What is the difference between cold-pressed/wood-pressed oils and refined oils?

What is the difference between cold-pressed/wood-pressed oils and refined oils?

Cold-pressed or wood-pressed oils are extracted through slow mechanical pressing at natural temperatures. This preserves Vitamin E, antioxidants, healthy fatty acids, and plant compounds that support cellular repair.
Refined oils go through heat, deodorising, bleaching, and chemical solvent extraction. This process damages the fat structure and destroys the nutrients, leaving the oil more inflammatory and harder for the body to metabolise.

How do these oils influence inflammation in the body?

Inflammation is the underlying driver of most chronic skin and metabolic concerns. Cold-pressed oils help regulate inflammation because they contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory lipids that calm the body’s biochemical stress response.
Refined oils contain oxidised fats that increase inflammatory load. This internal inflammation may appear externally as acne flares, red patches, unpredictable breakouts, or skin that reacts to everything.

What role do these oils play in gut health?

The gut lining is lipid-dependent. Healthy fats support the mucosal barrier and digestive enzymes, helping maintain microbial balance. Cold-pressed oils help reduce low-grade systemic inflammation by stabilising this gut lining.
Refined oils, however, are known to disrupt tight junctions in the intestinal barrier. This allows inflammatory molecules to pass through the bloodstream a phenomenon commonly referred to as “leaky gut.” When the gut barrier weakens, the skin becomes more sensitive, acne becomes more reactive, and redness becomes more persistent. 

Improving the type of fats you consume often has a noticeable effect on the skin within 4–8 weeks simply because inflammation begins to settle at the source.

Why Your Body and Skin Can Feel the Difference?

In everyday cooking, the type of oil we use often goes unnoticed but it shouldn’t. Oils are not just “fats” they are active biochemical messengers that influence inflammation, metabolism, skin health, gut microbiome stability, and even long-term disease risk. 

This one difference changes everything.

This is why the source and method of extraction matter.

Cold-pressed/wood-pressed oils are extracted using slow mechanical pressure at naturally low temperatures. This preserves their essential fatty acids, Vitamin E, polyphenols, plant sterols, and antioxidant content. These components are biologically active and support cellular repair.

How can someone practically start incorporating wood/ cold-pressed oils?

To begin incorporating wood and cold-pressed oils, start with oils that align with everyday cooking rhythms and support internal balance. Wood-pressed sesame oil works well as a primary daily cooking oil due to its stable heat tolerance and naturally anti-inflammatory, vitamin-rich composition. It blends seamlessly into traditional meals and helps support both the gut lining and skin barrier over time. Wood-pressed mustard oil can be introduced in low to medium-heat cooking, marinades, or warm dishes when lightly heated to soften its raw pungency, it supports circulation, metabolism, and digestive warmth, making it especially beneficial during cooler seasons or for individuals who often feel cold or sluggish. Wood-pressed coconut oil can be used both internally and topically light sautéing and adding a small spoon to warm meals can support gut integrity 

The transition should be gradual and consistent rather than abrupt avoid reheating oils, store them in dark bottles away from heat, and allow the body 4–8 weeks to respond.

What improvements should one expect to see ?

When these oils are incorporated consistently, the changes that follow are gradual . As inflammatory load decreases and lipid composition improves at the cellular level, the skin begins to present with fewer inflammatory breakouts and less reactivity. The gut often stabilises alongside this shift digestion feels more efficient, post-meal heaviness and bloating reduce, and there is a noticeable improvement in overall metabolic comfort. 

Energy regulation becomes steadier throughout the day, and hormonal fluctuations tend to express with less volatility. These outcomes reflect measurable internal recalibration. When the body is supplied with stable, biologically compatible fats, the gut lining and skin barrier rebuild from within.

Switching to wood and cold-pressed oils is not a trend, it is a biochemical correction

They are structurally and biochemically different substances than refined oils. Their lipids remain intact, their antioxidants are preserved, When these oils enter the system, they don’t trigger inflammation they rebuild. When we replace heat-damaged, chemically processed refined oils with oils that are extracted slowly and intentionally, we are giving the body the materials it needs to repair inflammation at its source not just mask the surface.

Feed the system well, and the body will do exactly what it is designed to do : Restore.