Virgin Coconut Oil: Why It’s So Great, What To Look For

Virgin coconut oil has been getting a lot of attention, and for good reason! Here is a quick rundown of what makes “VCO” special and how it compares to many otherpopular oils.

Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Versus Other Popular Oils:

• Mineral oil is still considered an excellent, reliable oil but is a distilled petrolatum. Coconut oil is from a plant and the virgin coconut oil that VMV uses is first-and-cold-pressed (so it’s as fresh-from-the-tree-as-possible) and USDA-certified organic.
• Some natural, organic oils are highly allergenic, particularly those that are fragrance or fruit extracts.
• Virgin coconut oil is pore-friendly.
• Some oils feel greasy on the skin. VCO soaks into the skin quickly and leaves no sticky, greasy afterfeel.
• Most oils moisturize hydrophobically (they prevent water loss). VCO’s fatty acids are native to skin: they help replace lost lipids and improve cellular wall health. More on this below.

Unique Properties of VCO:

• Most moisturizers work by being hydrophobic (they prevent water loss). VCOdoes that, too, but what makes it a better moisturizer (published studies* show its efficacy even for extremely dry skin, or eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, etc.) is that its fatty acids are native to human skin. Virgin coconut oil’s fatty acids are a normal component of our skin’s barrier. So instead of just preventing water loss, VCO can actually help replace the skin’s lost lipids (natural oils/fatty acids).
• Initial studies point to the possibility of VCO’s broad-spectrum antiseptic properties being able to work against microorganisms. In addition to making skin softer and more pliable, VCO may help keep skin disinfected (which is important for atopic skin because microorganisms can enter cracks in very dry skin which can worsen the condition or make it more difficult to treat).

What To Look For:

• Pure virgin coconut oil, sans extracts, flavors, preservatives or other additives.
• Virgin coconut oil can only be achieved by using fresh coconut meat or what is called non-copra. Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since natural, pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years.
• At VMV we produce our own virgin coconut oil. It is extracted from coconuts grown in our USDA-certified organic farm on an island in the Philippines, where the oil is also manufactured and produced. Our VCO undergoes a process of sterilization, grating, settling, pressing, and oil filtration, all without heat and all organically. With this process, we maintain a high-quality, cold-pressed organic VCO. The farm is an award-winning green cooperative, too, that helps local farming communities with sponsored homes and other poverty-alleviation programs. Nothing goes to waste. Coconut by-products are used to feed fish in fresh flowing rivers on the land (gravity-fed fishponds) which has evolved naturally into a bird sanctuary for wild ducks, white herons, and hawks.
• Organic cold-pressed virgin coconut oil is extracted by squeezing the seeds in a big press. The process is not as efficient as using heat and hexane, but the oil remaining from organic cold-pressed seeds, nuts or vegetables has no trace of farm chemicals, no hexane molecules, and no poisonous trans fatty acids. Note: Hexane is used to extract edible oils from seeds and vegetables, as a special-use solvent, and as a cleaning agent. Acute inhalation exposure of humans to high levels of hexane causes mild central nervous system (CNS) effects including dizziness, giddiness, slight nausea, and headache. Chronic exposure to hexane in air is associated with polyneuropathy in humans, with numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headache, and fatigue observed. Neurotoxic effects have also been exhibited in rats. No information is available on the carcinogenic effects of hexane in humans or animals. The EPA has classified hexane as Group D, not classifiable as to human carcinogenicity.

Virgin Coconut Oil in VMV HYPOALLERGENICS® products:

• All VMV products that need an oil use our own USDA-certified organic virgin coconut oil.
• Our VCO is also clinically-validated, with numerous studies published in international peer-reviewed dermatology journals and presented (even awarded) and medical conventions around the world.
• As a primary ingredient, our USDA-certified organic VCO is in our Know-It-Oil(it is the only ingredient in this product), Grandma Minnie Oil’s Well Nurturing Do-It-Oil, Grandma Minnie Mommycoddling All-Over Lotion, and Re-Everythingline (where it provides advanced lipid therapy for anti-aging benefits).
• VCO is even in many of our Skintelligent Beauty Makeup products.
• VCO is also used in many of VMV clinically-sound Vx Facials and Skin Services.
• A coconut oil extract, monolaurin, a skin-safe antibacterial, anti-yeast, anti-protozoal, antifungal disinfectant, is in all our products and is the main active ingredient in our Id Sweat Acne and Overall Antibacterial Monolaurin Gel, Grandma Minnie Kid Gloves Monolaurin Hand Sanitizer and Grandma Minnie’s The Big, Brave Boo-Boo Balm.
• The studies on virgin coconut oil and monolaurin have been published in the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology, the Dermatitis Journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society, and awarded at the World Congress of Dermatology. Some of these studies were for the ingredient’s use specifically on atopic dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and diaper rash in babies, and skin infections (including a comparative study against other broad-spectrum antibiotics, antifungals, disinfectants, etc.). Dermatologists also recommend our virgin coconut oil as conjunctive or support therapy for psoriasis, herpes, and atopic dermatitis.