wonderful coconut......extracting extra virgin coconut oil at home

Coconut is a favorite fruit and food ingredient of millions across the world and it is used in a billion ways i am sure....this fruit has many nutritive and medicinal values and is processed to make coconut milk , coconut cream, coconut milk powder , coconut oil and many types of flavored and unflavored coconut flakes and powders......i have personally made many types of skin care products with coconut which i shall post very soon here , but today i am posting how to extract extra virgin coconut oil at home. I got inspired to try this after reading a homemade coconut oil made by Sharmila here......I had made caster oil in the past and my method is a different version of the process where the oil is extracted at around 60-70 degree Celcius....it does not take much effort once you powder the dried coconut and i think everybody should be able to make it this way......this is virgin coconut oil and can be used for cooking purpose , but when you make it in small quantity, like i did , you know that it is going to be used for cosmetic purpose only.......

Before moving on to the process of extracting coconut oil , i would discuss how the oil is good for some common ailments and how it is a good cooking medium for generations....if you are interested only in the oil making , you can scroll down directly to the process and skip the information ...........

Coconut oil has been a controversial topic amongst nutritionists the world over , about the cholesterol increasing effects....a blogger friend, Lori has posted a very informative article in the past which may be of interest for many of you, see the post here......also,i would like to believe the claims made by the coconut board of India about the oil being beneficial in this regard.........i am not adding any information of the oil having medium chain fatty acid n hence being different from the saturated fatty acids...as you will get all i want to convey on Lori's post.

Now about some interesting home remedies you can practice using this oil ........

Coconut oil is a skin and hair tonic , relieves eczema symptoms and helps in fumgal infections between the toes and athelete's foot...Lauric acid is a good antifungal and antibacterial agent

It is a good way to protect your skin n hair form UV radiation ( sun exposure) as it works like a sunscreen , incidentally almond oil and sesame oils are good as a sunscreen base too...also, in a case of sunburn, coconut oil mixed with fresh aloe vera juice is a good ointment for quick relief.

Mixed with lemon juice, coconut oil makes a good lotion for winters for use all over the body....it is best to apply this lotion just after a warm bath , on a wet body and then tap dry with soft towel , there is no need to use any body lotion or moisturizer after this , though a hand cream or lotion may be needed afterwords as hands are washed many times during the day..

Coconut oil mixed with paraffin wax in a 50/50 ratio makes a good ointment for cracked heals ....for this heat the oil and the wax into a metal bowl till blended together and pour in a container with lid to store....a suitable essential oil like lemon or sandalwood can be added but is not essential.....wash your feet well with soap before retiring to bed , apply this ointment liberally over the heels and soles of feet , cover the feet with a cling wrap ( yes cling wrap from your kitchen drawer) wear socks and go to sleep........you can remove the socks after 4-5 hours but overnight is best....within two days a visible difference can be seen.....
(if the heels are covered with a thick layer of dead skin it becomes very difficult to treat them .... i noticed this in one of the ladies i advised....her heels were covered with a thick layer of dead skin...in that case no ointment will work because it will not penetrate the dead skin layer to reach the inner live skin.....application of salicylic acid ointment just after bath, with feet covered after the application allows the dead skin to shed ....a few applications of salicylic acid cream will make the heels more receptive to any treatment given to them....i tried it on that lady and the results were so very encouraging.....though the example i quoted is of a maid who worked for me, it is very rare condition n may not be needed normally)

Pure coconut oil or coconut cream are very good as a lip balm , you can add rose oil or pure vanilla to it for a lip smacking experience..

Coconut oil mixed with lemon zest and sea salt is a superb body scrub ....use it all over your body followed with a warm bath and see yourself rejuvenated for the day....the scrub is very good for dark elbows and knees , it has to be scrubbed over these areas in circular movements....I shall post the recipe of this scrub very shortly...

As a prewash hair conditioner , warm coconut oil can be massaged into hair followed by a hot towel treatment (sauna for the scalp) for 10 minutes.....this is a tried and tested remedy for falling hair..

Coconut oil is a good makeup remover , a damp cotton wool ball dipped into this oil is far better than the solvent type makeup removers , it is safe for removing the eye make up too....try it and you will be hooked to it forever.

When you know how good the oil is for you , you want to make it yourself . Especially in our country where we use a lot of coconut oil for many purposes but still virgin coconut oil is not available in the market, so make your own and use it as a food supplement ( a tbsp a day mixed with oatmeal is what some people use ) or for cosmetic purpose......

extracting the oil 

I chose to make it with just one dry coconut berry ( kopra , as it is known locally) , sliced it , chopped it into smaller pieces one day while making masala chai in the kitchen.....

 then i powdered it into the grinder........the beauty of the process is that you can proceed with it the next day.....

poured 300 ml hot water, ( hot to touch but not boiling 60-70 degree C ) over it.........waited for 10 minutes so that the oil comes into the water and poured it through a metal sieve lined with muslin .

reserved the filtrate in a beaker and poured 300 ml hot water again to the residue waited for 10 minutes and filtered it again to collect the filtrate in the same beaker....

repeated the process of pouring hot water n filtering once again so that maximum oil can be extracted from the liquid....

this way 900 ml of water was collected as filtrate which had a thick layer of coconut oil visible on the surface..........

 now i kept the beaker inside the fridge for 2 hrs ( again you can keep this in the fridge and proceed whenever is convenient , i proceeded with it the next day ) you will see the layer of oil solidified into a thick white disc floating over the water..........

The water is poured out and the disc of solid coconut oil reserved in the beaker , it still has some moisture into it but it can well be used for cosmetic purpose or even for cooking just like butter , but if you want to keep it for longer , the water should be evaporated ...

I microwaved it covered for a minute ..... covered , as it spluttered a lot and a clear oil was separated .... leaving a creamy residue of cream like solids , which is sweet in taste n i used a pinch of it for cleansing my face just like we do it with malai , rest is kept in the fridge to be used in some gravy or may be coconut rice along with the water which was filtered along with the oil....good use of the byproducts .......

The oil is pure unfiltered , unrefined , unspoiled and superbly aromatic......

about 90 ml of oil was extracted from one medium large dry coconut ...the cost of the coconut was Rs.12 ( it is Rs.100 a Kg and this one was 120 gm.) ....... extra virgin coconut oil for this cost is a big deal ....

The fibrous residue is still a bit sweet in taste and is kept in the fridge to be used in a cookie or in a chutny or something else.......suggestions are welcome ....watch this space for the recipes and more on coconut products as i have been making all those products for a long time..........ironically i tried making oil for the first time ( never thought of as it is so easily available and never thought of getting this extra virgin one) ........ i am happy i tried this as when i told a few of my friends , they were ecstatic ...i could not delay posting it here...

Tell me if you have any suggestions or questions about making coconut oil or about the uses ...... i'll be delighted to get a feedback here..........