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Chemistry / How do I avoid coconut oil going mouldy?
« on: 03/12/2009 11:53:34 »
I have always been confused about the anti-fungal properties of coconut oil.
Coconut oil by itself is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal(anti-germicidal basically cause it even kills viruses). I remember I used to apply coconut oil to my army shoes(leather) in the rainy season if it caught fungus and mold. Then my shoes and belt would remain mold free for the season.
But recently in the previous rainy season I used coconut oil on my leather belt which caught some mold. The oil basically cleaned the mold but after a week the belt again caught mold.
But there are cases where people have got a fungal infection after putting coconut oil in their ears(for ear infections and ear wax problems). As a kid I always used coconut oil in my ears(because of my grandmother advice) to remove wax. It never caught fungus.
I believe the problem lies with the extraction process and refining process of coconut oil. I believe that oil should be cold pressed and preferably extracted from fresh coconuts.(dried coconuts can be used for extraction it does not affect the anti-mould properties of coconut oil but it seems to have less of lauric acid and other nutrients).
It should only be filtered. Then when I crossed checked I found all oil was refined(which may involve heat) and all of the machine pressed which creates high heat.
So best bet would be to use extra virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil and hope for the best.
Coconut oil by itself is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal(anti-germicidal basically cause it even kills viruses). I remember I used to apply coconut oil to my army shoes(leather) in the rainy season if it caught fungus and mold. Then my shoes and belt would remain mold free for the season.
But recently in the previous rainy season I used coconut oil on my leather belt which caught some mold. The oil basically cleaned the mold but after a week the belt again caught mold.
But there are cases where people have got a fungal infection after putting coconut oil in their ears(for ear infections and ear wax problems). As a kid I always used coconut oil in my ears(because of my grandmother advice) to remove wax. It never caught fungus.
I believe the problem lies with the extraction process and refining process of coconut oil. I believe that oil should be cold pressed and preferably extracted from fresh coconuts.(dried coconuts can be used for extraction it does not affect the anti-mould properties of coconut oil but it seems to have less of lauric acid and other nutrients).
It should only be filtered. Then when I crossed checked I found all oil was refined(which may involve heat) and all of the machine pressed which creates high heat.
So best bet would be to use extra virgin cold pressed organic coconut oil and hope for the best.