Do you apply oil to your hair? If the answer to above question is yes than you must have a look at the Ingredients on the oil bottle. There is a very good chance that you will find major Ingredient in it as mineral oil.
More than 90 percent hair oils sold in the Indian market are mineral oils.
The word mineral oil can make you think that it is some sort of great product containing essential minerals but the fact is that it is not.
It is a byproduct of crude oil, when the crude oil is refined and processed than along with a large no. Of other products, mineral oil is also extracted.
Now this mineral oil is a cheap lubricant, which was earlier used for lubricating machines, engines etc but slowly because of its low cost many manufacturers started adding it to their hairoils, cosmetics etc.
Its a colourless and odourless product which can be easily used as a cheap moisturizing agent in various products.
A research was conducted on the mineral oil some time back in which it was found that staying in contact with untreated mineral oil can cause skin cancer.
However the mineral oil used in Hairoils is refined, processed and purified in different stages, so that all impurities and poisonous substances in the oil are removed, so this way the hair oils that you are using will not cause a serious health problem so this way their use is safe.
But their is an other side of the coin too, many experts suggest that mineral oil fills the pores in the skin and makes the skin smooth, but it is not providing the skin with any nutrition, It is only a cheap lubricant doing more harm to your skin and hair than it is doing good and its regular usage is associated with various skin problems, hair fall,dandruff etc. It may also impair your hair growth making them thin.
Their are not many studies conducted on mineral oil, but whatever information is available it can be safely assumed that its doing more harm and is best be avoided as their are various healthier natural oils available.
Whenever you are buying any hairoil or cosmetic just see the label for its ingredients just ensure mineraloil or its various names and similar products like petroleum, white petroleum, paraffin, liquid paraffin, liquid petrolatum, paraffin wax etc are not part of it.
You should try to use 100 percent natural products which are chemical free as petroleum based products are no match to natural ones.
When you apply a natural hair oil to your hair it provides nutrition to your hair from its root to its tip. Now let us have a look at best hair oils which can be used on hair .
Coconut oil – is one of the most widely used hair oils, it is rich in antioxidants, it has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties. It promotes hair growth and prevents them from falling and has various benefits for your skin.
Important thing to note is that always look for 100 percent coconut oil label while making a purchase, because their are so many mineral oil based coconut oil products available in the market which sell as coconut oils but coconut oil constitutes only 10 to 20 percent of volume and rest is mineral oil.
Almond oil – is another Hair oil rich in Vitamin E which is considered very good for hair health. Again be careful while purchasing and look at the ingredients while purchasing as many mineral oil based almond oils are also available.
One drawback of almond oil is that 100 percent almond oil is very expensive.
Mustard Oil,Seasame oil, Bhringraj oil and some other natural oils are other healthier alternates with different benefits for scalp and hair.
To summarize , replace your mineral oil based hair oil with some natural oil for better looking and healthier hair.
Bhaskar sankhla 