Coconut oil is such a wellness 'fad' ingredient in everything from vegan treats to moisteurizers at the moment that I'm reluctant to even post anything on it - I feel as if we've hit saturation point. Thing is, we use it all the time, and it works. It's replaced most of my cosmetic products, and is also used in our household for medicinal purposes. Considering the 'Alternative Medicine Challenge' hosted by @naturalmedicine and @ecotrain this week (find the challenge here), coconut oil seemed like a good choice. The larger jars are fabulous for storing food in, so the packaging is not too bad earth wise, and it's certainly a natural medicine.

However, my concern was whether it was as good as they say it is, and where does it come from? How is it produced? Is it ethically sourced, and if so, which brands? These are questions we need to ask of every single product we buy, if we are to be ethical, environmentally conscious alternative consumers.

Firstly, I want to outline some of the medicinal benefits of this wonder oil. Studies support my own experience with it, and the success of this oil in treating common ailments makes me really, really reluctant to give it up. Each one has a study go to back it up - read on, if you want further proof.

Thrush or yeast infections - it's an antifungal. Girls, this is your alternative to Canestan or other over the counter products - but it's relevant whereever variations of candida might be lurking.1,2,3
Cracked heels - just rub it on in the shower every day, or get husband to massage feet with coconut oil, and serious to goodness those heels will be smooth and gorgeous in no time.4
Itchy scalp. This study suggests it's good at treating ezcema and dermatitis and associated fungus.5
Head lice (no, I don't get them - but when my son was at school, we used coconut oil instead of the over the counter medication and it worked). The studies here are blended with essential oils, but the coconut oil on its own seemed to suffocate the little buggers just fine.6
A moisteurizer, facewash and cleanser all in one.

I really don't want to give up my jars of coconut oil in a hurry - my husband even uses it for his beard, and it's also great as a leave in, wrap your towel around your head for shiny hair conditioner.

Online research brings mixed results on this - some sites will argue that coconut oil is one of the most eco-friendly oils you can purchase, because growing coconuts doesn’t require pesticides or herbicides, and coconuts are harvested by hand, being resistant to machinery. It's much, much better than palm oil in that way. However, as popularity grows, particularly in the wellness industry, land is cleared for coconut monoculture, and that's really, really bad, because it does use fertiliser (apparently not as much as palm oil) and impacts biodiversity.

Worse, the processing that goes into the coconut oil can be totally toxic, using chemicals to refine, bleach and deodorise it. Hexane is one of them, and that's a known neurotoxin. Checking your own jar of coconut oil yet? If not, you should. If it's organic and pesticide free, then woo hoo - a virgin coconut oil is a must if you're using it medicinally! But we need to look even further - it is fair trade, or is there a possibility that by buying your product you're contributing to the exploitation of workers? Ugh. Don't you just hate an ethical quagmire? And doesn't it make all those wellness gurus making raw vegan cakes totally hypocritical, unless they are using products that are fair trade AND organic?

Do you buy fair trade and organic coconut oil, or the cheapest you can find?

Exploring all the supermarket brands I've ever used, I only found one, that I get from the health food shop, to fit all the criteria. It's a fair trade company called NiuLife. Declaring itself as the oil that changes lives, it ensures that the money goes back to the farmers that produce it. It's more expensive, but is eco-ethical - and thus, I pay a little more coin to treat myself if I get thrush or want shiny hair.

Although our first reaction might be self interest, declaring we can't afford it, we need to weigh it up against what we could be buying - a whole range of medicines and health products over the year that end up far more costly, filled with other chemicals and packaged in throw away packaging. Even if it's 'recyclable' - don't fall for that. Reusing prevents the unnecessary energy needed to transform plastics and cardboard and paper into another form - why bother with all of that when it's totally unnecessary?

Thus, for coconut oil, like any consumer product, we need to ask:

Is it organic? Don't be responsible for harming people and animals due to chemical fertilisers.
Is it fair trade? Make sure your purchases are paying farmers, and thus making them less likely to go for monoculture crops and destroy biodiversity.
Educate yourself - research the companies you're buying from. Are they transparent? What are their business practices like?
Re-use the jars they come in, or buy in bulk to reduce packaging.
Don't be misled by cosmetic companies who declare coconut oil as an ingredient - what other ingredients are on that list, and is the coconut oil they are using ethically sourced?