After reading about how unhealthy canola oil is over a year ago, I bought a jar of coconut oil. I’ve tried a couple of different store bought brands then heard of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil and wondered how it may differ from what I’ve been trying. Before I even took the jar out of the box I was impressed. As a Master Recycler, I pay very close attention to how things are packaged. Can the packaging be reused or easily recycled? Is it made from recycled materials or plastic? Does it have to be landfilled? The list goes on.
Tropical Traditions sent me a 32 oz. size container of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. This is a rather large container. However the packaging it came in wasn’t much bigger than the glass container! And, it was all cardboard, which I could easily reuse or recycle. They’ve already earned points with me!
When I opened the jar I immediately noticed a difference: the smell. It smelled like fresh coconut. The other brands I’ve tried had no scent; nada. I was immediately swept away and delicately placed on a sunny, tropical beach. For all I knew, I could have been sipping a Mai Tai!
It was time to divvy up some of the coconut oil for its many uses: one small container goes in the bathroom for my eye makeup remover, another small jar in the bedroom for… and 20+ small containers as samples for my Homemade Beauty class. I noticed another huge difference from my store bought brands: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil was much easier to scoop out. The other brands I’ve tried were so hard, I thought I was going to bend or break my spoon! Not Tropical Traditions. It was smooth, soft and almost creamy.
In addition to the above, Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil has passed every test I have put it through (so far):
- It’s “cooked” up perfectly in my homemade chapstick, leaving a nice, light coconut smell.
- I’ve used it on a fresh tattoo and am convinced its what helped make recovery time the fastest I’ve ever had (I have a few others that were much more pesky).
- My cat literally begs for it. He devours the coconut oil and whenever we have it out, we have to make sure to put the lid back on so the cat doesn’t get into it. I now give it to the cat as a treat (it’s great for preventing hair balls).
- It made a delicious roux cooked with butter and flour.
What Makes it So Great?
According to the Tropical Traditions website, their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is unrefined and is made from organic coconuts in the Philippines. The entire process is done completely by hand – no mass produced machinery is used (now that’s eco-friendly!) Within 24-48 hours of harvest, the coconut meat is shredded and cold-pressed to release the water and make coconut milk. The coconut milk is then left to sit for half a day. It is during this process that the oil separates from the milk. The oil is then heated for a short amount of time and filtered, resulting in a natural, high quality product. The product is held to very strict USDA standards and producers are trained and certified according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards.
Buy It
You can buy Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil for $19.95 a pint at their site. The best part? They have a 100% money-back guarantee on the 16 oz trial size. If you try it and don’t like it, you will get your money back! They also have a ton of other products containing coconut oil, so be sure to take a look around their website.
The Giveaway
Tropical Traditions has also graciously also provided a quart of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for one of you! Trust me, this is a LOT of coconut oil and is of the highest quality. I can’t recommend it enough!
MANDATORY ENTRY:
- LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER: Visit the Tropical Traditions Free Coconut Recipes website and tell us about a recipe you might like to try if you won this coconut oil. +1 point
EARN BONUS ENTRIES: (Don’t forget to let us know with a comment for each additional entry!)
- “Like” The Living Green Solution on Facebook= +1 point
- “Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook = +1
- Follow The Living Green Solution on Twitter= +1 point
- Sign up for The Living Green Solution email updates = +1 point. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
- If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the LGS feed = +1 point
You have SIX chances to enter! Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!
Contest Details
- PRIZE: 32 oz. certified organic Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil provided by Tropical Traditions (Approximate value $29.50).
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: June 21st 2011 at 11:59pm PST.
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One – picked at random using random.org and contacted the following day via email.
- PRIZE SHIPS: USA only.
More Information: Read all of our reader giveaway policies here.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
