How to make cold pressed coconut oil at home

Cold-pressed Coconut oil as the name sounds is simply oil that is extracted by pressing the pulp of the coconut without applying heat in the process. Store-bought virgin coconut oil can be very expensive and at the same time, it is filled with lots of chemicals, additives, and preservatives. However, homemade coconut oil is very different because of the way it is naturally extracted.  There are two simple ways to make coconut oil at home- the cold-pressed method and the heated method. All two methods are very convenient and are easy to make at home depending on what you want to use your coconut oil for.

Making cold-pressed coconut oil at home is quite easy, it allows you to have control of what goes into your coconut oil. The fragrance, the texture, and the taste alone is something you can’t get from the store-bought counterpart. You can just achieve this by following a few simple steps.

Coconut oil has so many health benefits and can be used for cooking as well as skin and hair care. The benefits of Coconut oil are gotten when you make your own coconut oil at home because you are sure to get the organic, pure virgin coconut oil instead of the refined coconut oil mostly sold in the store that has fewer nutrients compared with the virgin oil you make at home.

Remember the more the process of making coconut oil, the less nutrition it will have because most of the nutrients get removed or denatured when subjected to many processes during the process of heating and refining the coconut oil. This is the reason why making your own coconut oil at home helps you get organic, pure virgin oil.

You can quickly make coconut oil at home, it is a very easy procedure. You can use the cold press method of extraction of the oil to ensure you don’t destroy the nutrients of the oil with heat. When doing this, be sure to practice good hygiene so as to end up with pure coconut oil which is void of contamination.

To make your own coconut oil at home, you will need some mature coconut kernels, this is because mature coconuts are ripe, older, and are full of meat; they contain more oil than the young coconut kernels. You will also have to consider the quantity of oil you want to extract; in this case, you should use about 5 to 10 coconuts to get more coconut oil.

What is Virgin Coconut oil and Extra Virgin Coconut oil?

Any unrefined coconut oil is called virgin coconut oil because the nutrients are intact. The refined coconut oil cannot be virgin because some nutrients have been destroyed by heat or other processes of extracting the oil. Extra virgin coconut oil is just a marketing strategy through which some companies sell their products as there is no other grade of coconut oil that is more than virgin coconut oil. Using the cold press method to make coconut oil preserves the nutrients in the coconut oil.  Cold-pressed coconut oil has a strong taste and flavor and a higher content of antioxidants, protein, vitamins, and healthy fatty acids which may be denatured during the industrial processes that regular coconut oil goes through.

Coconut oil benefits

• Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties and can be used in the treatment of fungal skin infections, acne, or hair loss caused by fungal infections.
• Coconut oil is used for the treatment of yeast infection. It can get rid of the itching associated with yeast infections because it has strong anti-fungal properties.

How to use cold-pressed of coconut oil

• Cold-pressed coconut oil can be used to promote hair growth
• Coconut oil is a moisturizer for hair and skin
• You can use coconut oil to make a hair mask
• Used on the face for removing acne
• For the treatment of hair loss, dandruff, and scalp pains.
• It can be used on the skin in removing stretch marks
• Coconut oil can be used for cooking fried rice, egg sauce, salads, and fried chips
• To make body scrubs
• You can use coconut oil to remove makeup

Steps on how to make cold-press coconut oil

1. To make cold-pressed coconut oil, start by breaking open mature coconuts and then place them in a bowl.
2. Use a vegetable peeler or knife to peel off the brown skin of the coconuts. Then rinse the flesh in clean water to get rid of sand or the brown particles of the coconuts.
3. Cut the coconuts into smaller cubes to make it easy for your blender to spine smoothly without overworking it. However, you can grate the coconuts using a grater if you are not using a blender.
4. Place the coconut pieces into the blender and add water to slightly cover them and blend into a smooth consistency.
5. Empty the blended coconut pulps into a bowl and continue blending the remaining pieces until you are done with all the cut coconuts.
6. Once done, place cheesecloth or a fine strainer over a medium bowl, pour the blended coconut pulp on the cheesecloth and use your hand to squeeze the material firmly to strain out all the milk.  You can still add water to rinse the pulp before discarding it.
7.  Cover the coconut extract with a lid and leave it in a cool place to settle undisturbed for 12 hours or overnight. However, you can simply place it in the fridge to hasten the process.
8. The next morning, you will notice a frozen layer or a white curd formed at the top of the bowl. This layer contains oil, cream, and curds. Use a spoon to gently scoop the frozen layer into another bowl, making sure you are not scooping the water along with it.
9. Leave the frozen coconut cream in a very warm environment to thaw on it without any heat applied to it. This might take hours but you can simply leave it in the sun for three hours.
10. Once it has melted, you will notice the coconut oil separating into three layers- the water which is below the bowl, the curd in the middle, and the coconut oil above. It is best to use a transparent bowl so that you will be able to see this clearly without having to mix the oil back into the water.
11. Gently place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes, the coconut oil will get frozen quickly at the top leaving behind the water and the curd.
12. Take the bowl out of the freezer, use a frying spoon with holes to gently scoop out the frozen oil into another bowl. Take your time to drain out any excess water that might have escaped along with oil to avoid ruining your coconut oil.
13. Melt the coconut oil and pour it into a storage bottle or jar. Your cold-pressed coconut oil is ready. You can use your cold-press coconut oil on your hair, skin, and cooking delicious dishes.