Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Wednesday's words... Mineral Oils | Are they really that bad?


Generally just about every healthy hair lover does the 'Get thee behind me satan' eye roll when it comes to Mineral oils. The so called "pore clogging nasty" is usually frowned upon the more FOR healthy hair care we are, but what happens when one of your staples so happens to endorse Mineral oils as the 4th main ingredient AND to top things off no other staple/product has yet to work wonders on your hair like it does? Do you bail and avoid the dredded 'Oh no she didn't' glares, or do you stand your ground and buy a ride or die t-shirt?

I began re-using my AtOne with nature Leave-In Conditioner this year when I needed something with super slip to caress my confused transitioning tresses with, and since then as you know and I keep on saying; wash days have been blissful. It was only when after looking at the Paul Mitchell Foaming Pommade ingredient list [received in my Amitee PS Beauty Box], that I decided to also look at the AtOne ingredient list because it was on my desk staring straight at me!

I won't lie my heart sunk at the sight of Mineral oil in position 4 [haha overexaggeration]! I'm not one to say that Mineral oils are outright bad for you but I do believe that a more natural product with just as much slip, which mind you I plan on formulating, will be more beneficial for the overall health of my strands. 

So what's a girl to do? Right now I simply ensure that I give my hair some ultimate lovin by going the full mile when washing my hair. I co-wash 3 times a week now but always pre-poo beforehand, and follow up with a quick 10-15 minute DC after washing. All in all I won't be getting rid of my AtOne just as yet!

I have several review products that are coming my way, and are all Leave-Ins hoping to boot AtOne out of my fave Leave-In Conditioner position, so who's to say I won't find something in no time! 

Stay tuned for my official ORIGINAL MOXIE PRODUCT REVIEW SHOWDOWN which I will dish the goss on tomorrow.

What are your thought on Mineral Oils... 'Heck no!' Or 'A girls gotta do right by her [current] Leave-In?

Avec amour...
Fiona ❥

11 comments:

  1. I love mineral oil and so does my skin and hair, mineral oil isn't just in hair products, its in body products as well, even in high end products. All the bad claims about mineral oil is not backed up with any scientific poof and the same thing goes for all the other 20 something ingredients that a lot of people in the natural hair community like to bash. I think its not a coincidence that a lot of the sites that claim all these terrible things about mineral oil also sell "natural" hair products. I understand people are trying to get their hustle on but scaring people into using their "natural" products is the wrong way to do it.

    My mum and I have what most black people would call long hair and all we use is products with mineral oil. Personally I feel the most important thing is technique, what you do mechanically to you hair and how you moisturise your hair, rather than the products you use.

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    1. I think it's great that they work for you! What else can you ask for in a hair product! Mechanics are equally as important so I second you on that! I say do what works for you best and your hair will tell the story :) Thank you for sharing!

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    2. I agree with everything except I have to say that for me product has almost everything to do with my hair health and I have never found a product thatworks like mineral oil. If you check out Ktani's blog, she explains the scientific facts. Mineral oil is the best detangler so no product will ever provide more slip. Mineral oil is the best moisturizer as it helps your hair retain 100 per cent moisture. Other oils are less than 20 per cent and silicones are up at 30 per cent. Mineral oil washes out easily with a mild cleanser like cocobetaine which is perfect for curly hair. It is not compatible with co-washing but the reality is that no product is. All products build up ifnot washed out on a frequent, regular basis and it is better to wash out more frequently with a mild cleanser (on both hair and scalp( than to leave your hair with build up forever until you strip it down with a very harsh clarifying shampoo only to recycle another procesd of build up.

      Our hair does not need all these products. Black ppl, mixed ppl, get a shampoo with cocobetaine like YesTo Carrots Scalp Relief, and get some plain mineral oil. I buy the laxative. It is fragrance free. I also have hip length hair and it has never been healthier. It will take time to learn how to use it but it is worth every step of the way.

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  2. I died at 'Get thee behind me satan' LOL!

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    1. Haha, but it's so true! Cyber evil eyes and all sorts!

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  3. My personal oppinion is that mineral oil is probably looked at as bad because it doesn't add moisture to your hair it just sits on it like any thick oil you'd use as a sealant.. So if you're trying to add moisture to your hair and your hair is slow at doing so, the mineral oil is more likely to sit on your hair and lock the moisture out, meaning that your hair might not get properly moisturised. But if your hair has no problem drawing in moisture then it should be fine.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Not true. What you are saying is not based on scientific fact nor my experience. While it is true that mineral oil is more of an aid in keeping moisture in your hair rather than providing that moisture itself, mineral oil is the only thing that actually does this effectively for black hair because it is documented to keep 100 per cent moisture in your hair whereas other oils and silicones are 30 per cent or less with silicones being better than other oils. To resolve the dilemma you describe above, mineral oil should be applied to wet or damp hair, not dry hair. If a peeson has hair that is
      naturally hydrated then applying to dry hair would be both fine and good.
      The trouble you get into
      with any product is when
      you apply them daily and
      constantly. When your
      hair gets dry again, the
      only way you can
      remoisturize it is by
      washing off what is on it
      first. I mean, that is like
      trying to eat chicken
      afterstuffing my face with
      pizza and then
      exclaiming "why do I
      never feel hungry?"

      Mineral oil ended my hair breakage and stopped
      my hip length hair from
      getting split ends. It is the
      only product that does
      not leave me with frizzy
      hair. Even if my hair
      moves around or gets
      touched it does not frizz.

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    3. Mineral oil definitely work wonders for some people, I have yet to use it in its raw form and perhaps may give it a try one day who knows! I disagree that mineral oil is the 'only product that can help retain moisture 'effectively'. I would agree that it is most probably one of the most effective ones however depending on the individuals hair type a much lighter oil can also help retain if for example the individual doesn't have moisture retention issues. This is not to say it provides 100% moisture retention but enough for someone to have what they and their hair would deem as a successful hair health/journey which is what it all boils down to. xxx

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  4. I realised that almost all the products I used before I started taking care of my hair has mineral oil in it. I hated them because they never did anything for my hair. My hair was always dry no matter how much or what I used, instead I had extremely oily weighed down hair that would leave a greasy spot where ever my hair touched. I hated that feeling and got really fed up and stopped using anything in my hair except for the olive oil moisterizer, the only product that I would keep using despite trying countless other products. However, there was this one time I used Optimum Care DC and it worked ok, I wanted to try it again to see if it would give the same results but the BSS kept saying there is a problem with the supplier. Now that I'm trying to take care of my hair the right way I learned that mineral oil is one of the ingredients I should avoid but I saw the optimum care DC (which has mineral oil as the 3rd ingredient) last week in my BSS and curiosity got the better of me even though my experience with it was over 2 years ago! lol. I bought 2 packs, I can't help remembering that 1st time, I want to see whether it really works for me or not.

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    1. The life of a hair lover eh! I think it's definitely great that you want to observe results. I have experienced the same dryness in the past so totally know how horrible crunchy hair can be. Although mineral oils are 3rd place in the AtOne leave in I find it gives great slip but now that I think about it not necessarily enough moisture! I look forward to finding a product with as much slip but better moisturising properties :) Thank you for sharing!

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x Fi