Virgin Coconut Oil

Hi everyone,

The kind of coconut oil I use is called "Parachute" it comes in a blue bottle and is produced in Mumbai India---is quite inexpensive (2.00$) and avaliable at essentially any Indo-Pak groccery.

Shikakai, Amla and Neem are all plants (leaves) and fruits that when combined with other oils (Mustard, Brahmi, castor etc etc) make wonderful natural hair treatments. The Actual term "Ayurvedic" is a an ancient Indian practise of holistic health.

I do not reccomend most Indian hair oils and shampoos because a lot of times they have added, unecessary ingredients ie: mineral oil. Very popular Indian hair oils like "Dabur Amla oil" and "Vatika" are known for this. However, if anyone is interested "Nyle" brand of shampoo is awesome--the particular variety I enjoy is blended with Amla and Shikakai.

"Ramtith brahmi" oil is great!!


When buying Neem and Shikakai look for them in the powdered form. Amla can be in powdered/or whole berry form.

Eating coconut oil: This is something I have tried. I am not sure how aware you all are, but there are two general varieties of coconut oil: that which you eat/use for cooking and that which is used for cosmetic purposes. The consumable stuff comes in big glass jars and has a much richer, thicker consistancy---I wouldn't use it in my thick hair--to heavy.

I am not sure if it replaces olive oil very well. But if you love MOVIE THEATER popcorn (the best stuff in the world as far as I am concerned! ) try putting some melted coconut oil on the stuff you make at home. ....Yes that is their secret....!!!!

More about Ayurveda:   http://www.ayurvedic.org/ayurveda/shop.asp

Samantha***

indeed....ewww, I could not go the solid route either...  Have not tried in pasta yet...  normally use olive oil for that...  but now that I think of it, I have not had pasta in a long time...

Did it get shipped to you all solid?  wondering if the distributor stores it cold?  mine comes in liquid form...  only have a hard time with my small bottle at work getting solid because of the AC...

only need to place your bucket or jar in warm water...  and does not need to be stored in refridge...  it has a shelf life of at least 3 years... only cause they have not tested it longer than that yet.  It makes me feel icky when I see it in solid form...  although it is suppose to be a great replacement of lard or butter in baking also in its solid form.

Yea, it was solid, but also keep in mind that it sat at the post office for a few days as well.  Right now it's sitting on my kitchen counter and when I opened it again it was more liquidy than it had been so I think it's doing it's thing in that realm.  I just took tablespoons of the liquidy bits straight and took a bit of sherbet after.  Not too bad as long as it's not solid.  

I actually did have pesto on my pasta as well but threw a spoonful of the coconut oil on it.  

Hi everyone,

The kind of coconut oil I use is called "Parachute" it comes in a blue bottle and is produced in Mumbai India---is quite inexpensive (2.00$) and avaliable at essentially any Indo-Pak groccery.

Is the stuff you buy organic or virgin coconut oil or is it refined and bleached?  Give where I live there's plenty of Indian markets about, so I will give a look to see what I can find.  And thanks for the tip about the popcorn!  I WILL try that one!

Seems like I read that coconut oil helps protect the skin against sun damage...?  Anyone know?  Maybe this is why the suntan oils all used to smell like coconut...LOVE that aroma!

indeed....ewww, I could not go the solid route either...

Mine's all solid. Mind, goes liquid very quickly. But all solid.
So, I see Shel's first answer to my question and I figure, "Well, she eats it, so what the heck?" Two days of this and then I see that hers is liquid! Eeew, eeew, yes, I did it solid. Massively gross. But I dropped two pounds overnight, having been stuck at a three-week plateau.

LOL, it is ok that you ate it solid...won't hurt you...but yes...ewww ewww

Seems like I read that coconut oil helps protect the skin against sun damage...?  Anyone know?  Maybe this is why the suntan oils all used to smell like coconut...LOVE that aroma!

Hi Beth, I do know that coconut oil will keep your skin soft and it does heal damage...  but by itself I would not just use in the sun for a tan...as I also believe as an oil, it will attract the sun..  and will get burned.  I am sure it would be helpful after being in the sun to keep skin moist...  but to be safe...always use your sunscreens

Well, as Shel knows, I did the hair thing.  There is a nice subdued softness to it and it is a bit more manageable but for me, it doesn't seem to be that much different than if I just used extra conditioner on my hair.  

BUT, I'm going to give it a few more tries.  I didn't warm up the oil, which I might try next time and I might try using a bit more.  I did use a good 2-3 oz. approximately on my hair and combed it through to get decent coverage and left it on for about 4 hours.  

I also think in Shel's case it's helping her internally as well so she's at a slight advantage.  I'm still plugging on and will give it another go next weekend!

Is the stuff you buy organic or virgin coconut oil or is it refined and bleached?  Give where I live there's plenty of Indian markets about, so I will give a look to see what I can find.  And thanks for the tip about the popcorn!  I WILL try that one!

Hi there!

According to the bottle I have here, "Parachute" brand is 100% pure coconut oil, superior grade and micro-filtered to provide natural nourishment.

Sounds like you can go for it!

Samantha***

Ok, new testimonial for coconut oil here...LOL!...  seriously though...  I had joined the VCO discussion group with coconut connections...  Mostly because I wanted to read and hear what others say about it...  Actually some of it is funny in the way people are using VCO for virtually everything from deodorant to toothaches, to gastral problems, to fungal remedies...  some I have a hard time believing...  but one I read had been about soothing and relieving the pain of a burn...  

Last night I burned the side of my hand very badly with my curling iron...  I was in my room and very tired...did not feel like going to the bathroom to rinse under cold water...  I could actually see a large blister beginning to form and the pain was nasty...  I remembered what I read about the VCO and burns...so I reached over for my jar...  and I covered the burn with coconut oil...  it was not completely immediate...  but within 10 minutes the pain disappeared... I added a bit more before I crawled into bed...  and this morning to my surprise...there is no tenderness...  no blister...  only a small red patch...  I placed some more oil there this morning and even the red patch is beginning to disappear now...

Trust me, it was a nasty burn, because I was not paying attention to what I was doing.

LOL, OK...now I am starting to sound like these other people in discussion group...  how geeky queer :-/   but heck...  I am being honest.