Hair penetration by conventional cosmetic ingredients

These are not current research studies.

This one is from 2005, and is about the quaternium ammonium compound, cetrimonium bromide, being able to be absorbed into hair because of its low molecular weight. Again, the hair preparation, is not clear to me. However, it had to have nothing on it that could prevent absorption for the tests to be accurate. The catch? "Quats" as they are often referred to are highly toxic and are recommended to be used only in very small percentages in hair care. They are not used on their own but in a formulation. In order to get the absorption benefits from it, the hair would need to be well clarified and the formulation would have to be free of barrier coatings like waxes and other high molecular ingredients that would interfere with its absorption. That is different to toxic consituents in ingredients being absorbed into even intact skin in creams, for example, see Page 2 "Safety". 

This one, from 1995 is most interesting to me, as it concerns the absorption of various silicone emulsions used as a pre-treatment before chemical hair dye and bleach to help prevent oxidative hair damage. The hair was prepped or prepared, by washing it. This 2002 patent by L'Oreal, uses the 1995 study as a reference.

So, what happened to all of that between then and now?

There appears to have been or is some difficulty in stabilizing such emulsions.

Both coconut and argan oils used as a pre-treatment before application of conventional peroxide containing dye and bleach can help prevent peroxide damage too and condition hair at the same time, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2009/11/part-1-of-3-part-series-on-innovative.html.

More on oils and oil shampoo

I have said all of this re oil shampoo and oil penetration of hair, on LHC. My posts there are copyright protected as are my posts in this blog. Linked sources, and partial quotes in this blog are from websites which anyone can access.

Someone once asked me about the 2003 research,  the one "everyone" including scientists quote that shows that coconut oil can penetrate hair the deepest, over other oils. I was asked if I thought the research study was biased, since it was funded by a company that sells vegetable oils. My reply at the time was that it is a peer-reviewed study. To me, the results are accurate.

However, after rereading the research study, I realized that the hair had been prepped, with an emulsifier first to remove oils and then washed with SLES to make sure nothing could prevent any of the oils from penetrating hair. In other studies before that, the hair was washed with SLS for the same reason.

In the 2005 study, on hair penetration and heat being used, the hair preparation is unclear to me. However, what is clear is that the cuticle scales are clear to the researchers in measuring what if any oils remain on the hair surface, or are visible. That means to me that absolutely nothing was on the hair that could obstruct any of the oils from penetrating it, in as much as the researchers could do to make that so.

I have no issues with the research studies. What none of them addressed was that in real life today, many shampoos and conditioners coat the hair and do obstruct the lauric acid in coconut oil for example from penetrating hair.

If this were not so, the results the movie stars in those articles I wrote about re oil shampoo had, hair with volume and curls and waves, with no tangling, when no conditioner had been used afterward and no styling aids either, just acidic rinses, would be the same results that anyone who tried any coconut oil shampoo would get.

That did not happen and I realized why. The coatings that exist today in products did not exist then.  And the coatings that did exist like certain botanicals were not widely used in soaps or the shampoos available then, like today in "all natural" hair products.

Coconut oil used over conditioner can cause dry "crunchy" ends. It is not going into the hair one bit. It is just sitting on top of the conditioner, which can also be nice though. No oil mixed with conditioner, or a butter on unclarified or clarified hair is going into the hair. They can make very nice surface conditioners only.

Even herb washes coat the hair and no results like those of the movie stars have been reported by people using coconut oil as a pre-wash before a herb wash that I have read anywhere.

It is as simple as that. Some coatings in shampoos today do allow lauric acid to penetrate hair. That is the oil shampoo biggest issue, finding those shampoos and finding a clarifying shampoo that does not leave barrier coatings behind. Superfatted soaps can also create problems for an oil shampoo and lauric acid penetration. Extra, double bond oils, which can also be drying oils and cause tangling, or butters, which contain waxy stearic acid, choke off lauric acid access to the hair. Only a small amount of lauric acid can access hair without barrier coatings present, like waxes, many polymers, many botanicals etc.

Concerning coconut oil used as a grooming aid reducing protein loss from combing, the same thing applies. It would need to be used on bare hair for that benefit, like in the research. Used over coatings, it has no direct access to the hair. The protein loss coconut oil can help prevent is from the hair itself, not added product. Conditioner can help do that too or any coating on the hair that helps prevent friction, like mineral oil which speads easier than vegetable oils.

For coconut oil to help prevent protein loss from inside the hair, it has to be used on well clarified hair and with shampoo that does not contain barrier coatings and cause build-up, or with heat.

Any barrier containing product used over hair product protein coatings can help prevent those coatings from being washed out, in that the hair is being overloaded with multiple layers of coatings. The protein in shampoos and conditioners is in the form of a coating that adheres to the cuticle surface.

Protein treatments can penetrate hair, well clarified hair best, and they wash out easily, easy in, easy out.

When coconut oil lauric acid deeply penetrates well clarified hair, it bonds with protein in the hair cortex and while it can be washed out too, it tends not to be washed out as easily as protein treatments. 

Why was the research conducted? Here is the clue from page 3. Colour added by me.
"Prolonged use of coconut oil has been known to lead to healthy looking long hair, suggesting that it may prevent damage to the cuticle in grooming procedures involving abrasion. Obvious is the lubricating effect of oil on fiber friction, which reduces abrasive damage, especially in combing. However, in modern times, the trend in hair oil formulations is more towards the use of non-sticky oils such as mineral oil ..."

Cosmetic light mineral oil/baby oil summary

Conditioners are not without their uses. The coatings and waxes most contain fill in the gaps in cuticles from damage and help smooth the hair and make it more combable. That is what in part, the 4.75 hour steeped catnip treatment does for my hair.

Without mineral oil in them though, conditioners are not great moisturizers for hair. Other oils, butters or silicone cannot outperform mineral oil for that or its detangling effects.

My hair is not damaged. I can use baby oil drops on my hair without catnip. Friends of mine can go without conditioning and use baby oil drops too.

For those with damaged hair using a light conditioner first can be helpful.

It is not an either or proposition to get great hair. There is no reason to me why one cannot mix it up and add the light mineral oil to conditioner (drops) or use a conditioner lightly and the drops over that one time, and go without conditioning first another time, whatever works best.

You can use a protein treatment if needed and use the drops as a moisturizing treatment afterward on damp hair or use a moisturizing conditioner lightly after the protein treatment and use the drops after that on damp hair for extra moisturizing.

And using light mineral oil drops as a pre-treatment before washing with shampoo may be helpful. Less drops would be needed afterward for detangling I would bet.

For those who clarify anyway because of conditioner and conditioning shampoo or styling aids, the above are options to try. Cosmetic light mineral oil/baby oil otherwise is very easy to completely shampoo/conditoner only remove from hair.

For those like me who do not want build-up or to clarify, and if your hair is not damaged, clarify the hair first, and try the drops alone on damp hair and use a non build-up shampoo after that, when needed. If the hair has a great moisture level, the drops can be used on dry hair.

The key is less is more with cosmetic light mineral oil. Use and think small drops. It spreads so easily, that much less than you would ever think necessary can give fantastic results without the downsides of vegetable oils or butters - heavy, greasy, stringy, sticky hair. And to top it off, it is antistatic and helps control frizz.

More on Cosmetic Mineral Oil/Baby Oil

The idea of using drops only of mineral oil was the key in the research study for me that led to this blog post, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2011/12/mineral-oil-and-hair-care-and-skin.html.

I had tried small amounts of other oils before. Drops were less intimidating and worked for me without waste, aside from being incredibly economical, although the price of mineral oil is low to start with, especially for baby oil.

They also reduced the possibility of using too much and my having to rewash my hair because it would look and feel bad.

I had no reason to worry. Mineral oil spreadability is another commonly known factor in the cosmetic industry that sets it apart from vegetable oils and silicone, in addition to its superior moisturization abilities, and it not being as potentially greasy. It goes further and better than other oils can using an equivalent amount.

See "Emolliency" Pgs 5 and 6, as well as the "Synopsis" on Pg. 1. and "Slip, Shine and Safety" on Pgs 6 and 7. As I reported here, I had no tangles with mineral oil because it reduced friction and that means less hair stress, which in turn means less potential hair damage.

Dow Corning has come up with a silicone product to enhance vegetable oils.

That would not be necessary if vegetable oils did not need enhancing to deliver the same qualities mineral oil can on its own.

Going back to sustainability, mineral oil is already widely available, especially baby oil, which is what I used. Applications of drops only, means much less is needed. Producing the product to enhance vegetable oils requires power and that power comes from non renewable resources.

Every vegetable oil out there used for cosmetics or food is processed, even the unrefined ones. Heat is used in processing virgin coconut oil for example, more power generation from non renewable resources.

To me, mineral oil is a win win product. Mineral oil cannot replace all vegetable oil cosmetic applications but it can replace oiling hair as a grooming aid and with better results.

Cosmetic or USP or BP mineral oil comes in different grades. Baby oil is light mineral oil, as opposed to some heavier grades sold for laxative use. Light mineral oil spreads easier and is easier to work with. Light unfragranced USP or BP mineral oil is also sold for preserving wooden cutting boards.

Understanding the Drying Capacity of Oils

Oils can be defined by their drying capacity as: Drying, Semidrying and Nondrying oils. These definitions can help you choose which kind of oil is best suited for your hair care routine.

What does this mean?

Here is some information on oils by Transport Information Service on the definitions.

What does this have to do with hair care?

Quite a lot actually. While some oils can be difficult to remove from the hair because of the amounts on the hair at one time or the method used (shampoo versus conditioner only), semidrying and drying oils present more of a problem (semidrying oils are not too much of a problem), due to their chemistry and reaction to oxygen.

In the case of the drying oils, the information on the cleaning of the oil tanks matches the problem that that you can have using a drying oil frequently on your hair, the difficulty (need to repeatedly clarify the hair) to remove it. Drying oils become resinous when they are exposed to oxygen.

Does this mean that drying oils should never be used on hair? Of course not. You just need to know what you are dealing with and the consequences of overusing such oils, build-up that can be problematic, leading to dry, brittle hair if not removed. Drying oils are best used sparingly and less often than other oils on hair, to avoid problems.

Examples of drying oils: linseed (flax oil), pine tar oil, poppy seed oil, sunflower oil

Examples of semidrying oils: corn oil, cottonseed oil, sesame oil

Examples of nondrying oils: babassu oil, coconut oil, olive oil

The iodine value of an oil determines how the oil is defined, and some sources differ as to the cut off point between the numbers for semidrying and drying oils. You can look up an oil and its iodine value, or look up an oil by one of the three definitions.

If an oil has an iodine value of 130 - 190, it is a drying oil. Scroll down the page here, for a list of some oils and their iodine values.

Here is a second, somewhat more extensive list. Just click on iodine value.

Mineral Oil: The surprising moisturizer, especially in conditions of low humidity and it is antistatic

Mineral oil, like silicone often gets vilified as a hair care and skin product ingredient. It cannot replace a deep conditioning oil like coconut oil, that has been shown in research to penetrate hair to the cortex level and help prevent protein loss. Mineral oil does not penetrate hair, according to that same research.

That however, does not mean that mineral oil should be avoided for hair or skin use at all costs. Just the opposite. It can be used effectively, sparingly and can have several uses for hair. It is more effective than natural sebum and vegetable oils in helping prevent moisture loss from skin, and by extension in my opinion, hair, especially in conditions of low humidity.

This study, says just that about use on skin.

The Mayo Clinic concurs.

Information on mineral oil, well referenced as usual, from Paula Begoun.

And there is more. Mineral oil is classified cosmetically as antistatic. There are no restictions for use listed either.

It can be used lightly to help moisturize skin and does not clog pores.

What I am suggesting for use of mineral oil in hair care is that it can be used very lightly, as a finishing oil, on damp hair, to rehydrate it if the hair has lost moisture and help hold it in the hair, particularly during low humidity, winter conditions, and it can help prevent static. Used lightly, it does not leave the hair sticky, greasy or stringy, the way other oils can after application.

It will not seal the hair from all moisture. No oil does that and silicone does not either. Moisture vapour can still penetrate hair when either of  those ingredients is used, unless you layer everything on so thick that the hair shaft gets overloaded. A build up of too much conditioner without oils or silicone can do that, leaving ends in particular feeling dry.

The same reasons that make mineral oil not the best choice for a deep conditioning or treatment oil, make it a perfect choice as a grooming aid.

It may also, as an emollient and antistatic agent, replace the need for conditioner or a leave-in detangler, used exactly the same way, sparingly, but evenly throughout the hair. It should not take more than a few drops to do this, as the research on skin showed. Mineral oil obviously spreads easily. Used this way, it should not be heavy or weigh the hair down.

In the skin research study, at least two drops of the baby oil were applied to cover each skin test site. The oil was used in such a small amount to not be noticeable upon examination, in other words not look greasy. The four skin test sites were elbows, knees, heels, and tibia. It was applied twice daily, once after first arising in the morning and a second time before retiring for the night. Wearing clothes or sleep wear would account for the need for a double application. Some of the oil would be rubbed off, especially from elbows, knees, and heels. It should stay on the hair and not require more than one application.

Extrapolating from the skin research study, the reason vegetable oils need reapplying when used to oil hair as a grooming aid is because they are not as effective at preventing moisture loss from hair. Mineral oil should not cause the same problem or need to be reapplied after the first use.

Result? You need less oil and therefore build up and build-up as in residue should not be a problem. Mineral oil used this way should simply wash out of the hair easily, with your next shampoo. Mineral oil is not a drying oil.

Many cosmetic ingredients are synthesized with processes that use petrochemicals.

One bottle of pure USP or BP mineral oil/white (clear, no colour) baby oil would last several years used the way I have suggested using it, about two drops at a time. No reapplication of the oil would be needed until the next hair wash. Mineral oil cannot go rancid and has an indefinite shelf life, with no special requirements for storage.

That has less impact on the environment than going through several bottles of conditioner or detanger in one month of typical use for some people.

Pure USP or BP unfragranced mineral oil can be purchased at most pharmacies.

Update:
I have tried this twice now, once over damp catnipped hair just to see how the mineral oil behaved, using two drops (my hair is naturally thin). My hair was not sticky, greasy, nor did it leave my hair stringy or tangled. With catnip, my hair is perfectly balanced, so my defined waves remained the same. I had a bit more volume. When I went back to using catnip alone after the next wash, there were no problems and my hair was just as conditioned and coloured as well as it is usually. This was evidence to me that the mineral oil had been washed out completely. My hair does not tangle with catnip use and I do not get static.

The second time, I used it on damp shampooed hair only, using just over two drops. My hair is not stringy, sticky or greasy and my waves are again perfectly defined, with no static and great volume. This makes the mineral oil a perfect choice for me to use when I do not have time to do an hour catnip treatment, not a replacement for catnip, as I rely on catnip for hair colour as well as conditioning. I am thrilled with the results. It has been a week now and my hair is not dry or tangled. Catnip is all I normally use on my hair after washing it with shampoo. I apply it to wet hair, with excess water gently squeezed out first, in the shower as a colour/conditioning treatment. The extra moisture from having used the mineral oil on damp hair caused me no problems and would account for the extra volume.

I have been reviewing posts, blogs and information online re petrolatum and mineral oil in African American hair care where these ingredients are staples. They are often used along with lanolin and more recently, with vegetable oils, like coconut oil. They can help reduce frizz because the products do reduce the amount of moisture vapour that enters the hair and they can help hold more moisture in the hair. Lanolin is a wax and petrolatum is greasy. They can be harder to remove and leave residues that build-up because of that.

However, mineral oil, while it can leave a residue just like any other oil, if it is used alone, in a small enough amount like drops, and not too many of them, will not build-up or leave a residue because it can be completely removed from the hair with any shampoo that is cleansing or conditioner only, which emulsifies oils, in one wash.

What is a non cleansing shampoo? Shampoo with too many conditioning additives or weak cleansers, that will not remove natural oils enough, to get mildly greasy hair clean from natural sebum.

There is absolutely no reason why the mineral oil drop(s) should not help even severely damaged hair, from chemical abuse or heat styling, when used on the hair when it is damp. Damp hair is hair where added moisture (water) has not yet evaporated. Mineral oil helps prevent the water from evaporating.

Damaged hair is usually dry or lacking moisture. The cuticles have been compromised and cannot help hold moisture in the hair well, even if they are closed tightly with an acidic rinse. A light application of mineral oil, while it cannot mend the damage (nothing can), temporarily holds moisture in the hair and can make it both soft and shiny. With mineral oil being an emollient and antistatic agent, the hair is less stressed by friction as well, and that helps prevent more damage.

If the hair's moisture level is good, the drop(s) can also be used on dry hair to help maintain it, in conditions of low humidity.

In conditions of high humidy, applying the drop(s) to dry hair with a good moisture level can help maintain that too, while helping to prevent moisture from the air causing frizz.

For any application of the drop(s), it is best that the hair not have a lot of build-up on it. It is not necessary to clarify the hair if it is not needed for the mineral oil/white (clear, no colour) baby oil to be effective. The drop(s) should not need to be reapplied between washes.

Catnip, http://ktanihairsense.blogspot.com/2009/11/part-3-of-4-on-innovative-approaches-to.html

When to clarify hair and with what products

Clarify hair when needed and that is determined by how the hair looks and behaves.

Clarify when your hair feels or looks: dull, heavy, hard to manage, more tangly, more dry, and just in general more difficult to deal with. There is no difference in terms of needing to clarify, whether a product contains silicone or not. All conditioners cause build up on the hair. They are designed to do so. All styling aids build up on hair too, with continuous use. By build up I mean keep deposting coatings on the hair. The hair shaft at some point gets overloaded and clarifying, or removing the coatings with a product designed or chosen to do so is the only way to "reset" the condition of the hair. A shampoo with minimal extras can help remove product residues but in most cases, that will take time, and the products used to cause the residue often need to be discontinued to be used.

The only ways to clarify hair from build-up I know of are clarifying shampoos, or baking soda in water (fully dissolve the baking soda in water so that it is not abrasive) and immediately follow it with an acidic rinse - diluted like vinegar or lemon juice or citric acid.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has a few advantages for clarifying hair as opposed to clarifying shampoos. It is cheap, easy to obtain, and you control how strong the solution is or is not, by the amount of baking soda used to the amount of water. A too strong solution can leave hair dry. An acidic rinse like those mentioned has a lower pH than most conditioners, and closing the cuticles immediately after using baking soda is important, whether you condition the hair after that or not, to prevent tangling and stress on the hair.

All a clarifying shampoo is - is a shampoo with stronger cleansers - it does not have to be sodium lauryl sulfate - it can be ammonium lauryl sulfate and the best ones contain almost nothing else - no polymers, no botanicals, no waxes like cetyl alchohol and no liquid waxes like jojoba oil, or shea butter.

This is an example only of a clarifying shampoo, with almost nothing else. Colour add by me.
Ingredients
"Water, Amino Methyl Propanol, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Chloride, Fragrance, Sodium Phosphate, Disodium Phosphate, Ammonium Xylene Sulfonate, EDTA (Ethylenediamine-Tetra-Acetic Acid), Benzophenone 2, D&C Green 8, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, FD&C Blue 1 (CI 42090)"

The Amino Methyl Propanol is a pH adjuster and the EDTA is a chelating agent to help with hard water.

Combinations of ingredients with the cleanser(s) in such shampoos are designed to remove residues or build-up efficiently.

Formulations and cosmetic ingredients are constantly being changed to reflect advances in the science of hair care and consumer demand for better products.

Here is current information from Cosmetiscope, a cosmetic industry publication and an article by Joseph Albanese,  "A Primer on Rinse-Off Hair Conditioners"

The above is about product build-up. 

To remove soap scum use one of the above acidic rinses.

To remove mineral build-up use one of the acidic rinses (lemon juice chelates minerals), or club soda, or a chelating shampoo and some chelating shampoos but very few, can also reduce product build-up. A chelating shampoo is not in general designed to clarify hair - just bind metal salts and remove minerals from the hair.

Club soda does not chelate minerals. It is acidic and helps break up minerals on the hair, neutalizes chlorine and can remove mineral deposits like calcium from hair. I could not find one reference saying carbonic acid - the acid in club soda chelates minerals. The small amount of baking soda in club soda is part of the buffering system only, which stabilizes the pH of club soda, to be hair friendly at about pH 5, which means that it needs no diluting. The fizz - is harmless to hair. Club soda does not need to be used flat.

EDTA in a shampoo chelates calcium and magnesium. A vinegar rinse, although it does not chelate or club soda can also remove calcium and magnesium deposits from hair.