NOT a Staple Product: Blue Magic

Everywhere I go, I can't seem to get away from Blue Magic. They sell this stuff at almost every store I go to--CVS, Family Dollar, WalMart, etc. And my mother and sister still has jars of this stuff in their house for my nieces. (I continuously tell them to stop using this stuff). And I even have a jar of this stuff in my house from my permed days.

Now, let me say something about this product. NO one should use this grease. Whether you are permed, pressed, or natural. The ingredients are simply horrendous. In the past, I would use this grease right before I flat ironed my permed tresses. My hair would feel so heavy, have no body, and dirt would catch on it so easily. When my mother and sister puts Blue Magic on my nieces hair all I can do is cringe. First off, this stuff is too HEAVY to be used as a scalp treatment. Then, my nieces would go outside to play and all this dirt would be on their scalp because it caught onto the Blue Magic like a magnet. Ewww...

Let's look at the ingredients: Petrolatum , Lanolin , Lecithin , Mineral Oil , Fragrance , Green 6 , Violet 2

First off, there are two MAJOR no-no ingredients that I see off the bat.

Petrolatum and Mineral Oil. Petrolatum is bad for the hair because it will clog the scalp and block moisture from entering the scalp--this is bad for growth. Then, we have mineral oil which is horrible because it is a by product of the distillation of crude oil to produce gasoline and other products made from petroleum (Carother,2009). Doesn't this just sound horrible. Also, mineral oil is also responsible for clogging the pores.

Green 6 and Violet 2. There is NO need to add color to a hair product--or any products. Products should be as natural as possible. Adding colors makes this product un-natural and add ingredients that can not be good for your hair.

Fragrance. What type of fragrance? And this stuff does not smell so great. So was it really needed?

Lanolin. Lanolin is actually a decent ingredient. It is very effective at penetrating the surface and enhancing moisture retention. Lanolin is also beneficial because it continues to absorb moisture from the air, and can thus act as a humectant for the skin or hair. (Hairlicious Inc.com) Yet, by adding the mineral oil and the petrolatum the benefits of this ingredients is now null and void.

Lecithin. Lecithin is also a good ingredient. Lecithin is important to healthy hair growth. It also helps to break down fats, is essential to cell membranes, improves brain function and keeps cells from oxidating. (eHOw.com). Lecithin does aid in hair growth. There is even a lecithin supplement that may be used for healthy hair growth and other benefits. However, I again reiterate that you can not have Petrolatum and mineral oil in this product and expect to get the benefits from this ingredient.

Therefore, this is NOT a staple product. Simply put, this product will not allow for your hair to prosper and grow to its full potential.

Sources:
Carother, D. (2009, July 19). Should Mineral Oil Be Used on the Hair? Retrieved July 21, 2010 from, http://www.articlebase.com/hair-loss-articles/should-mineral-oil-be-used-on-the-hair-get-healthy-hair-now-1050163.html

Hairlicious Inc. (2009, August 9). Hair Question: Is Lanolin Good for the Hair? Retrieved July 21, 2010 from, http://www.hairliciousinc.com/2009/08/hair-question-lanolin-good-for-hair.html

eHow.com (2010) Lecithin for Hair Growth. Retrieved July 21, 2010 from, http://www.ehow.com/about_5366825_lecithin-hair-growth.html