Controversy of Mineral Oil

Here’s how my brain works: oiling skin makes sense because my grandma always told me to oil my leathers to prevent it from drying and cracking >> leather is skin so this concept translates the same for my skin. I’ve been using baby oil on my body for the longest time thinking well if it’s safe for babies then it must be good. But as my previous blog post mentioned I recently got turned on to Argan oil. Having done all this reading about Argan oil I learned that the main reason it’s good for you is the fatty acids it contains.

So today as I was putting my baby oil on I looked at the ingredients and it said mineral oil. My brain goes… hmmm…. that’s like rocks, how could that be nutritious for my skin? If argan oil is great because of the fatty acids then what fats can rocks have? So I googled.

Turns out many people say  mineral oil is horrible for you. Although many of the awful effects claimed by nay-sayers are not scientifically proven, I can’t imagine it being the most beneficial oil for your skin either. Of course if you are just looking to lock in moisture it will do that basic job. However it is a left over liquid from gasoline production so it’s not going to have all the great natural nutrients found in argan oil, safflower oil, and grapeseed oil.

If you are looking for a low cost way of oiling your body without paying the high cost of Argan oils try something like grapeseed oil. Literally go to the cooking oil section of your grocery store and just grab a bottle of pure grapeseed oil. I learned this recently from my sister in law.  Grapeseed oil is so good for your skin.

Grape seed oil contains polyphenols, which are antioxidants.  Polyphenols can help slow the process of aging, as well as having anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties, which also makes it great for helping clear up acne.

Using this oil will help prevent pores clogging and breakouts, it is very good for oily skin as well.

Grape seed oil contains a high amount of linoleic acid, which is a fatty acid essential for the health of the skin and cell membranes.

This is the reason why it makes such a wonderful moisturizer, as it really nourishes your skin, helping keep it smooth and subtle.

References:

http://www.foreverlookingood.com/benefits-of-grape-seed-oil

http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/11/28/the-top-5-myths-about-mineral-oil-part-1/

http://www.herballuxuries.com/about-mineral-oil.html