Coconut Oil – Refined vs Virgin (Unrefined)

We’ve been using coconut oil for cooking and skin care for a couple years now. While at the store the other day to pick up new jar of coconut oil I was stumped. I guess I never paid attention to what type of oil I was purchasing and was confronted with the decision – refined or unrefined (virgin) coconut oil.

I quickly got out my phone and did a little research to figure out the difference between the two. Here is what I discovered.

There are only a couple major differences when shopping for refined vs virgin coconut oil. The most obvious difference is in the taste and smell.  Refined coconut oil has a neutral scent and flavor for when you don’t particularly want a coconut taste. Virgin or unrefined coconut oil has a tropical scent and flavor.

Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconuts while refined coconut oil is made from dried coconut. Because of the way refined coconut oil is made, it has a higher smoke point (400 degrees) than virgin coconut oil, making it great for sauteing, stir-frying and baking.

To ensure your coconut oil is high quality, make sure it’s certified organic and verified Non-GMO. Then confirm that virgin coconut oil is cold-pressed, made without hexane, and never deodorized or bleached. Look for a refined coconut oil that is steam-refined  and not refined using harsh chemicals.

Both refined and unrefined can be used interchangeably.