Baby oil for Dandruff

 I have been fighting fierce battles with dandruff lately, let’s say from about the first week of November thereabout until the third week of November. I tried all the remedies that used to work in the past but to no avail. I did the ACV rinse as usual but the situation seemed to be getting worse rinse after rinse. I then decided to do the lemon juice remedy and my scalp stung as if I had sores on it. (Maybe I did have sores from all the scratching.) I used the lemon remedy twice, and later decided to apply olive oil mixed with castor oil. There was relief only for a day and the next day, the itchy scalp was back again this time without the unsightly dandruff because my scalp was quite moist so the dandruff was not visible. I then happened to visit a friend this last Friday, 23rd of November and related my ordeal to her. She recommended using baby oil on the scalp saying she had the same problem and baby oil worked for her to rid the scalp of dandruff. I was quite taken back but since I already have baby oil in the house I decided to give it a try.

When I got home, the first thing I thought of doing was carefully read the ingredients list of the Johnson’s baby oil that I had. The main ingredient happens to be mineral oil. Yes that’s right. Mineral oil is the main ingredient. I know, the natural hair community has demonised mineral oil to the extent that many of us want to stay away from any product that has mineral oil in it as if we would become lepers after using it. So I was taken back at first but then decided to do my research. I thought it worth the while since the person who recommended it to me has quite a long mane and it looks healthy and full too.

Mineral oil is a distillation by-product of petroleum and is used in many personal care products. Mineral oil does benefit our hair in some way depending on what you want to achieve for your hair. Believe me, it is not all that bad. For instance, it controls frizz very well because it does not penetrate the hair shaft but sits on the surface forming a barrier between the hair and the environment, such that moisture which causes frizz cannot get through the hair cuticle and moisture already in the hair cannot get out. So besides controlling frizz, it also seals in moisture quite well or though it cannot moisturise the hair in itself. It is also a great hair lubricant and non-greasy, making it a good detangler. It is said to be good at defining curls or coils because it acts as a magnet which binds hair strands together producing a more defined look on kinky hair. Baby oil was also said to help with itchy scalp and dandruff

I do agree with many in that some of the benefits of mineral oil can also be disadvantages especially its inability to penetrate the hair cuticle. But again, it depends on what your hair needs. The other thing to watch out for is the need to shampoo the hair more regularly other sites suggested. Since mineral oil is hydrophobic there will be need to remove the coat of oil off the hair strands before conditioning the hair so that the hair can receive the moisture from the conditioner and water because. So co-washing is not recommended in this case.  One also needs to use mineral oil sparingly because over application can result in blocked pores on the scalp and I certainly don’t want that to happen.

After much consideration, I decided I would give baby oil a try. With all the dandruff, things couldn’t be any more worse than they were already and if it is gentle enough for a baby’s skin, it should not do me much harm, right. So the next day I shampooed my hair with Tresseme naturals and did the whole wash day thing of conditioning, sealing the moisture in with olive oil, and stretching my coils. Then I twisted it all up into smaller twists and applied the baby oil, rubbing it on to my scalp with my finger tips.

So far, I am feeling itchy here and there but nowhere near the magnitude I experienced these last weeks. I am going to apply it again after three days and see how it goes. Has anyone ever tried or is using baby oil or a hair product that has mineral oil as the main ingredient on their hair? I am interested in knowing how your hair responded to it. I will also post an update on how my hair is responding to the baby oil after I have used it a few times more.

Cheers!!!!!!!!

source, naturallycurly.com, babyoiluses.net