Oh! I love some mineral oil. Constipated, where is the mineral oil? Every skin and hair care products had to have mineral oil, without it, our lips would be cracked, dandruff on the scalp and dry skin. Mineral oil was the holy grail of my cosmetics. If mineral oil wasn’t in the ingredients, it wasn’t good. Today, I wonder where my 12 years old mind got that idea.
How many of us today still believe this myth? Can you imagine going shopping on the pump at your gas station for your hair and body oils? That’s exactly what we are doing when we use mineral oil. Mineral oil is a very refined, clear liquid distilled form of petroleum. Petroleum! Which is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons found in rock strata which is extracted and refined to produce fuels including petrol, paraffin and diesel oil; oil. A liquid by-product of refined crude oil. We use this oil on our babies, check the ingredients, A&D ointment, even your expensive argan oil, pumpkin seed oil, carrot oil etc. Check the ingredients on your products.
Manufacturers are so smart, they know you are looking for it, so they don’t write mineral oil, look for petroleum, petrolumin, paraffin, paraffinum liquidum, white oil or even crude oil. Mineral oil goes by so many names it is hard to keep tract of. Look for food, hair and skin products with ingredients you actually know, research ingredients when you come across words you don't know.
How smart are manufacturers?
My mom bought coconut oil for her skin; on the label it said 100% in large caps and in very fine caps oil was written directly under the percentage and in the center of the bottle in very large caps coconut oil.
100%
oils
Coconut Oil
She had been using this product for months thinking its 100% pure coconut oil, only to realize it was a mixture of coconut oil and mineral oil. Read your ingredients, manufactures has the most tricks in their labeling. Nothing is wrong with what they are doing according to the law, the onerous is on us to read. This happens a lot to consumers. Just a kind reminder to remember to read the ingredients.
The question was asked, “Is mineral oil really bad for you?”
Yes, it is bad for you. Would you lotion your skin or moisturize your hair with gasoline or diesel oil? Why are you doing it with mineral oil? They are the same refined oil. Whether untreated or treated mineral oils are carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).
Mineral oil clog the pores, suffocating your skin, it's derived from petroleum and this does not absorb into the skin (its molecular size is simply too big). As a result, mineral oil remains on the surface of your skin, making it a reflector of the sun, which can lead to more sun damage and discoloration. So those age stops, dark spots on your face may be caused by the products you use on your skin containing mineral oil. Check you sunscreen, toner, face scrubs and face cremes ingredients. While there are many oils that can moisturize without clogging pores, mineral oil isn't one of them.
According to dermatologist Ava Shamban, "creams that combine mineral oil and paraffin can actually damage the skin barrier and increase water loss." Water loss! You likely haven’t heard the term transepidermal water loss (TEWL), some of us experience it daily, when your skin feels tight or parched like the Sahara desert is one of the sign of TEWL. Mineral oil contribute to a lot of illnesses, hormonal problems and cancers, among many other problems in the body.
There are lots of products you can use that doesn’t contain mineral oil.
Skin and hair care product are far too numerous to list all and everyday something new is on the market. Some mentionable are Koh Gen Do Cleansing Water, Bare minerals True Oasis Oil-Free Replenishing Gel Cream, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture, natural oils and butter, Shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil.
Who need mineral oil as a laxative when you have water, Greek yogurt, prune, aloe vera, green leafy vegetables, chia seeds and flax seed? Why are we drinking and feeding our children gasoline? There are lots of alternative to mineral oil, it is not needed, it is not necessary. It is a cheap product that cost you greatly in the end.
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