Things I don't understand!

[MsSanz92]

This might seem a little dumb, but I was on YT watching some product reviews and one thing I noticed (particulary with natural haired women) that a lot of people would stop using products that work for their hair once they realized it contained a "bad" ingredient (i.e. mineral oil, cones, sulfates, etc). I never understood that! Why would you stop using a product if it works for you even if it has ingredients that are dubbed "bad"? (bc I believe a lot women are ingredient Nazis with NO just cause) All you're gonna have to do is go back out on the market to find a replacement for it and spend more money when you have something in your cabinet that works fine for you! If it eventually stops working, that's a different story but I think a lot of women would save a lot of time and MONEY if they didn't get to caught up in the hype of being ingredient Nazis and use what works for them!

ETA: Now obviously if the ingredients are blatantly harmful, that is a just cause but things like sulfates, cones and mineral oil are NOT that harmful they just are dubbed "bad" because some women have negative experiences with them.

 

[kupenda]

Yup! I started off that way but it's just not conducive to my needs. And natural products cost more. I can't spend money on products that cost more but rarely work for me. I'm going back to what I know


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Seraphina]

I do this with cones, though I haven't tried anything with cones in a while. I've used products that did what I wanted, but in the long run left my hair dry. Plus, sulfates are required to remove cones and my hair just does not do well with harsh cleansers.

 

[MsSanz92]

BUMP for more responses

 

[sunnieb]

I use products that contain cones, mineral oil, and all the other bad stuff because they work for my hair.

The one thing I consciously do is not use a daily moisturizer/leave-in that contains mineral oil. I don't want that stuff sitting on my hair. Everything else (shampoo, conditioner) gets rinsed out. I also clarify bi-weekly so it's not a huge deal for me.

@MsSanz92 - congrats on your newly relaxed hair! And yes you WILL have healthy relaxed hair!

 

[mzteaze]

OP, many people are conscientious of what they put in and on their body and hair. This awareness lends itself to avoiding ingredients with a history of problems. For some, products with "cones" or "mineral oil" are problematic. For others, as they learn of the problems with those products, they CHOOSE to avoid products with those ingredients. For the third group, they have NO problems one way or the other with the ingredients.

Its perfectly fine if you don't feel the same about the ingredients. But remember we all have a goal in mind of taking the best possible care of our hair and scalps. For some, that includes avoiding products which might work fine now but have connections to known carcinogens or other hair issues.

Also, by nature of LHCF and other hair boards, many try different regimens to see what works for them. That's how some product junkies are "born". Experimenting with different products is half of the fun. But, as each PJ finds out eventually, it gets to be expensive trying different (new) products.

If you are happy with what you find works for you - cool. Not all people searching for their right products are lucky enough to find the right regimen on the first or second try.

 

[ms.blue]

My natural hair doesn't mind cones but I do try to limit the use of them (I did try to go cone free but it did not work out). My natural hair hates mineral oil so a lot of my products that I used on my relaxed did not work. I'm not an ingredient nazi b/c I still use shampoos w/ sulphate but I believe you should just concious (sp) of what works for your hair. I don't believe any1 should stop using a product if it works for them unless its harmful to their health (placenta or other hormone infecting products)

 

[qchelle]

Yea I noticed that CharyJay (160days2lose2) does this. A product will work great for her then she realizes it has mineral oil or something in it and will swear it off gets on my nerves. But I LOVE her videos!!!

Sent from my WX445 using WX445

 

[TowsonGirl]

i honestly dont understand it, and think its a lil absurd. if it works, why stop now? *rollem*

 

[MizzBrown]

I see where you coming from OP.

I do feel that if its that easy for one to just throw away a product so easily b/c they heard it was bad for their hair, then why isn't that easy to toss that can of soda, or cheeseburger or cigarette, since it's as equally bad for your body/health.

You don't have to go gung ho w/ it but if you can eliminate a paraben-filled conditioner, then eliminate one bottle of soda from the fridge while you at it.

 

[MsLi@512]

Well for me, I know for a fact that silicones, mineral oil, petroleum products and hidden proteins will start off fine then after a while build up in my hair giving me that grayish, whitish filmy looking hair which means I have to wash my already naturally dry hair with sulfates to get it out. So I have to stick to more natural products. If I noticed a product had one of the above ingredients, I would stop using it as well. But I'm pretty diligent about reading ingredients before purchasing.

 

[Leesh]

Honestly, I wouldn't have purchased anything with ingredients that I won't use, because I read ingredients prior to purchase.

My take on it is, certain ingredients may give you immediate gratification, like MO or any Petoleum derivative. They will make you believe that your hair is "Extremely" moisturized, but in reality its just sitting on top of your hair, blocking the "True" moisture from entering. And altho it feels "Great" right at that moment, eventually it will cause a problem and ultimately, Damage.
Why wait till it happens, instead of nip it in the bud now!

 

[halee_J]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I tried that for a brief period with cones, thinking that my hair would do better, no ma'am...my hair was a just a HAM If my hair feels good and I'm seeing results, imma use it The only things I really avoid now are beeswax and liquid mineral oil, purely because they make my hair feel whack.

 

[LittleLuxe]

I think some other women explained it nicely but just to add it's difficult to dismiss a 'bad' ingredient when you're informed about it and the damage it could cause. Many women have the goal of healthy hair so while a conditioner with mineral oil may feel great on our hair for right NOW they're aware of how, sooner than might be expected, their hair could start to suffer. No one likes to shrug off bad ingredients one day and suffer a setback later.

It's also a LOT easier on the routine if you eliminate some bad ingredients so you don't have to worry about anything. No worrying about mineral oil getting on your scalp, no extra clarifying to get rid of cones etc.

 

[MsSanz92]

I use products that contain cones, mineral oil, and all the other bad stuff because they work for my hair.

The one thing I consciously do is not use a daily moisturizer/leave-in that contains mineral oil. I don't want that stuff sitting on my hair. Everything else (shampoo, conditioner) gets rinsed out. I also clarify bi-weekly so it's not a huge deal for me.

@MsSanz92 - congrats on your newly relaxed hair! And yes you WILL have healthy relaxed hair!

Yes I shall I'm very excited!

 

[MsSanz92]

I see what a lot of you guys mean, but like I said before, some women might just suddenly stop using a product that might have been working for them for a long period of time once they realized that it had a ingredient like cones or MO but if it has worked for this long, why stop now? Yes sometimes products with cones, MO, or other "bad" ingredients stop working and lead to damage in the future but what about those products that have worked continuously for extended periods of time and then all of a sudden someone stops using it because other people said those ingredients are bad for the hair? That just seems like a waste to me!

 

[ms-gg]

Glycerin is allegedly a winter no no but guess who uses it year round? Hmph

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

I will not use mineral or petrolatum oil in my hair. I ain't got time for hard hair that has a ton of build up. I broke that rule a few weeks ago and I twisted with Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme. As soon as I put some on my hair it was like lightening hit it. It was hard and greasy all at the same time. I realized afterwards what the ingredients were and I knew my hair was revolting. I like me some cones though...

I see what a lot of you guys mean, but like I said before, some women might just suddenly stop using a product that might have been working for them for a long period of time once they realized that it had a ingredient like cones or MO but if it has worked for this long, why stop now? Yes sometimes products with cones, MO, or other "bad" ingredients stop working and lead to damage in the future but what about those products that have worked continuously for extended periods of time and then all of a sudden someone stops using it because other people said those ingredients are bad for the hair? That just seems like a waste to me!

It's like McDonald's chicken nuggets. They taste good, but if somebody told you they are not good for your body and not really the best "white meat chicken" you would be hesitant to eat them. Some people don't really care as long as they can get by/it fills them up and others will be like "nah, son I'm cool". Did that make sense?

 

[SuchaLady]

I did this for awhile when I first got on hair boards. Didnt last long. I am actually about to buy ORS Smooth N Hold Pudding and the one of the first few ingredients is mineral oil. IDC anymore. Nothing will lay down my hair and I am tired of looking a HAM. If I try this product and it gives the results I desire Im not going to just throw it out.

 

[choctaw]

I will not use mineral or petrolatum oil in my hair. I ain't got time for hard hair that has a ton of build up. I broke that rule a few weeks ago and I twisted with Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme. As soon as I put some on my hair it was like lightening hit it. It was hard and greasy all at the same time. I realized afterwards what the ingredients were and I knew my hair was revolting. I like me some cones though...

I use MJBB on twists if I am going swimming -- that stuff is like wearing a helmet against chlorine.

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

I use MJBB on twists if I am going swimming -- that stuff is like wearing a helmet against chlorine.

That's good to know!!! Now I know what I can use it for because I don't want to waste the product. Thanks!!!!

 

[Afrobuttafly]

A person that is conscious of the health of their hair and not just how it looks will make this kind of decision. I don't know much about lasting effects of cones/sulfates but Mineral oil is just cheap foolishness to me. Why would I continue using something that I know isn't actually moisturizing my hair but sitting on top of it?
NO BUENO!
I don't just stop using a product with an ingredient that 1 or 2 people say is bad, but if enough people make a splash about the detrimental affects of something, I'm going to DO SOME RESEARCH and if I don't like what I find out..It's a goner. That's a sensible thing to do IMO.

 

[hothair]

Thank you. The thanks button really wasn't enough.

 

[Leesh]

I will not use mineral or petrolatum oil in my hair.

It's like McDonald's chicken nuggets. They taste good, but if somebody told you they are not good for your body and not really the best "white meat chicken" you would be hesitant to eat them.

@AHeadOfCoils, Cause Thanks is not enough! That is a great analogy. I use that all the time. If you ate something all your life and found out there was a awful ingredient in it, I would think most will refrain from eating it again.

I use MJBB on twists if I am going swimming -- that stuff is like wearing a helmet against chlorine.

@choctaw, I wish you could hear how bad I am stressing this to you. "YOU AIN'T NEVER LIED"!!! That's the whole idea of what it does to your hair. It encases it, does not absorb and blocks it like armor.
There was a hair guru who used to carry Mineral Oil in a jar, with a graham cracker in it, around with her to her seminars to show what it will do your hair. She would pull it out to show how dry it was altho it has been submerged all that time. Ima try and find it.

By the way, that was all kindsa funny!