MINERAL OIL
Mineral oil is a petroleum product which has a highly stable quality to help bind together cosmetic ingredients, and therefore it is commonly used as a base or stabilizing ingredient in lotions, makeup and many of the other products which we use on our skin. It is a cheap and readily available additive, which we believe is not so harmless as its name implies!
You may already know that mineral oil has been used for generations as a powerful and effective laxative when taken internally. This is how it functions as a laxative: after entering the intestines, it draws the moisture out of the intestinal walls and uses these body liquids as a lubricant to move waste out of the body. Although effective, this is usually not a pleasant laxative method, and gentler herbal laxatives have fortunately taken its place in popularity.
If mineral oil's action is to draw out fluid from the intestinal walls, what will it draw out of the cells on the surface of your skin? The precious moisture and water, of course. Take a look at the labels of the most popular brand names of skin lotions and you will find mineral oil listed on nearly all of them, even those which claim to be "natural," and are made by companies we have trusted all our lives!
How can the big cosmetic companies get away with this? It's easy. It would cost hundreds of thousands in research dollars to prove that mineral oil may deplete surface skin cells of moisture. The traditional cosmetic companies don't want you to know all about their ingredients, so they're keeping quiet ... after all, everyone keeps buying their products, so the products must be safe, right?
Did you know that the biggest selling brands of "baby oil" contain just mineral oil and fragrance? Can you believe that we put this stuff on our babies? Would you rub Quaker State Engine Oil onto your precious baby's behind?
Although the natural products manufacturers cannot make the claim that mineral oil is harmful, they still do not use it in their products. When you read the labels of lotions found in natural products stores, you will not (and should not) see mineral oil listed as an ingredient.
Now that you may have discovered that your favorite cosmetics and lotions contain mineral oil, you may be wondering why these lotions seem to have an adequate emollient effect on your skin. Yes, these products may coat the skin smoothly and evenly, and they do seem to protect from chapping, and they do seem to soothe dry skin. Don't be fooled! The mineral oil may cause your skin to get progressively drier, and you will have to keep applying these products more frequently. So you might begin to accept that your skin is just getting drier, and that it needs more lotion that it used to. But what is happening may be that the ingredients in your favorite skin care products are slowly doing you more harm than good.
In the meantime, your body may be continually trying to re-hydrate your skin cells, but you are using mineral oil-based products on your skin and drinking diuretics such as coffee, which also draws water out of the skin cells from an internal level. So why are you getting all those little crinkles and wrinkles? Could it be from getting sunburned every summer when you were a child? We think not.
The lotions and cosmetics found in natural products stores use natural or vegetable-derived emollients such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, glycerin, safflower oil, sesame oil, shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, aloe vera, cocoa butter, and a host of others. If most of these ingredients sound good enough to eat, that's because they are mostly food-based, which means that if it's good for your insides, it's good for your outside, too.
Our skin is our body's largest organ, and it is a living, breathing, porous, sensitive, reactive organ which needs good care. What you put on your skin will be absorbed into your body, to varying but profound degrees.
There is also an important connection between our skin and our liver, which is why those who have impaired liver function often suffer from psoriasis and other related skin ailments. So we implore you, do not use products on your skin which contain questionable ingredients, and do not use perfumes, colognes, products which contain alcohol, or those with heavy, artificially-derived fragrances. (In a future newsletter issue we will address the reasons why you should not use alcohols on your skin.)
If you look around you, you will find natural products which satisfy every cosmetic and skin care need you could possibly have, and without harmful ingredients. For instance, instead of using an alcohol-based aftershave, you can choose from witch hazel-based products which may also contain excellent herbs for the skin, such as calendula and aloe vera.
As always, we encourage you to do your own research, read labels, ask questions, and make informed decisions about your health.
