Coconut oil is a very useful product and helps make your hair and skin shine. It can also be used for cooking. However, one of the problems is that organic coconut oil solidifies under 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Solid coconut oil won’t do you any good.
Although you can melt coconut oil, excess heat can end up damaging the nutrients – making the oil useless. The best thing you can do is to prevent it from solidifying. Here, we will show how to keep coconut oil liquid in winter.
What Are The Benefits Of Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil has numerous health benefits, and many people like to keep a bottle of it stored in their homes.
Homemade liquid coconut oil soap is quite easy to prepare and does wonder for the skin, and coconut oil can also help in growing the beard out for the first time. The oil is seen as a great source of biodegradable skincare as well.
What Are The Problems Of Storing Coconut Oil?
In the wintertime, cold temperatures can cause the oil to freeze up. This can make it difficult to use or take out from the bottle. In the summertime, the extra temperature can damage the coconut oil and sometimes create a mess. So, to ensure that your oil is in a usable state, you need to be able to properly store it.
How Can You Keep Coconut Oil Liquefied?
During wintertime, it can be hard to keep coconut oil liquefied. Even with the appropriate measures, it can be necessary to take the oil out of storage and heat it for some time to prevent it from solidifying. The most common and effective way to keep coconut oil liquefied is described below:
Mixing With Glycerine
The most common way to keep your coconut oil from freezing is to mix it with a small amount of a different oil. For this to work, the oil must have a higher freezing point than coconut oil. This will increase the freezing or solidifying point of coconut oil.
When choosing the oil to be mixed, you need to select it carefully and should not use it in higher proportions. Inert oils are preferred that don’t react with coconut oil; hence, glycerine is commonly used.
To perform this method, you will need the following:
1. Thermos Flask
A thermos flask is one of the best things you can use to store coconut oil. It allows you to keep the oil at a warm temperature and not have it melt. Unlike with plastic bottles, there is no risk of plastic contaminating the oil. Remember to get a flask with a wide mouth, as it will later help you scoop out the oil.
2. Glycerine
You will need some glycerine to mix with the coconut oil. How much you need will depend, but generally, 1/10th of the amount of coconut oil will do.
Then, follow the steps below:
- If your oil is newly bought or extracted, you can safely move it to the thermos flask. Otherwise, it is recommended to warm the oil in a bath before transfer.
- Once you’ve transferred the oil to the flask, you can then add the required amount of glycerine and mix the two with a stirrer.
- After properly mixing the oils, you can then close the flask. Whenever you need to use the oil, simply open up the flask and use a spoon to scoop up the oil.
- Although this method does prevent freezing, it is recommended to periodically warm the oil from time to time.
Glycerine does not affect the properties of coconut oil, so it is safe to use for this method while also being commonly available.
How Do You Melt Coconut Oil?
If, for some reason, your coconut oil has solidified, you will need to carefully melt it for it to be usable again. The best way to melt coconut oil is a sauna which involves placing a jar of solid coconut oil in a pot half-filled with water.
Then, the pot is slowly heated. This method prevents your oil from overheating, and thus the nutrients remain intact.
How Do You Store Coconut Oil In Summer?
Storing coconut oil in summer requires you to keep the oil in a cool enough place. This isn’t as difficult as storing it in winter as it is much easier to keep the coconut oil from melting. However, be careful not to place it in a very cold place, or you’ll have the opposite problem.
Is Your Melted Coconut Oil Still Beneficial?
Some people ask, “can I still use my coconut oil, even if it is melted?” The answer is, yes, you can. Melted coconut oil isn’t an issue unless the oil is overheated. Overheating causes loss of nutrients and damages its healthy properties. As long as you use the proper method to melt the oil, it should be fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it really matter if you have melted or solid coconut oil?
Yes, it does, especially in the case of solid coconut oil. Solid coconut oil is difficult to apply and use. Melted coconut oil is okay to use unless it has been overheated during the melting process.
Why does my melted coconut oil not solidify back?
If your coconut oil is not 100% pure or has been contaminated, it might not solidify back.
Can coconut oil go bad?
100% pure coconut oil doesn’t go bad, so you don’t have to worry about storage.
Can I make an infused oil with coconut oil, garlic, and lavender for hair?
Yes, you can, although either coconut oil or lavender alone will prove beneficial for your hair in most cases.
Conclusion
Has this article given you a proper insight on how to keep coconut oil liquid in winter? I hope so.
Storing it in winter can be difficult, so proper preparations are a must. However, it is very much worth it due to the numerous health benefits.
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