I could use some help with this.....Parachute Coconut Oil

ChloeDharma · March 6th, 2008, 03:41 AM

Now i wasn't really sure where to put this because i'm talking about oil quality and properties too....hair, skin and eating.....

This oil is apparently very popular in India for trusted quality etc, it boasts being made from good quality coconuts from the Kerala region, and being double filtered for purity. It does smell of coconuts, but it seems to smell a bit different to the virgin coconut oil i've brought in the past, but i know it's not fragranced.

So what i cant work out is if this is also virgin coconut oil, you see i thought the way to tell was by whether it smells or not. Also i'm wondering if it's made from copra, but, i thought oil from copra had to be bleached and deoderised and something else because it was kinda......manky unedible toxic stuff otherwise.

The reason i'm more bothered is that i am trying to include coconut oil in our diet (my dog and me) plus my sister has been eating virgin coconut oil from the health food shop to loose weight (so far she's lost loads, prolly 3 dress sizes i'd say) and this oil costs £2.50 as opposed to £10 for the same amount.....so if it's just as good and ives the same benefit then it's a real bargain (BTW that's the price i got it for in the shop, online tends to be a bit higher).

I've tried searches online but i can't find any info on how it's produced, although i saw it advertised by one place as being virgin coconut oil but i can't remember where.
Here's a link to show what the stuff is....
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acata...conut-Oil.html

So, i'm wondering if any of you experts can help me out and tell me how it compares quality wise to the pricey virgin coconut oil?

I'm going Indian shop shopping on saturday (it's a bit of a trek so i try to stock up when i do go) and want to know if it's worth buying a load of this or not.

Right, if you got this far thanks for sticking with my ramblings! And any advice would be great!

jel · March 6th, 2008, 04:32 AM

I don't really know, and I've never tried it, but the description makes me think that it is purified, i.e. not virgin. '100% pure coconut oil' really just means that there are no other ingredients present.

It still probably has most of the benefits of virgin coconut oil (just like regular olive oil has most, but not all, of the benefits of virgin). I suppose the way to find out is to try it for a month or two and compare the results.

ChloeDharma · March 6th, 2008, 05:02 AM

See i assumed that until i kept reading that it smells of coconuts, which it does, quite strongly.....though it doesn't seem to smell quite as fresh as the virgin i brought. I tried refined pure coconut oil, like Pride and KTC before and they smell of nothing at all......hmmnnn this has definately got me puzzled.
I've tried it on my hair and skin and it does seem to do a better job than the proper refined cheap ones, and it tasted and smelt nice in cooking.....i dunno, maybe it's that the coconuts in kerala are different slightly to coconuts elsewhere? Like the Phillipines which is where lots of the virgin ones seem to come from.....though i'm not sure if that makes sense.

ktani · March 6th, 2008, 07:24 AM

The company does not state that specifically on their site that I could find but here is the contact page with email.
http://www.maricoindia.com/contactus.htm

Product description
http://www.maricoindia.com/parachute.htm

Euphony · March 6th, 2008, 07:28 AM

I use it!! I get it at a local Indian store (reminds me I need more), but I don't eat it - I only use it for hair and skin. I think it smells great, but not like virgin. Virgin is first pressing, this may just be "coconut oil", but I'd say it's definately unrefined. Refined coconut oil is put through a process that may or may not involve chemicals to get it "purer", while unrefined is left alone in it's natural state.

ktani · March 6th, 2008, 07:32 AM

If you want to know exactly - I would email them - they will probably be happy to reply - it is good for business to explain their process - they seem quite proud of the product.

ChloeDharma · March 6th, 2008, 09:01 AM

Thanks Ktani i think i'll have to do that.

Euphony.....do you think that it seems to smell almost a teensy bit smoked? I mean, i really get the strong coconut smell so will definately use it on my skin and hair anyway, and prolly even cook with it like i already have (that was lovely by the way.....the smell filling the room as the oil heated up!) but i thought i could maybe smell a hint of smokeyness to it.....i do smoke ciggies though so maybe i was smelling the residue of them lol

Euphony · March 6th, 2008, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChloeDharma

Thanks Ktani i think i'll have to do that.

Euphony.....do you think that it seems to smell almost a teensy bit smoked? I mean, i really get the strong coconut smell so will definately use it on my skin and hair anyway, and prolly even cook with it like i already have (that was lovely by the way.....the smell filling the room as the oil heated up!) but i thought i could maybe smell a hint of smokeyness to it.....i do smoke ciggies though so maybe i was smelling the residue of them lol

hmmmm I haven't used it in a bit, but I don't remember smelling a smokie scent - I also smoke. I melted mine and put it in jars since I keep my house a bit on the cool side it's hard for me to get out of the bottle, I'll have to look for my jar of it tonight and give a sniff.

spidermom · March 6th, 2008, 12:26 PM

Why would it be beneficial to eat it? I thought coconut oil was saturated fat.

ChloeDharma · March 6th, 2008, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidermom

Why would it be beneficial to eat it? I thought coconut oil was saturated fat.

Yes, it is, but apparently not all saturated fat is created equal....in terms of weight loss a nutritionist was on a UK breakfast television program explaining that coconut oil should be eaten by people trying to loose weight because it encourages the body to burn brown fat faster.

There are also a load of other health benefits people are using it for, like candida and thyroid problems......there are even rumours that it's helpful against HIV but i think that one is quite, um.....whats the word......you know when something isn't officially recognised.

If you are interested it's well worth doing a search on it and seeing what comes up.