. Won't cooking with coconut oil cause it to become toxic like other oils?
Not at all. Coconut oil is totally safe, even if heated to high temperatures. However, even though coconut oil is very stable at high heat, we don't recommend cooking with coconut oil above the smoke point since high heat turns the oil yellow. Still safe but not very pretty.

Q. Are Your Products/Business Fair Trade?
A. It most certainly is! Tan Nguyen, the founder and owner of the Crystal Coconut Company, works cooperatively with his family & friends back in Vietnam to provide jobs for them, and a sustainable industry for us all to benefit from. Can't get much more fair trade than that :)

 

Q. Are coconuts really a nut?
A. The meat of the coconut is considered to be a fruit. The coconut itself is the nut, or seed, and will reproduce into a coconut palm tree if allowed to sprout and grow. Coconut oil, which is made from coconut meat, is classified as a "vegetable oil" in commodity trading.

 

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