These days most of us are doing our best to reduce our carbon footprint. From eating more locally-sourced food to grabbing our bikes over taking the car, we’re reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, thus saving money and helping keep the environment from swirling down the toilet.
But ever think about what crude oil by-products might also be lurking in your hair products, not to mention leaking into your bloodstream? Ew.
Here are 3 common hair care ingredients that might be working against your best efforts./p>
Petrolatum
Not only is it crazy difficult to get out of your hair, it’s one of the David Suzuki Foundation’s ‘Dirty Dozen’. Also known as petroleum jelly and sold under the trademark Vaseline, it’s also the main ingredient of some popular dreadlock care products prominently labelled ’100% Beeswax’! What the…?
Mineral Oil
Another member of the petroleum family, mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of petroleum in producing gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is commonly called ‘Baby Oil’, which no one thinks to question because it’s gotta be safe if it’s for babies, right? Maybe for baby dinosaurs, which, when you think about it… is pretty much what’s going in your hair by way of this clear, oily, nonwashable stuff.
Microcrystalline Wax
Wax is wax, right? Er… turns out no. Microcrystalline wax is produced by de-oiling petrolatum as part of the petroleum refining process, and is heavily refined itself for odor and colour removal. This wax is completely insoluble in both water and alcohol, and requires the chemical ether to remove it from anything it touches. Unless you’re one of those people who see nothing wrong with using Krazy Glue in their dreads, we’re pretty sure microcrystalline wax would be the wrong ingredient to include in a hair product, for the planet AND for you.
Yikes. Luckily, we’ve got tons of ways to educate ourselves on the alternatives, and tons of all-natural ingredient options that work just as well as refined baby dinosaur oil in your styling products. Probably better.
Check the Knotty Boy Ingredients page for better body care ingredient ideas!
