eBeautyDaily » Glossary

Beauty Beat: Dead Sea Minerals

Christina Jones — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:28:45 +0000

What’s so great about Dead Sea Minerals anyway? The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the planet, and is the deepest saltwater lake in the world. Along with the high sodium content, there is a large concentration of other minerals present. I am not a scientist, so I can’t reliably tell you why they make a difference, I can only tell you that they do. My experience, and that of many other people, is that they have a wonderful healing factor – and klutzy ol’ me always has something that needs healing. They have also been proven to heal psoriasis and acne. You can find Dead Sea Minerals in lots of products now – some of my personal favorites are by Ahava, Ulta and Cleopatra’s Choice. Try them if you have skin ailments, and even if you don’t. I don’t think you will be sorry!

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Beauty Glossary – Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Christina Jones — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 15:13:52 +0000

I have written here a few times about shampoos – and the fact that I am not that impressed with a thick, rich lather – this is because I know that the thick rich lather just means that the shampoo is chock full of something called Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). Look at your shampoo bottle now – go ahead. Get your spectacles out, the writing is tiny. Yes, its that ingredient just after Water, meaning that besides water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the next most prominent ingredient in your shampoo. Is that bad? Nah. Is it necessary to have SLS in your shampoo? Nope. Only if you judge your shampoo by the great (or not so great) amount of lather it works up into.

SLES is a salt compound, that is used as a detergent in products like shampoos, bath and shower gels and toothpastes. Because it is a salt, it also has the properties of salt, in that it will attract moisture, possibly causing your hair and scalp to become a little more dry with use. SLES is also a rather harsh detergent – there are milder ones that can be used (but that don’t create the volume of foam like SLES). This harshness can possibly affect you more if you have skin problems like eczema or psoriasis. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it really doesn’t have much use other than creating a showy foam in your hair and on your teeth. Much ado has been made over the years about SLS being a carcinogen, but those charges have been determined to be false. SLS is nothing more than a cheap foamer. I don’t mind seeing it in drugstore shampoos, but if I am going to spend good money on a shampoo (say, over the $10 pricepoint), I don’t want to be buying a bottle of water and cheap Sodium Laureth Sulfate.

Some other names for SLES are:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Diethylene Glycol Lauryl Ether Sulfate, Alkyl Ether Sulfate, Sodium Dodecyl Polyoxyethylene Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ethoxysulfate and Sodium Polyoxyethylene Lauryl Sulfate. Ammonium Laureth Sulfate is an almost indistinguishable molecule, having only slightly different properties.

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Beauty Glossary: Mineral Oil

Christina Jones — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 16:52:35 +0000

I am starting a new section today at eBeautyDaily, that will hopefully eventually become a thorough glossary of ingredients in skin, hair and body care products, and I am starting out today with Mineral Oil, just because I have to start somewhere and I am tired of pondering whether I am going to start with “A” or with something new I found today or whatever. Mineral Oil is where it begins.

Mineral Oil has a wretched reputation within the beauty world, with rumors that it is suffocating to the skin, that it is not natural (like olive, avocado, almond, whatever), and that it is an “industrial” oil, not a “beauty” oil (The Beauty Bible, p. 78). This is simply not true. Mineral Oil is a product of crude oil, which comes from where? Yep, the earth. Doesn’t get more natural than that, does it?

Check out this article from Science Daily, Don’t Believe The Hype — Mineral Oil Won’t Give You Zits (May 31, 2005):

A recent study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reports that mineral oil, a common ingredient in many skin care products, does not cause breakouts on the face as was previously thought. Joseph DiNardo with Pharma Cosmetix Research, LLC, inRichmond VA points out in his study that while industrial grade mineral oil may be comedogenic, cosmetic grade mineral oil is not. Comedogenic is a term used to describe cosmetics that cause comedones, more commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads.

Based on this information, mineral oil should rightfully be taken off the list of comedogenic substances, which was developed many years ago yet remains frequently quoted in dermatologic literature. Further, consumers searching for effective skin care products need not look for those that claim they are “mineral oil free” but rather those that state they are non-comedogenic.

So now you know – if mineral oil is present in your cosmetics, do not worry. One of the most popular and longest lived cleansers out there is Shu Uemura’s Cleansing Oil – and guess what that is made of? You got it – almost 100% ultra pure mineral oil.

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