Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

[ano]

I picked up a jar of EV Coconut Oil from Walmart in the vitamin section. I havent used it yet for massage, but I have put some on my own skin. OHHH!!! Is it ever nice!!! It smells devine and it absorbs pretty good too.

I have two pet peeves with massage lubricants. Number one is the stuff that sits on top of your skin and doesnt absorb easily, and the second is that many of the oils out there leave sheets smelling rancid. My oil of choice is jojoba, which doesnt go rancid.

I have heard coconut oil is water soluble and is easily washed out of the sheets. To test my EVCO I put some on my hands and then put water on my hands. It really passed the test. If I had EVCO on my hands, I could get it off with just water sans soap.

I will offer it to my clients and see how they like it.

Has anyone else used EVCO?? How do you like it? How do your clients like it?

Christine

 

[Pompal 09.]

Thanks, Greatlakes, I never would have looked for Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in Wal-Mart!

 

[mumba]

I have been using the Fractionated Coconut Oil from Best of Nature (http://www.spabodyworkmarket.com/). I have found it to be great at coming out of the sheets, and I like working with it. The fractionated stuff is in liquid form at room temperature, which makes it a bit easier to work with in my pump bottle. If you like the regular CO, though, you can always warm it in a bottle warmer or just under warm water.

I think I prefer jojoba best of all, though...but wow, is it expensive!

 

[Pompal 09.]

Peacefulharbor,

Jojoba oil expencive??? I get mine, as a lot of board members do from http://www.bostonjojoba.com for $50 per gallon plus shipping. $50 is cheap when you look around at other places that sell jojoba. I find it to be twice as expencive as the least expencive massage oils out there. I usually use 3/4 to one ounce per client, works out to be less than 50 cents per client that way.

I go through about 4 gallons of jojoba a year. I would be willing to pay more than boston jojoba is asking... If the price went up dramatically I wouldnt hesitate to buy a 5 gallon pail of the stuff. They discount larger quantities.

Christine

 

[Pompal 09.]

Jojoba is a plant wax, which is why it doesn't behave like an oil - it doesn't go rancid and it washes out easily because it is a very similar composition to the skin's own sebum which most laundry detergents arfe designed to wash out.
Coconut oil is an oil. Even though it feels oily on the skin, it is called a drying oil in Ayurveda. I've found my clients won't let me use coconut on them after being spoilt with jojoba I've used it asked their opinion on the next visit and every single one has asked for the "usual oil", they didn't like what I used last time. I've also found it doesn't wash out of my sheets as easily as jojoba (I avoid strong oil remover detergent unless I have to)
Maybe Walmart's EVCO is far removed from the coconut oil I've used and won't behave like it. Weaning clients off jojoba is not easy

 

[Jax]

Jojoba is a plant wax, which is why it doesn't behave like an oil - it doesn't go rancid and it washes out easily because it is a very similar composition to the skin's own sebum which most laundry detergents arfe designed to wash out.

Okay...I'm gonna have to go and fetch some jojoba now...thanks!

 

[i<3travisclark]

oh, the other thing with coconut oil is it is known to block drains - you'll often find it mentioned as a good oil for self massage before a shower in Ayurvedic recommendations, but you will often see mentions of "watch your drains" with it too

 

[Erma B]

GreatLakes, thanks for the Hobacare link. I'm sure I've read about it before on this forum, but I didn't have the link, and didn't realize that the prices were so good. They have a great site, with lots of info on jojoba. I'll have to order some from them when I run out of the jojoba that I have now.

 

[Wire & String]

And another point for jojoba being a wax not an oil, if you use it for hot stone work, you don't get that faint cooked oil smell you can get with vegetable oils. It's pretty obvious I am a bit biased in favour of jojoba.

 

[Mikeasaurus]

i love the convenience of oils, but i often find it difficult to do hand & foot massage with them. my hands get stuck. is the jojoba or coconut oil any better for this phenomenon?

thanks a million
a

 

[Door Knob.]

i love the convenience of oils, but i often find it difficult to do hand & foot massage with them. my hands get stuck. is the jojoba or coconut oil any better for this phenomenon?

I use jojoba all the time all over the body. Hands get stuck?? Hmmm.... I have never had this happen to me with jojoba. Well actually, if the client doesnt have the cleanest feet, sometimes they end up feeling a bit gummy. But generally not. If it happens, I just apply a bit more jojoba. I cannot comment on coconut oil yet, as I havent used it on a client yet.

Christine

 

[Mad Tinkerer]

I'm another fan of jojoba... it's just so much easier using something that absorbs easily, doesn't go rancid, washes out, and only has ONE non-irritating ingredient so I don't have to read labels and wonder about client reactions.

I'm a bit curious though, I order my oils through essentialwholesale.com & the first bottle of Jojoba that I received smelled lots like a BBQ (which is normal, I hear), but this new bottle barely smells at all. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just wondering whether the processing was different on this one... do the jojoba oils you buy generally smell strongly smoky? or does the scent go away w/processing sometimes?

Also, does that coconut oil carry the scent? I've been wondering, if I buy coconut oil from this supplier, will it smell yummy (which may be irritating to some clients), or will it be scentless?

 

[reis]

I'm a bit curious though, I order my oils through essentialwholesale.com & the first bottle of Jojoba that I received smelled lots like a BBQ (which is normal, I hear), but this new bottle barely smells at all. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just wondering whether the processing was different on this one... do the jojoba oils you buy generally smell strongly smoky? or does the scent go away w/processing sometimes?

Yes, all the oil I have purchased from http://www.bostonjojoba.com has that slightly smokey smell. I have never had jojoba from anyone else. When I use it unscented, I rarely have a comment from my clients.

Also, does that coconut oil carry the scent? I've been wondering, if I buy coconut oil from this supplier, will it smell yummy (which may be irritating to some clients), or will it be scentless?

The EVCO I have smells deliciously of coconut. If you add an EO to it, it will smell like both of them. You can buy coconut oil that is scentless, but it needs to go through a process to descent it. When I have seen CO in the past, it has been scentless as well as processed so it is liquid at room temperature.

The EVCO I have is actually a food product!! Trust me, it tastes as good as it smells!! All it needs is some sugar to sweeten it up.

I used the EVCO during a session today and the woman loved it. Later on I shared some with a hairdresser and she plans on buying a jar of it for her dry skin. It absorbs so quickly!! She is going to try using it on her clients scalps when she gives them a perm too.

Christine[/quote]

 

[Anna C]

about the hands getting stuck phenomenon..

it's a texture thing - on the palms and soles .. it is like the area i'm working on doesn't have enough 'slip'. and i guess that has kept me from using oils for over eight years now.

but i, too, love the convenience and custom options with oils. so since i'm scraping by with my cream (!), i went ahead and ordered some coconut oil from http://www.lotioncrafter.com/store/Lotioncrafter-FCO-pr-16186.html.

seems to be a pretty good deal. and i'll try your suggestion, christine, of using a bit more oil.

amanda

 

[ablex]

it's a texture thing - on the palms and soles .. it is like the area i'm working on doesn't have enough 'slip'. and i guess that has kept me from using oils for over eight years now.

...viscosity?

 

[Urbano S]

yes, that would be the correct term.

amanda

 

[the old dog]

yes, that would be the correct term.

amanda

:

it's a texture thing - on the palms and soles .. it is like the area i'm working on doesn't have enough 'slip'. and i guess that has kept me from using oils for over eight years now.

I haven't used oils either but am going to try both the coconut and jojoba. I know what you mean about the slip/viscosity...MUSE massage cream has a lot of viscosity...a little goes a very long way.

 

[gary w]

I have to say this...while reading this thread I had the thought...

Coconut oil and a salt/sugar scrub. The sugar bit made me think of it.
Oh, to me that would be so divine!! I love the smell of coconut.

 

[jpayne1324]

coconut and BROWN sugar scrub - it looks so much more inviting that white sugar in fact that is just what this http://www.purefiji.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=USA&Product_Code=PF-SR is Coconut oil may solidify at room temp, so it can be easier to apply heated up slightly.

The other thing I do use coconut oil for is on the feet with aniseed essential oil (not star anise) - aniseed can be a skin irritant, so you don't want to use it all over the body, but the skin on the feet is a bit tougher, so it's ok. It makes the feet smell like licorice allsorts (do you have those in America? I know they're usually a British sweet, soft candy pieces layered with licorice?) http://www.diamondwayayurveda.com/item134020.ctlg is a foot oil ready made up (it's used in their PediKarma routine)

When I use that on the feet, I will put a paper towel with plastic backing on the sheet (like dentists use), so the oil goes into that rather than my linens (I will occassionally use caster oil on the feet, and needed the protecters for that, and use them for the coconut oil).

And all this coming from a jojoba fan

 

[Rachel R]

Refined coconut oil is scentless. If your coconut oil smells strongly of coconuts, it contains some other part of the nut, such as the juice or "milk" or else it has had coconut "scent" either real or artificial, added back to it.

If you are lucky enough to find virgin or first press coconut oil, it will have a very slight coconut smell, and a slight taste as well, but it shouldn't be enough to annoy your clients. Also, since it is not the cheaper "meat" oil, that has been refined and bleached, you are less likely to find skin sensitivities.

Here's a page that explains it well, and also sources virgin coconut oil, which is almost never available in stores, unless you are lucky enough to be near a co-op or vegan store.

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/cocbuy.html