Friday, November 13, 2009

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..........

60 comments:

  1. Dear Sangeeta
    Very nice presentation and scientific and economic explanations. I think a moderate temperature extraction that you have done is good for the product.
    So your vast experience in laboratory is helping us.
    Thanks for sharing

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  2. such a beautiful presentation on coconut. is it possible to extract neemoil the same way. i have a neem tree. every year nimbolies are wasted.

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  3. thankyou Ushnish for the encouraging comment...i am more of a homemaker working in budget right now.

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  4. thankyou Shyam .... neem oil is more viscous than coconut oil and i think it can be extracted this way though it may need a higher temperature. I'll try doing it when nimboli comes on the trees in my neighborhood , we sometimes use the nimboli decocotion as a pesticide which looks oily but never thought of separating the oil.
    having said that , one of my friend's has worked on neem n is still doing research , i'll consult him and update.

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  5. Dear sangeeta, i'm impressed.....we use coconut oil for may of the things u told but never in cooking.....i'll look forward for exact proportions for scrub for elbows. Always let me know if u know of something tried & tested for rough hairs...DD doesn't like them she wants silky & smooth hair....

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  6. awesome sangeeta.
    quite a tedious process but totally worth the effort...in my shopping list im sending with anil to india, i have included coconut oil....never knew so many uses, uv protection...cracked heals...somwhere with time, have lost touch with these basic remedies in our kitchen...how much we spend on fancy products when we have natural treatements in our very own kitchen shelf....will make it a point to get back to our very own way of preconditioning our hair and give it a sauna...havent tried for ages...please keep similiar posts coming...they r really enriching and a treat reading...very few bloggers concentrate on natural remedies...i love yours and really like you to post some more!!!

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  7. Rush the process is not at all tedious , actually easier than making a cake !!
    and to my surprise i see that it is much different from the parachute one i used earlier ( for my daughter's hair only n sometimes prewash conditioner for myself)...it is lighter , earlier i used to apply pure almond oil at night on my face and now i find this one is as good as that..
    i do not use any creams n lotions incidentally as i have a sensitive skin..

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  8. Should thank you for all the beautiful info you are giving to us...

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  9. Aww..so great..I'd love to try it sometime Sangeeta..now leme got to Lori n check out..btw,do you mean to say this is different from the normal Parachute oil that we get?Are the health benefits are limited to only this virgin oil?

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  10. Varsha...yes it's worth trying and more so because it is easier that the cookies and cakes we make sometimes n definitely a better choice for our precious time...:)
    about this oil being different from the parachute one ( or any other brand for that matter) i cannot say anything because first i have not done any research on this and secondly i don't even cook in coconut oil.
    But as i used it on my skin n mithi's as well i can say that it's better than the commercially available ones as it gets absorbed quickly and has better effects....that's all i can say ...

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  11. This is so impressive to me. I never would have thought I could extract the oil myself. I definitely could have given this a try in Brazil. In the central US coconuts are a bit harder to come by, but how to great to know and understand the process. Thank you for the mention as well. I really appreciate it!

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  12. Wow handmade and natural scented coconut oil.I remember when i was little my mom used to penetrate my hair with coconut oil.She said the coconut oil will make my hair grow thicker and shinnier.Is that true?

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  13. This is a lovely post on coconut oil.. i swear by it as a healthy and cheaper alternative to conditioner..it is such a wonderful detangler..i never step in the shower or wash my hair..if i have not applied coconut oil to my hair..


    Work from home India

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  14. only for this?? u r not proud of me otherwise?? haa??
    its the support each one of u have given, by spreading the word at ur end...love u babes, thanks for the blessing

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  15. This is amazing, I would love to do this at home when I have a little time. Great work!

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  16. What a useful and amazing blog Sangeeta!! I would love to give this a try.

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  17. what a informative post on coconut. Thanks for coming by my blog. appreciate your kind words. Do come by to check out more posts that interest you.

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  18. This is awesome! I would love to try this one day. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. this is great sangeeta. being from coconut country a.k.a... kerala we have two ways to process our farm coconut for oil - one the kopra is sent to the mill - 2nd my dad makes EVCO with coconut milk extracted from fresh coconut, by simply heating. lots of uses. will discuss later.right niw mykid is bugging me pulling the laptop!

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  20. Sangeeta,
    excellent work there ..never thought of extracting oil ...might help me when I plan to do it myself some day ..are you botanist , just guessing :)....
    hugs and smiles

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  21. Thankyou jaya !!
    yes i am a botanist n have worked on microbial biotechnology , that has become a thing of past though ..:)

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  22. I love coconut oil and use it in place of butter or other oils regularly. This is a wonderful post! Thank you for letting the world know how to do this!!

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  23. Visiting ur blog for the first time thro' a link and loved it. You have very interesting and informative posts. Extraction of virgin coconut oil at home is to be applauded. Enjoyed every bit of the elaborative method. Following u :):)

    Chitchat
    http://chitchatcrossroads.blogspot.com/

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  24. came here thru Avant Garde.... Very informative post...
    You know what... I'm actually gonna try this one!

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  25. Hi...my first visit here, really love your informative post on coconut, would try this soon...

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  26. Hi,
    Sangeetha I love all your blogs nice contents are there will read them leisurely.

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  27. Being a big fan of Ayurveda. I just love this blog of yours!

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  28. I don't get coconut oil here in Abidjan :( This article proved very usually, Will try extracting at home :) Thanks again!

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  29. Coming from the land of coconuts, I have been aware of the merits of coconut oil and had been using it ...but I am glad that you supplied the know-how to extract it myself.. I have always felt that the commercially available oils are vastly different from my grandma's home-made ones...

    Great blogs... and hope you continue to visit mine ..

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  30. Sangeeta,

    Nice informative post, i love coconut oil, extracting at home i didn't thought about it. It looks really good.

    Thanks for visiting my blog. I will follow you.
    You have wonderful blogs.

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  31. I'm eagerly waiting for more posts in this space of yours :)

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  32. Hi Sangeetha, Never knew u had this blog...very interesting and useful tips..

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  33. Hi, interesting tips. we have prepared castor oil in our home but never tried this. we do have lot of coconuts but we send them to oil mill to extract the oil. Soon I shall try this.
    Thank you.

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  34. Love this blog of yours! Glad I hopped over my Grannies&Ripples!

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  35. very informative.will try extracting the oil n use it for hair and heels.thx so much.God bless u
    i came across just by accident,that's y anonymous

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  36. wow- did not know one could do it at home- you prompted me to try it!

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  37. Do try Adelina and let me know if you liked it.

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  38. detailed information on coconut
    pics are like sone pay suhaga

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  39. Very informative post. I was born in the coconut country but we have a different method of extracting oil.We do not use Kopra, instead the raw coconut. After breaking the nut in two parts, we take out the white solid portion. One could use the mixer and churn it. Thereafter the milk is extracted. When the milk is boiled in a pan, the oil comes out which is separated.

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  40. This is very interesting, I love coconut oil, but we don't have fresh coconuts in NZ, we must import them, it is much easier t buy the oil from an organic store.

    The smell of coconut oil or butter is divine!

    ciao

    Alessandra

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  41. I love this post and all the terrific information contained in it. Am bookmarking this post for future reference. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and know how. I can't tell you how important I think the sharing of this kind of information is or how important it may be. So much homecraft and handicraft is being forgotten.... Katy@foodforahungrysoul

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  42. My name is Nitin from Toronto. I am interested in your writing. Some of your posting are good, I can say, best. Can you please tell me how to subscribe to your blog post online?

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  43. Your posts are very useful and informative.Best wishes.

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  44. Very informative and useful post. Thanx for sharing. Following u :):)

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  45. Wow...good for you. And I thought I liked DIY projects :). Thanks for all the great info!

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  46. This is the most informative post on Coconut oil I have come across...was just discussing the brilliance of this with friends here...thanks

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  47. LUIS FROM FLORIDA USAJuly 24, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR VERY VERY HELPFUL INFORMATION. ABOUT EXTRACTING THE COCONUT OIL. I LOVE COCONUT SINCE I WAS A KID IN PUERTO RICO. THANK YOU KEEP POSTING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COCONUT.

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  48. Hi...

    Great post and i think its very useful for all the visitors of this blog and especially for me also.
    Thanks for sharing

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  49. Sangeeta ji,I am very happy to come on your blog.Your post is providing valuable and very useful information. It's my pleasure to become your follower.

    Probably,you commented on my back in Indiblogger meet'आपका ब्लॉग जरूर पढेंगें'.I hope you remember.

    Many many thanks for the nice presentation.
    Hoping your kind visit on my blog.

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  50. Oh! Sangeeta,you are so nice.
    Thanks to you for your visit on my blog.
    I would await your valuable comments on merit,
    whenever you read my posts again.

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  51. During my growing up years, we used to go back to our native village on the coastal belt. It was amazing to watch the process of how coconut oil is made. The copra is crushed using bullocks going round in circles moving two huge grinding stones and the pulp is then shifted to a boiler,sieve near a tube well.It is only after reading this post could I correlate to the process. Interesting...

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  52. Never thought about doing this on my own (of course coconuts are hard to come by in Minnesota). I love the idea of using the oil on my hair. I use olive oil from time to time.

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  53. Wish you a very very happy new year to you.

    Please,find time to visit my blog again.

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  54. I have so many coconuts to spare at home as we have 5 coconut palms in our backyard and I do not like to eat them much. Someday I am going to try this, that is when I can pull myself away from computer. ;)

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  55. Hey! How does one extract the oil from a wet cocnut?

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    Replies
    1. Extracting milk from fresh coconut is easy, Grind the flesh with warm water and squeeze to get the milk. Keep the milk in fridge overnight to get coconut cream, which floats on top and can be skimmed, leaving thin coconut milk in the bottom. The coconut milk can be heated to get fresh oil.

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  56. Thanks for simplifying the process. I wanted the oil for my joint pain. It is advised for painful knee.So I was interested in knowing the process of extracting coconut oil from coconut at home.
    vidyadhar

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  57. Home made coconut oil is said to be useful as medicine for joint pains or painful knee.
    I was interested in knowing the process. Which Sangeeta has explained elaborately. Thanks for the information provided.

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