Everybody wants to slow down their biological clock, and even turn back the hands of time. Research has found that "anti-ageing” is one of the most popular search terms in google.
What gives you the impression that a person is “not ageing” or “ageing gracefully?” Is it because of her smooth and supple skin? Or maybe thick and shiny hair? what about her slim and trim figure? Does she have a vibrant life?
All of them play an important role as to whether your biological age is younger or older than your functional age. Coconut oil has an impact on how well you maintain a youthful appearance. It tackles free-radical destruction, which is believed to be one of the leading causes of aging.
There are five benefits Coconut oil has for anti-ageing.
Softens Skin and Reduces Wrinkles
The softer your skin – the younger you look as fine lines don’t form as easily and wrinkles appear less obvious
Coconut oil’s fatty acids are smaller than that of other fats/oils. Because of this, it can easily penetrate your skin and feed every skin cell it reaches. This strengthens connective tissues making your skin softer and it helps wounds heal and boosts collagen production, which provides support for the underlying structure of your skin to plump up the skin and reduce signs of ageing.
Younger-Looking Hair
Coconut oil was used in ancient India for grooming hair. According to the Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History by Victoria Sherrow remedies were prepared using herbs and coconut oil to prevent hair loss.
Its small structure and compatibility with hair proteins enable the oil to enter the hair shaft and nourish it. It has the ability to regenerate hair follicles and stimulate hair growth, coconut oil can condition your hair just as well as a costly salon treatment.
Slim Body
We’ve known for decades now that coconut oil can actually help us lose weight. The secret behind it lies in the medium chain fatty acids. It’s these fatty acids that help break down adipose cells in your body, turning fat into waste for excretion and using what energy left is to keep you going.
Not only that, but the caproid acid in the oil helps reduce your resting heart rate and allows your body to burn fat more easily.
Youthful Energy
Instead of circulating the body in the way other fats and oils do, coconut oil goes straight to your liver and is quickly converted into energy. It rarely gets stored as body fat because coconut oil is pro-energy, not pro-fat.
If you suffer from chronic fatigue, adding coconut oil into your diet will significantly increase your energy levels and improve the quality of your life. And unlike caffeine, the energy boost you get from coconut oil lasts for many hours and it is non-addictive.
Control Free-Radicals
Some researchers are convinced that free-radical destruction is the leading cause of ageing. If so, then coconut oil is a must for slowing down the ageing process.
Polyunsaturated fats such as soybean oil and corn oil are structurally weak and extremely vulnerable to free-radical attack. On the other hand, saturated fats such as coconut oil, are highly stable even in high heat. This is probably the most important anti-ageing property.
However, not all coconut oils are produced the same way and the type of coconut oil you purchase will depend on what you plan to do with it. We need to understand what is currently on the market, and how they differ.
Types of Coconut oil Products
Refined Oils
Refined oils are cheaper and possess no coconut flavor or aroma. They are produced from dried copra, not fresh coconuts, and the oil typically undergoes various levels of processing, including being deodorized and bleached.
Unrefined Coconut oil
Unrefined coconut oil is normally considered virgin (incorrectly labelled extra virgin in the past), and it possesses a light coconut taste and aroma, that will vary from brand to brand. This mostly depends on the freshness of the coconut used and the type of processing it was subjected to.
Virgin oil is typically made from fresh coconuts, but processing techniques will still vary in determining the product’s quality.
The less processing our food is exposed to, the more nutritionally sound and beneficial it is. Therefore, to get the most value, choose a coconut oil that is virgin (unrefined).
As for processing techniques, coconut oil is most commonly processed using expeller-pressed or cold-pressed methods.
Expeller-Pressed
Expeller-pressed is a mechanical process that extracts oil from seeds and nuts at a high pressure and heat, and is usually used for refined oils.
Cold-Pressed
Cold-pressed is a process pressed in a heat-controlled environment to keep temperatures below 60ºC or 140ºF degrees.
Due to high quality requirements from consumers, there are three special types of coconut oils.
Raw Coconut Oil
Many high-quality companies today are using fresh coconuts, because they have a quick turnaround time from picking the coconut to bottling and keeping the heat very low. Even though coconut oil is one of the few oils that is not easily destroyed in the presence of heat, the less heat applied to our food and the less harsh the processing, the better for maximum nutritional integrity.
DME Coconut Oil
DME is Direct Micro Expelled coconut oil. Coconuts are prepared, typically right where they grow by local families for manual pressing. This process tends to ensure the freshest coconut oil and provides the least invasive processing methods possible. It is also the most eco-friendly and supportive for native people’s livelihoods.
Organic Coconut Oil
Although the coconut is not a high-risk food when it comes to pesticides, nor is it genetically-modified, it is still best to opt for organic options whenever possible.
The type of fertilizer used is organic and post-harvesting applications are more environmentally friendly