By Martin Watt
This light, clear oils is extracted from crude solid coconut oil. It consists mainly of saturated fatty acids. This is different to most vegetable oils which tend to be mainly varying amounts of several poly-unsaturated fatty acids.
Poly-unsaturated fatty acids are excellent sources of energy and nutrition when consumed as foods. However, the fatty layer beneath human skin consists of saturated fatty acids. Therefore, fractionated coconut oil is much closer in chemical composition to our skin, than are most other vegetable oils.
Ancient herbal ointments which were effective wound healing agents, were primarily made from a variety of animal fats. Fractionated coconut is closer to these old remedies than creams made using other vegetable oils.
In addition to the above, the refining process removes most contaminants such as viable fungal spores (common in wheatgerm oil), as well as any undesirable plant chemicals. In particular, most crude vegetable oils quickly develop rancidity due to natural oxidation processes. This does not occur with fractionated coconut as the oxidising chemicals are almost eliminated during its processing. Oxidation products in plant oils are well known to cause skin irritation and sensitisation reactions.
Fractionated coconut is therefore chemically ‘clean’ and contains few contaminants likely to interfere with healing. It does not oxidise thereby producing further irritants, and it is very stable over long periods of time. Tit does not itself possess a powerful odour and therefore is ideal as a carrying medium for fragrant plant essences.
Experienced nurses, who have used f. coconut mixed with essential oils, for treating bedsores and other ulcers have achieved encouraging results. A vast improvement in healing rates was achieved when compared to traditional aromatherapy treatments using unrefined wheatgerm oil.
This product is widely used in the food and cosmetics trades. It is an excellent skin emollient, helping prevent water loss from the skin without the sticky and pore-blocking actions of cruder vegetable oils.
Due to its light non-greasy nature, it is ideal for facial massage It is excellent for anyone suffering from dry skin It is useful for massage on skin types where ‘hand slip’ is lost when using normal vegetable oils.
It is ideal for blending in essential oils required for ‘spot treatments’ such as over areas of stiff muscles, or if applying essential oils to conditions such as athletes’ foot.
