Coconut oil is the soft, buttery fat of raw coconut flesh, extracted and converted into a solid at room temperature cooking oil, a booming health product which is actually everything people claim it to be.
The uses for this oil are endless. Coconut oil is a perfect fat for natural and acne-friendly recipes, replacing unhealthy oils like sunflower oil and providing a mild coconut flavour. For cooking steaks, meat and eggs, coconut oil is unbeatable; its fatty acids are 50% lauric aid, which is highly stable. You don’t have to worry about the harsh heat generating free radicals or producing a burnt out flavour.
You can even melt coconut oil, and combine it with baking soda for an antibacterial and acid-neutralising toothpaste, which is all-natural and free from fluoride. Similarly, there’s the popular oil pulling technique, where you swish virgin coconut oil around in your mouth for ten minutes and let the antibacterial lauric acid do its work.
Just 15 years ago, there was a mere handful of coconut oil brands. As knowledge of its powers spread though, the market completely changed. Cold-pressed, virgin coconut oils straight from the islands of the Pacific are available, but so are countless refined, odourless oils which are more like “coconut-sourced oil” than real coconut oil.
That’s why today, we will discuss the 7 purest, most nutritious and natural coconut oil brands available.
Every single brand here is virgin, unrefined, and certified organic by the USDA. For a shortcut, Terrasoul Superfoods and Dr Bronner’s are the best brands. All chemically processed oils are excluded.
Let’s get started:
One – Terrasoul Superfoods
Unlike refined brands, buying Terrasoul Superfoods is virtually identical to climbing up a coconut tree in Sri Lanka, whacking the coconut down to the sandy shores, and pressing the raw oil out yourself. Why? Because this oil is cold-pressed, unrefined, and extra virgin, produced without any harsh heat or chemicals. Its nutritional profile, and its acne-clearing benefits, are completely unaltered.
The natural taste bears witness to this; reviewers describe Terrasoul Superfoods as “smooth and silky“, and “clean and tasty“. Reports of rancid oils are a rarity. This coconut oil sits at the top of the list because of 1) its glass rather than plastic bottle, and 2) Terrasoul Superfoods’ amazing reputation, with their cocoa butter also being my top recommendation.
Terrasoul Superfoods is even certified organic by the USDA, guaranteeing that no pesticides and toxic chemicals were sprayed onto the crops. The production process is free from any deodorisers, bleaching agents and chemicals solvents, and because it’s in a glass jar, any BPA or phthalates. Finally, the jar contains a voluminous 32oz.
Terrasoul Superfoods is as pure as coconut oil gets, and my number one recommendation.
Amazon link: Terrasoul Superfoods Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil.
Two – Dr Bronner’s
Firstly, Dr Bronner’s coconut oil is extra virgin, made from fresh coconut flesh rather than burnt out, leftover dried copra. Dr Bronner’s is both unrefined and cold-pressed, with the temperature never reaching the scorching 400F used for refined coconut oil.
You can tell that Dr Bronner’s is unrefined right away, by looking at its cloudy and rich colour; all the acne-clearing, brain enhancing compounds are present. Dr Bronner’s also comes in a glass jar, and has a long shelf life of 1 year if opened, and 2 years when unopened.
Its specifications are equally perfect to Terrasoul Superfoods, and where Dr Bronner’s really stands out is in its amazing quality report. Comments on the taste include “delicious” with a “Very strong coconut flavor/odor“. Another reviewer stated that “this definitely smells like coconut!“, while many reviewers declared it to be their favourite brand.
Dr Bronner’s gets perhaps the best reviews of any coconut oil, and this is excellent news because firstly, it indicates that the coconut’s natural nutrition is intact, and more obviously, because you’ll love the taste. Finally, Dr Bronner’s comes in a large 14oz bottle, which will last a long time should you develop an obsession with this oil (which will probably happen). As of 2024, Dr Bronner’s sells two versions: a white kernel version made purely from the white fresh, and a whole kernel version which also includes the outer brown skin. I’d recommend the former, but both are cold-pressed and organic.
Dr Bronner’s is perhaps the most natural yet delicious coconut oil out there.
Amazon link: Dr Bronner’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.
Three – Coconut Country Living’s
Coconut Country Living’s is certified organic by the USDA, and pressed in a coconut-only facility. Its user reviews are excellent, describing the taste as “amazing” and “very much like fresh coconut“. The jar is made from glass and each batch contains 16.91oz, for an affordable price.
Once again, Coconut Country Living’s is cold pressed and unrefined, free from all chemical solvents. Why is cold pressing so important? Because like all fat-based oils, the high temperatures of 400F plus used in industrial facilities destroy the antioxidants, warp the fats into trans-fats, and remove the delicious natural fragrance which you’re buying it for.
With unrefined brands like Coconut Country Living’s, local villagers remove the outer husk and shell by hand. Next, they manually peel away the brown layer of skin of the coconut flesh (the testa), proceeding to grind up the raw flesh and dry it out in temperature controlled conditions which never exceed 45 degrees centigrade (113F).
Finally, the ground coconut flesh passes through an expeller machine, where the oil is squeezed from the flesh using minimal heat, mimicking the gruelling yet effective traditional hand pressing used for centuries. You thus have a nutritious, tasty, and all-natural coconut oil. Coconut Country Living’s is even officially confirmed to be free from hexane.
Coconut Country Living’s is an affordable yet perfect coconut oil brand.
Amazon link: Coconut Country Living’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
Four – Garden Of Life
Once more, the jar is excellent value for money at 29 ounces. The only slight flaw is its plastic rather than glass jar. Garden Of Life has a 60 day money back guarantee, in the unlikely event that you’re unsatisfied.
Garden Of Life is another completely natural coconut oil, as opposed to clear, refined coconut oils. With these oils, the source meat is dried coconut copra, effectively burnt out, inedible, rancid leftovers. The oil itself is extracted from the copra using hexane, a neurotoxic chemical solvent. The oil must then be deodorised using harsh chemicals and scorching heat, which actually damage the oil even more. As the contaminants increase, the oil must be purified with bleaching clays, explaining the odourless smell.
It is this nightmare which you must reject at all costs, and Garden Of Life is the solution. The reason why overly refined coconut oils even exist is that refinement increases the smoke point, but coconut oil is such a stable cooking oil by its very nature that it’s already perfect for cooking.
Luckily, the coconut oil market has expanded exponentially in just the last 15 years, so it’s easy to avoid such monstrosities. Coconut flesh is fatty by its nature, so extracting the oil by hand or with cold machinery is easy compared to say, pomegranate seeds.
If you’re committed to natural oils, foods and strategies, then Garden Of Life is a perfect coconut oil.
Amazon link: Garden of Life Raw Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
Five – Nature’s Way
It’s also USDA organic; coconut isn’t a heavily sprayed crop, but it’s great to have confirmation. Nature’s Way is also excellent value for money, coming in a 16oz bottle for a low price.
Importantly, Nature’s Way is pressed directly from coconut flesh, rather than dried copra. Copra, or dried coconut flesh, is the beginnings of basic refined coconut oil. Firstly, instead of careful sun-drying, farmers take the fresh white flesh of the fallen coconuts and burn it on a rack over a fire, to remove moisture. The flesh ends up grey and with a rancid smell.
Unlike expeller pressed coconut oil, which can be dried and pressed by the local villagers to produce a fresh oil in two hours, bags of burnt out copra must be hauled to big, industrial copra pressing mills in the towns.
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Alongside hexane and bleaching agents, chemical deodorisation is a must, because the copra is so damaged that its rancid smell would be intolerable to customers. In fact, the term copra was invented in the Philippines and means dried coconut meat that is inedible, unless heavily processed.
If a coconut oil specifies that dried copra was never used, then you’re in luck. The only downside is Nature’s Way’s plastic jar, but luckily, it’s confirmed to be BPA free.
If you need a natural and trusted coconut oil, look no further than Nature’s Way.
Amazon link: Nature’s Way Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.
Six – Viva Naturals
The answer is yes, and the only reason why it’s lower than Terrasoul Superfoods or Dr Bronner’s is that its jar is plastic rather than glass. However, that plastic is BPA free, meaning that toxic chemicals won’t leach into your precious oil, and the long list of other great features begins with Viva Natural’s USDA organic certification, which the bottle displays.
Viva Naturals is cold pressed, unrefined, and virgin for maximum nutrition and an authentic taste. The Viva Naturals team spent hundreds of hours looking for the ideal coconut source, testing oil after oil, before settling on coconuts from the rich, fertile, volcanic planes of the Philippines.
The oil is only sourced from the freshest hand-selected coconuts; burnt out, rancid dried copra is never used. Viva Naturals also rejects large scale coconut plantations where machines remove the nuts from the trees thousands of times a day, instead favouring local farmers.
The quality report almost matches Dr Bronner’s; reviewers have commented on the light coconut taste, and one even said that the oil tasted like coconut-flavoured white chocolate.
Viva Naturals also has a long shelf life of 2 years. Reports of rancid oils do appear occasionally, but are extremely rare. Viva Naturals is confirmed to be free from hexane, bleaching agents, and chemical deodorisers.
Viva Naturals is almost the tastiest and purest virgin coconut oil you could buy.
Amazon link: Viva Naturals Organic Coconut Oil.
Seven – Anthony’s Goods
Anthony’s Goods is sourced locally, from small Filipino farmers. None of the villagers have to make a long, hot trek through the jungle to the local industrial facility. In fact, all of the coconuts are cold-pressed within 5 days of harvest, and jarred within 1 hour. Anthony’s Goods is a completely local operation, as authentic as possible.
Anthony’s Goods is specifically expeller pressed, with a screw pressing fresh under temperature controlled conditions. Another natural method you’ll see discussed is centrifuge extraction. The farmers begin by grating fresh coconut meat, and instead of pressing it, they soak it in hot water to create coconut milk.
The coconut cream rises to the top while the remaining liquid, the coconut milk, is squeezed through a cheese cloth. After extra rounds of natural filtering, the coconut milk is spun in a centrifuge, at low temperatures, but speeds so fast that the oil begins to separate.
Centrifuge extraction is a high quality alternative natural method; don’t be suspicious if you see the name on a label. As for Anthony’s Goods, its only flaw is the plastic jar again, but this is BPA free. It’s also great value for money, with a massive 54oz jar. If your goal is to melt virgin coconut oil and use it for toothpaste, stick to the first three brands. But Anthony’s Goods is strong if you only scoop the oil out for recipes.
Anthony’s Goods is an authentic, nutritious virgin coconut oil.
Amazon link: Anthony’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.
Why glass is best
Plastic isn’t an automatic dealbreaker, but glass is ideal with most skincare oils. With grapeseed oil and lavender oil, it’s primarily to block UV radiation rays from oxidising the delicate phytonutrients and fatty acids. However, coconut oil is the most stable cooking oil in existence, and sunlight is barely a threat.
Instead, coconut oil is so solid that to use it as toothpaste or in cooking, you commonly have to submerge the jar in hot water to melt the oil around the edges. If you do this to plastic, the heat will soften and warp the plastic, causing chemicals to leach into the bottle.
Even if it’s free from BPA and the most toxic phthalates (a widespread plastic chemical), it will still damage the taste of your coconut oil. Glass is perfectly safe, and that’s why I recommend brands like Terrasoul Superfoods. That said, the plastic brands here are still acceptable if you never heat your jar. For example, Viva Naturals uses safe, food-grade PET plastic with no BPA.
What about organic certification?
Coconuts are generally one of the least contaminated crops with pesticides and herbicides, partially because of the tough, impenetrable shell. Consider a fruit fly, the flies which love strawberries and blackberries, deciding to eat coconut flesh for a change; it would get nowhere.
However, there is one threat: the coconut scale insect, which has been wreaking havoc on the Filipino coconut industry, and in response, has caused big coconut plantations to start injecting the chemical insecticide neonicotinoid into their trees. Neonicotinoid is absorbed into every cell of a plant, which is perfect for keeping insects away, but not so perfect for human health.
Furthermore, organic certification guarantees that not a single harsh chemical such as hexane was used during the extraction of the oil itself. Every brand on this list is certified organic.
Conclusion
The refined coconut oil dealers have now been defeated once and for all (or are at least edging slightly closer to defeat). The good news is that once you’ve bought one of these brands, you’ll forever know the taste and have a benchmark of how pure and natural coconut oils should be.
The taste of virgin, unrefined coconut oil varies significantly, because of different soils and climates between the Philippines or Sri Lanka, but there should always be a mild coconut taste. Some oils have a stronger coconut taste, but the flavour should always be there.
Remember to avoid using coconut oil as a topical treatment if you have acne, since its comedogenic score of 4 out of 5 is an easy recipe for clogged pores. If you don’t have acne, and rarely do, its moisturising powers are promising.
NEXT: forget creams and moisturisers – discover the ultimate acne-clearing diet
Thanks for reading!