Tropical Traditions Organic Coconut Oil Review & Giveaway

**This contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. Please watch for other giveaways.**


Boy do I have a giveaway for all of you natural foods folks! Tropical Traditions sent me a quart jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to try and today, I gave it a try. I made a batch of cold process soap and used some of this wonderful oil in the recipe.

Coconut oil is great in soaps because it is natural, vegan, and it causes the soap to lather very well. Because the oil has a lathering ability, I do not have to add any chemicals, such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, to do the job. 

When I compared my usual brand of coconut oil (using up the little I had left in the jar) with the Tropical Traditions oil, I was shocked. The spoonfuls I placed on top of my old brand were pure white - I mean sparkling like freshly fallen snow. Or virgin coconut oil. The old brand has a yellowish cast to it. Now, that's not to say that the oil I had been using is a bad one. It's just not a pure and organic oil as Tropical Traditions' oil is.

My soap is now hardening in the mold and it's looking to be great. I can't wait to try this oil in some gluten-free pie crust. I had not thought of using coconut oil in pie crust until I found this recipe. You can find a good deal of recipes using coconut oil on Tropical Traditions' recipes blog at: http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com.

After doing some research, I found that coconut oil is a lot more versatile than I had thought. It can be used in cooking, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, suntan products, body lotion, and more. One time I had asked a lady at our natural foods store for some sweet almond oil. She recommended I did not purchase it because of the extras put in the oil. Instead, she told me, "I always say to only place on your skin that which you can place inside your body." Needless to say, I've remembered that for a long time and use it as a rule of thumb whenever I ponder which oils to buy.

The following video features an interview with Tropical Traditions' CEO. In it, he explains how they discovered virgin coconut oil. 




Now, I suppose you're wondering about the giveaway. I don't blame you. This contest will run from now through next Monday night (November 29, 2010). On Tuesday morning, I will choose a winner via Random.org, who will receive a quart jar of Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut oil to try and enjoy for themselves. This contest is open to entrants in the United States and Canada.


In order to enter you must:

• Tell my why you would like to win - do you use it for cooking? for soap making? something else?
• Additionally, you must subscribe to Tropical Traditions' e-newsletter here.  
• Let me know in your initial comment that you have subscribed.
• Please be sure I have your e-mail address (you can spell out "at" and "dot" to confuse spammers) in the comments. I will need that to notify you of your winning status should you be chosen as winner.

 For additional entries (please use separate comments for each entry):

1. Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter.
2. Follow this blog on Blogger.
3. Follow me on Twitter.
4. Blog about this contest.

If you'd like to receive a complimentary copy of The Virgin Coconut Oil Book, please enter "Referred by a friend" and ID# 6682368 when you click here. It's free with your first online order.

 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.