The Truth About Coconut Oil

Happy 2022 everyone! We are certainly off to an interesting year. Here in Ontario, Canada we are still under a Covid shutdown. The closure is set to be lifted starting on January 31, with a slow return to normal activity. Restaurants will begin to open, as will gyms, movie theatres and larger entertainment venues. Schools are open again. Here at Legit Raw we are vaccinated and boosted. We encourage all of you to do the same so we can finally put this Covid-19 pandemic behind us. 

We have a wide variety of interesting products set for a 2022 debut. Our very next release is our line of skin care products, specifically hand and body lotions and body butters. We continue to offer Legit Raw hand soaps. I encourage you to try our hand soaps. You will be very happy with them and they are the best hand soaps on the market. My hands have never felt better, even in this cold Canadian winter which often leaves my skin cracked, flaky and dry. Get your Legit Raw hand soaps at the link below. My hope is that the next time we talk I will be able to link you to our new skin lotions. 

Today, let’s talk about skin care and the role that coconut oil plays in our formulations. 

At Legit Raw we use coconut oil in our skin care formulations. Let’s talk about why in a very clear and direct manner. No false claims here at Legit Raw. No unfounded hype. No catch phrases and industry mumbo-jumbo. 

HOW IS COCONUT OIL MADE?

The process of obtaining coconut oil is fairly straightforward. It is obtained by simply pressing fresh coconut meat to squeeze the oil out of it. There are different types of mechanical presses that can be used to obtain the oil but we won’t go into those processes here. The Philippines and Indonesia account for almost 70% of the world’s coconut oil production. 

Beware of terms such as virgin or extra virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil is not regulated the way olive oil is and any such claims are marketing gimmicks. These are not recognized industry terms or standards. Anyone claiming to use extra virgin coconut oil is embellishing at best, and lying at worst. 

WHAT IS COCONUT OIL USED FOR?

Coconut oil has a wide variety of uses. In it’s food grade form it is used in baking and cooking. It has industrial applications as well. It is often used in the making of biofuel. It is used to make surfactants such as Cocamide MEA and Cocamide DEA as well as Cocamidopropyl Betaine. If you would like a very scientific breakdown of what a surfactant is, click on this link here: 

Pure coconut oil can be used as part of a hair care routine. It helps keep hair moisturized and manageable, especially when combing or brushing. It will make your hair shiny and pleasant smelling. It will feel good on your scalp and skin and help moisturize. But this is where claims surrounding coconut oil should end. More on this a bit later in our article. 

At Legit Raw we use coconut oil as a moisturizer. That’s it. No magic. No false claims. Coconut oil plays well with the other ingredients in our formula and does a good job of moisturizing skin. It is a natural product and that is important to us at Legit Raw. It also smells good and that is always appreciated. 

MYTHS, MARKETING HYPE AND LIES

Unfortunately, coconut oil has been wrongly praised for having nutritional value and healing properties that it simply does not possess. Unfortunately, our 21st century world of social media, marketing hype, influencers and the need to find the next big thing have given coconut oil qualities that can best be described as inaccurate, misleading and potentially dangerous. Let’s get into it.

According to the FDA, WHO, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association, the British National Health Service, and Dietitians of Canada, we should limit our consumption of coconut oil. It is not healthy.  It does not contain “good fat” as suggested on many internet and social media platforms. A 2017 review of clinical research by the American Heart Association advised against consuming coconut oil as it raised LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increased the risk of heart disease. Nor does it improve brain function as one social media seller claimed on their platform. 

Coconut does taste good in baked items and does add flavour to food. I used to pop my popcorn using coconut oil but I stopped, as of right now. Do I love coconut cream pie? Why yes, I do. I love coconut cookies. I also know that these things are not good for me and I should limit my intake of baked goods (the struggle is real here as I love all forms of baking and sweets). 

Here are some other unfortunate claims made about coconut oil: assisting with weight loss, improving dental health, improving asthma symptoms, preventing liver disease, reducing stress, controlling blood sugar. There are others but this list of claims is sufficient for our purposes here today. Quite simply, there is no real evidence to suggest that coconut oil can do any of these things. Scientific studies are inconclusive at best and in some cases are clear in demonstrating that coconut oil is not healthy. 

Please do not buy into the marketing hype surrounding coconut oil. A quick search on some social media platforms revealed many sites selling coconut oil and making unfounded and in some cases false and dangerous claims. 

As your Legit Raw blogger I will always be clear and direct about our products, what we do and why we do it. Our goal is to offer a luxury experience at a more affordable price. Our products work and are based on 30 years of industry experience. We make no false claims at Legit Raw. We offer no promises of the next great thing that is going to change your life. Instead, we make quality products that work. Legit Raw is a family business and it is important to all of us that we offer quality products to our customers.

Thank you for reading and we will speak again soon. 

I'm Carlo Santin, co-founder of Legit Raw. I'm also an educator by day, a husband and a father of two sons and now a daughter-in-law...and as of April 2022 a grandfather! Welcome.