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View Full Version : Any other wurlies using body lotion as a leave-in?



Charybdis
August 25th, 2012, 03:01 AM
I have a lot of trouble keeping my ends moisturized, and so have been wanting to try mineral oil as a leave-in. I'm also in a climate with high enough humidity right now to use humectants, so I've been wanting to experiment with aloe and glycerin. However, I haven't had any luck finding unscented mineral oil at the stores I frequent (I've looked outside the cosmetics area, haven't been able to find it sold as a laxative or treatment for wood cutting boards), and I HATE the scents they put in baby oil.

Anyway, it occurred to me that mineral oil is a common ingredient in inexpensive body lotions, so I spent some time peering at ingredient labels on lotions at the drug store. I didn't want anything too sticky, I wanted mineral oil to be the second ingredient after water, and I wanted the lotion to have aloe and/or glycerin. What I ended up with was Boots body lotion (their store brand) with aloe vera and Vitamin E. It has a light scent that doesn't bug me.

Ingredients are: Water, Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance, Potassium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Dipropylene Glycol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Linalool, Cironellol, Geraniol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Yellow 6, Blue 1.

It's free from parabens, which is good. It does have dimethicone, so is not ideal for people on the Curly Girl method who are strictly avoiding 'cones. But my hair likes 'cones, so that's not a deal-breaker for me.

I've been scrunching a squirt or two of this stuff into my damp hair as a leave-in, and it's working much better for me as a leave in than plant-based oils (presumably because the mineral oil sits on top of the hair shaft keeping the moisture in). It doesn't really tame my frizzy baby hairs, because nothing does, but it tamps them down a little, and it makes my ends feel really soft and moisturized, which is very difficult for me to achieve. Also, because it's a lotion where the oil is emulsified with water as a carrier, I find it much easier to distribute the product evenly through my hair without accidentally getting too much or too little oil in places.

When I'm next in Central Texas I will just use unscented mineral oil (I know where to buy it there) because the climate is too dry for humectants, but I've been really happy with my cheap body lotion as a post-wash leave-in treatment.

Are any other wavy or curly folks doing this? If so, what did you think of the results? Are there any particular lotions you like/dislike for this purpose?

sakuraemily
August 25th, 2012, 07:21 AM
Scented mineral oil will be fine as long as you don't put in the oil into your scalp. Unless of course you're allergic to perfumes.
Body lotion isn't a bad idea but Once again don't let it touch your scalp.

DragonFlyPie
August 25th, 2012, 07:42 AM
I used to use lotion ALL the time when i was in High School! I had read in some beauty magazine (maybe?) about a hair stylist that always put plain Lubriderm lotion on the ladies' wet hair to give it extra moisture, softness, & shine. So i started doing that & I had gorgeous hair. Then i started using the yummy scented lotions from Victoria's Secret (maaaany years ago, before everybody & their brother was selling 6 billion scents of lotions) & they worked beautifully & left a lovely scent behind.

I think i focused mainly on the length of my hair & didn't put any on the scalp. I never had greasies or any other issues. Just start with a small dollop & work your way up to more, if you feel it's necessary.

Celebrian
August 25th, 2012, 08:10 AM
Hmmm, I wonder if something like the standard old Nivea lotion would work (blue bottle) or even my E45 lotion!!

veetee12
August 25th, 2012, 08:23 AM
I have done that on long-haul flights (international), my "wurly" hair does NOT do well on flights and obviously working with my usual coconut oil would be quite the hassle. Last time I had absolutely nothing for the hair and it looked very frizzy and dry about 3/4 way through, so I just applied some BL that I had (in my case most likely something organic). Worked very well! Tamed the frizz and unrulies and didn't give me grease hair. Just totally did not think about that anymore or I may have continued.

I'd carefully consult the INCI's vs INCI-lists to make sure you know what you are putting in your hair, some lotions have silicones, lots of alcohol, etc. which both could be stuff you may not want.

lapushka
August 25th, 2012, 08:37 AM
Hmmm, I wonder if something like the standard old Nivea lotion would work (blue bottle) or even my E45 lotion!!

I have the Nivea blue bottle for dry skin, and maybe that would be a little too nourishing, I don't know.

spirals
August 25th, 2012, 09:19 PM
I posted a couple of weeks ago that I had put St. Ives coconut milk/orchid lotion in and got gorgeous spirals. It has mineral oil and silicone, neither of which I have any problems with. I am working on a bottle of Shea Moisture leave-in. I was planning to switch to the lotion after that was gone, but I discovered coconut oil. I still like the lotion as a quick fix on braid tassels, though. And I am not opposed to using it as a leave-in. Lotion's basically oil and water emulsified, and actually, would be easier to distribute than oil alone. Hmmm....