One 'Skin Oil' I'd Never Use

Would you rub petroleum on your face?

Hi all, hope you're well! Regular readers know I'm a big fan of natural oils for skin care. There are so many beautiful ones out there for every skin type and condition (even oily and acne-prone skin types, contrary to conventional opinion, but that's another post!) But there's one I would never use and that is mineral oil. I get a lot of questions about which ingredients to avoid in personal care products -- and mineral oil is right up there on my list!

Mineral oil and petrolatum (as in vaseline) are highly processed derivates of petroleum. These ingredients can be found in skin lotions, sunscreens, cosmetics, and even, sadly, baby oil and other infant products. They are a very cheap way to bulk up and provide the emollient factor in moisturizers; you'll see mineral oil in the most inexpensive drugstore brands as well as, ironically, expensive luxury brands! If you're using a certain super-pricey, cult-beauty-moisturizer from, ahem, "the sea", be sure to check out the ingredients. See something called "Paraffinum Liquidum"? That's just a fancy way of saying mineral oil. It also contains petrolatum -- yet the product is about 200 times more costly than a jar of vaseline!

Some claim that mineral oil and petrolatum are great skin moisturizers because they supposedly keep in moisture with their occlusive nature. But that is exactly the problem. Using a mineral-oil based product is like stretching a sheet of plastic wrap over your skin. It interferes with your skin's natural ability to release toxins, keeping them trapped and clogging pores. And while the product may feel very emollient on your skin, it disrupts its natural sebum functions and moisture-adjusting ability -- ultimately leaving your skin dryer! It can also aggravate and even cause acne. And if all that weren't enough, mineral oil and petrolatum are suspected carcinogens.

On the other hand, pure, high-quality, natural oils can meld with the skin rather than sitting on top of it like a coat of plastic. Instead of interfering with your skin's natural processes, they can work with them, feeding and nourishing the skin. Just a few examples of lovely skin oils include almond, avocado, coconut, pomegranate, argan, apricot kernel, neem, rosehip... the list goes on! Check your products for mineral oil or petrolatum -- my advice is to toss them out if they contain these ingredients -- and trade up for oils that are truly skin-enhancing! See you soon, everyone!

Comments

[A]

What is ur advice for keeping hands in their best condition and what chemicals should be avoided in hand products like cuticle creams, hand creams and nail varnish?

Also any advice for dealing with very visible awful pores on the nose - I hate it and can't think of a 'holistic' way to do it?

[BeautyCosmopolite]

Hi A - the key to keeping your hands looking their best is to avoid stripping the skin with harsh products like antibacterial soaps or handwipes; always use protective gloves when doing housework/gardening, etc.; and to keep them nourished and hydrated, which means a very healthy diet and natural products without irritating chemicals. You could use some of the oils I mentioned in the post, which would nourish the skin on your hands as well as your cuticles. You might like argan oil which sinks in easily and leaves a silky texture. The 3 key ingredients to absolutely avoid in nail polish: toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates.
As for the appearance of pores, what you want to do is to purify you skin with very gentle cleansers -- don't strip with harsh cleansers, and don't ever scrub! For reasonably priced, gentle, chemical-free cleansers, you could look at Aubrey Organics. A "mask" once a week can help, you could even try the honey mask or banana mask I posted, as both are soothing to the skin. Another option for reducing the appearance of pores would be a clay mask.
Hope that helps!

[A]

Any clay masks u know of that are available in the UK and re. raw honey - how does one pick a good quality one and how long does it last?

Have u heard of Korres and Caudalie and if so what do u know/think of them?

Don't scrub? The face u mean? I thought that was okay in order to gently slough off dead skin cells and build up? Like this -

Also can u pls. pls. do a comprehensive post which rounds off what to avoid in our daily essential products like toothpaste, to face masks to shower gel, body scrub, make up products, facial and body moisturisers etc. and perhaps advice on what to avoid altogether. Like a comprehensive cheat sheet/overall at a glance guide re. info u have gathered from all the research. It would be brilliant and so helpful with the bucket loads of info out there re. what to avoid and what to use and so forth..

Also are u essentially saying all these beautiful looking companies in skin care and make up like NARS, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Clarins, Biotherm are best avoided since there products are all likely to contain the ingredients u've gathered from ur findings that are in the long term bad for skin?

[BeautyCosmopolite]

Hi A - re: clay masks, one that should be available in the UK is Dr. Hauschka's Cleansing Clay Mask, which is good for helping to refine pores, cleansing, etc. Btw, I only recommend clay masks for oily skin, which I'm guessing you have based on your concern about pores -- clay can be drying, so be careful. You can also use green clay (French green clay) which can be helpful for your concerns.
Re: scrubbing, you never want to aggressively scrub your skin, which can cause minute tears, infections, damage, etc. Always treat your skin as if it were a delicate piece of fine lace! Gentle is the way to go.
Re: Korres and Caudalie, I'm not a fan.
Re: comprehensive post on what to avoid in all our daily products, that's a good idea, but that would be a book! :) In fact, there are books out there that review toxic ingredients in products, category by category. I do understand that more information would be helpful in this area, and I agree it's very important -- so I will continue to do more posts on specific ingredients to avoid in various categories.
Re: conventional skin care and make-up, yes, I know they look beautiful, offer fantastic make-up colours, etc. However, I do believe that most of these conventional products are not ultimately beauty and health-enhancing, and in fact are detrimental in the long run. But the good news is that there are more and more natural options coming out that offer some lovely alternatives. Did you read my post interviewing the RMS Beauty founder (under make-up)? That's just one option out of many. Also, since I mentioned Dr. Hauschka above, they also offer make-up. Not saying the "natural" choices on the market are "perfect" by any means! But some of them do offer healthier alternatives than what you might find in conventional products. Hope that helps!

[A]

Re. the mask: I have combination skin, it can feel a little uncomfortable/dry without moisturiser yet my nose does have visible pores which I abhor. So, I don't know if clay would be over drying for me.

Is enjoying the 'beautiful' products like the examples I mentioned; occasionally okay? I mean they are used on models at fashion weeks and actresses absolutely all the time yet there skin looks great.

About my request regarding a comprehensive post.. the thing is there's such an overwhelming amount of advice even regarding organic companies and products that it makes ur head spin.
Since u r so passionate about the subject and clearly do thorough research it would be very helpful to hear in an over-viewing post what to, at least, out and out avoid and what the first alternatives/suggestions for this is.
Of course it's great to have other posts time and again explaining new advances, sharing new ideas and thoughts but it's very confusing knowing where to begin and I'd really appreciate a post like that which at least says 'okay here are the basic guidelines, this is how to begin, this is in a nutshell why to do so..' that sort of thing. And then, one can move on to the advice in a lot of your other posts.

xo

[A]

Should cuticles me cut or should an oil be used to prevent hardness?

[BeautyCosmopolite]

Hi A - you could try starting with the mask on your oilier areas and go from there. It should be okay if you are not overdoing it.

You can use make-up and other conventional "beautiful" products on special occasions, etc. -- it really is a personal choice. Remember, it's all about overall toxic load -- how often you use products with potentially toxic ingredients, how many products you use, exposure to chemicals/pesticides in foods, environmental toxins... the list goes on. We don't live in a perfect world, and no matter how hard we try, we can't avoid all the potential toxins out there. It's nothing to worry about -- just take the steps that make sense to you and work within your lifestyle to reduce overall toxic load, whether that means buying more organic food, or trading out skin care loaded with chemicals for more natural options, getting a water filter, etc. You don't have to do everything at once -- it's great that you're questioning conventional products, etc. and considering alternatives. Btw, regarding the models and actresses you refer to who appear to have great skin, some of them do and some of them don't. Remember the power of lighting, airbrushing, make-up, etc. Also, many of these women are very young. The results of using products that are not healthy can show up years later, when toxins have built up due to regular exposure.

Thanks for your suggestion about a comprehensive post. I'll consider how that might work in future posts. :)

Re: cuticles, never cut them or allow a manicurist talk you into cutting them -- infection can result. Yes, an oil can be very helpful for softer, more pliant cuticles.