Cold Pressed, unrefined, and refined avocado oil. What’s the difference?

Lovacado is cold pressed extra virgin avocado oil. You can buy cold pressed, unrefined, or refined avocado oil, however, the quality of the product is not the same.  Also, selecting between the three options highly depends on how you are you going to use the product.  Lovacado products are only used for skin and hair care, so it’s important to note that Cold Pressed provides premium quality avocado oil.

If you’re going to use the avocado oil for edible purposes, then you need to know key information. For cooking, you need to use refined oils (which have a higher smoke point). To use as a salad dressing, you want to use unrefined oils as they preserve the natural flavours and colours of the oil.

Price is another important factor to consider. You’ll find that refined avocado oil is usually very inexpensive and mass produced because the shelf life is prolonged when active ingredients are stripped away. Cold-pressed and unrefined oils will always cost more and that’s because the quality of the oil is considered premium, especial when it's extra virgin. In addition, the shelf life is usually no more than 12 months on these types of products.

Packaging is also important to consider when buying any type of oil. You’ll notice that refined oils will generally be sold in cheap, see through plastic containers. That’s because they will not go rancid if exposed to prolong sunlight. Where as cold pressed and unrefined oils will generally be in dark or aluminum containers to avoid sunlight and maintain the quality of the product. If not properly stored, the product can go rancid in a few months. Remember the oils in this category are 100% chemical free.

Here are some important details of all three types of avocado oil:

·     Cold Pressed - the oil is obtained by a method of mechanical extraction, they use a hydraulic press without heat and they utilize the entire fruit (seeds and all), which is then pulverized into a paste then gently heated to liquefy. All saturated fats, vitamins and acids remain intact. Oils in this state are great to use directly on skin and hair because the oil is in its purest state, reason why Lovacado products provide instant results.

·     Unrefined Oil - oil that has not gone through a process to hydrogenate the final product. The oil is obtained by mechanical extraction. All saturated fats, acids and in some cases cholesterol remain. Colour and scent will usually be intense.  Excellent oil for salads or low-heat cooking.

·      Refined Oil – the oils are heat extracted with chemicals (sometimes to 450 degrees) then cooled, to remove strong natural scents, colour and along with that some of the saturated fats. Perfect for cooking at high temperatures. For external use, this type of oil is generally used for body massages.

Hope this information is useful and easy to remember. See you next week with more avocado oil information.