Let's take another look at mineral oil!

As I mentioned the other day, the thickening posts and Iron Chemist will be delayed a few days until the weather warms up enough for me to enter my workshop! I'm willing to suffer for my beloved chemistry, but not so much that the headaches return and keep me in bed for days! 

I thought I'd take another look at mineral oil today. I know that some people think of it as the sum of all evils, but it has a valid place in cosmetic formulating. (For my original posts on mineral oil, please click here and here.)

Although I don't use it often, I do like it for a facial moisturizer for my oily, rosacea prone skin that breaks out when I put most oils on it. Mineral oil is non-comedogenic and occlusive, so it's a great choice for a moisturizer for skin that might break out with vegetable oils and for skin that needs some protection during these colder winter months.

FACIAL MOISTURIZER WITH MINERAL OIL

HEATED OIL PHASE
15% mineral oil
5% Polawax
2% cetyl alcohol

HEATED WATER PHASE
10% lavender water
10% aloe vera
47.5% water
2% water soluble calendula
2% cromoist
0.5% allantoin

COOL DOWN PHASE
2% panthenol
3% honey quat
0.5 - 1% preservative

Follow the basic lotion making instructions for this product.

To me, this is a great starting point for all kinds of wonderful ingredients. You can include extracts, cosmeceuticals, and all kinds of things that benefit your skin. You can make this with BTMS-50 instead of Polawax. You can include some mineral oil and some esters or vegetable oils and so on. Heck, leave the mineral oil out and make it with something else.

So there's a recipe with mineral oil!