Curly hair, and "African-American" hair in particular can be dry. Often, products marketed for the latter contain not only mineral oil but petrolatum and lanolin and sometimes vegetable oils. Petrolatum is greasy, sticky and contains wax [1], lanolin is a greasy, sticky wax and both can be difficult to remove from hair. Cosmetic (USP/BP) mineral oil used on its own can be lightweight, enhance curls and moisturize hair. It can be removed easily even with a sulfate-free shampoo or conditioner only, when used in small amounts. It is a non-drying oil, not a liquid wax like jojoba oil. A drying oil can leave “a dry, hard and tough film” on hair and have environmental consequences as well [2, 12, 15].
"African-American"
hair is often said to be more fragile than other hair types, yet there are no
actual differences between it and Caucasian and Asian hair to explain this,
except as it has been shown in research, it has less apparent moisture, not
less protein. It is believed that the difference in observed fragility is down
to hair care practices. One of the hair care practices mentioned, aside from
the obvious ones like chemical processing and combing and brushing, or a less
obvious one like over twisting hair, is the manipulation of the hair when using
styling aids [3].
With its emollient, moisturizing, and detangling properties, mineral oil may reduce or eliminate the friction and breakage manipulation can cause when using
styling aids, and they may no longer be necessary. Better curl formation can
result by using mineral oil alone. Unlike other natural products, oils, or butters, it does not make hair "stiff".
Mineral oil sold
as baby oil is usually inexpensive, lightweight and can be fragrance-free. Lightweight fragrance-free
USP/BP mineral oils are sold to keep wooden cutting boards from warping. Fragrance-free
USP/BP mineral oils are sold as laxatives in different weights.
Mineral oil
can rehydrate dry hair, and prevent unneeded trims of previously dry ends for those wanting to grow their hair longer. When a small amount (small drops) are evenly applied to
damp to wet hair for hair lacking moisture, it can help keep moisture in
the hair as it can in skin by slowing down evaporation "even under extremes of low humidity" [4], and
allow good curl retention. It also slows but does not seal out access to the
hair by atmospheric moisture [6], and help to, or prevent frizz. For hair with a good
moisture level, it can be used on dry hair to help maintain that level.
There is no
reason why mineral oil should not moisturize even severely damaged hair caused
by chemical processing, or heat styling. Damaged hair can be very dry. Mineral oil is used for thermal protection in other applications [17], and USP/BP mineral oil is often added to thermal protection hair care products. It may be sufficient used on its own for thermal protection for hair, depending on the temperatures used for heat styling [18].
Mineral oil
is not sticky. Used in small amounts it is not greasy, which can result in hair
looking stringy. Mineral oil can reduce or eliminate tangles, and it is antistatic
[7]. It can work effectively on
hair that has been conditioned or unconditioned. It works most effectively when
hair does not have a lot of conditioner on it at one time, or residue
(build-up), and when it is not combined with other oils. Reapplication between washes
is usually not necessary.
Mineral oil is
known to moisturize skin more effectively than vegetable oils and silicones [4, 5, 20]. It is also known in the cosmetic
industry for: ease of spreading; shine; and slip thereby reducing friction [5].
The best
choice of mineral oil is one with the least ingredients because it is the
mineral oil itself that is the effective ingredient needed. Other ingredients
may cause build-up, or cause hair to look stringy. Baby oil is often sold with
just two ingredients, paraffinum liquidum (mineral oil), and fragrance.
Sometimes tocopherol actetate (Vitamin E) is listed. It is used as a stabilizer
for cosmetic mineral oil and is often not listed.
USP/BP mineral
oil is safe [5, 7, 13], classified as
natural [8], can be biodegradable [9], does not clog pores [13], has a very long shelf life, and is resistant to bacteria [5, 16]. Unless there is a rare allergy to it, unlike other natural oils, or butters, mineral oil with its lack of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, is not known to cause issues, or make skin or scalp issues worse [13, 14, 20]. It is also used as a lubricant to manage wounds [19]. With such a small amount needed
for great results, using mineral oil for hair and skin is managing a limited resource very well [10, 11]. There is no downside to it at all.
References
1. "Petrolatum/Petroleum Jelly"
http://cosmeticsandskin.com/bcb/petrolatum.php
2. “Understanding the Drying Capacity of Oils”
3. “Hair Breakage in Normal and Weathered Hair: Focus on the Black Patient”
http://www.jidsponline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)52656-0/fulltext1. "Petrolatum/Petroleum Jelly"
http://cosmeticsandskin.com/bcb/petrolatum.php
2. “Understanding the Drying Capacity of Oils”
3. “Hair Breakage in Normal and Weathered Hair: Focus on the Black Patient”
4. “Clinical Evaluation of Baby Oil as a Dermal Moisturizer”
http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc1975/cc026n05/p00227-p00234.pdf
5. “THE SCOPE OF MINERAL OIL IN PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS AND ITS ROLE IN COSMETIC FORMULATION”
6. “Effect of oil films on moisture vapor absorption on human hair”
http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2007/cc058n02/p00135-p00145.pdf
7. “European Commission Health and Consumers Cosmetics – Cosing, Mineral Oil”
8. “Myths About Mineral Oil :: Part 2”
9. “USP WHITE OIL”
10.”Petrochemicals: Confusion and Hypocrisy”
12. “Vegetable Oils and Animal Fats | Emergency Response | US EPA" http://www2.epa.gov/emergency-resp
13. “Truly Natural"
http://www.happi.com/contents/view_features/2012-03-01/truly-natural
14. "Use of Olive Oil for the Treatment of Seborreic Dematitis in Children"
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1308503
15. "LIPIDS"
http://www.citycollegiate.com/biochemistry5.htm
16. "The Infant Skin Barrier: Can We Preserve, Protect, and Enhance the Barrier?"
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/drp/2012/198789/
17. "Heat Transfer Oils - Cutting & Grinding Fluids"
http://www.exol-lubricants.com/c/heat-transfer-oils-cutting-fluids-quenching-thermal/
18. "WHITE MINERAL OIL TYPICAL PROPERTIES"
http://www.hollandchemicals.com/Documents/Ctrl_Hyperlink/White_Oil_Specifications_and_Applications_uid62320091115061.pdf
19. "A 10-Step Guide To Applying Split Thickness Skin Grafts"
http://www.podiatrytoday.com/10-step-guide-applying-split-thickness-skin-grafts
20. "Moisturizers: The Slippery Road", India