Is LANOLIN BAD for our hair?????

jaibee

New Member
Has anyone read this month's issue of sophisticate's black hair? there is an article in there saying that balsam and lanolin is bad for our hair (I can't remember why). I think they said those products can over soften hair or something. I just started using elasta qp's penetrating moisturizer and I really like it but it has lanolin in it. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks.
 

Allandra

Well-Known Member
I've been using products that contain lanolin for a long time. It has not been damaging to my hair in any way.
 

Victorian

old head
I have used things with lanolin too
I never noticed any problem. Maybe it depends on how much is in there
 

henrilou

New Member
This is interesting, because I think that LANOLIN is a good alternative to petroleum. Lanolin is the oil from sheeps wool, I believe. It is NATURAL and so it penetrates the hair. Usually products with lanolin are thicker. That's good for me, because I like a thick grease that will work on my 4b thick, fragile hair. I need something that's going to work like the "grease" I used to use, but that was "useless" for my hair because it just sat on top attracting dust....
 

Kaela

New Member
Sometimes children/adults can have a severe allergic reaction to lanolin. I used to be highly allergic to lanolin, so I stay away from it. Aubrey's Seabuckthorn line has a small amount of lanolin, but I use that infrequently and keep it off of my face.

That doesn't really say that it could cause breakage, but my understanding about the risks of lanolin were allergic...I didn't know that it could weaken hair.
 

AngieK

New Member
<font color="brown">The other thing about lanolin is the fact that is very high in sterols (ie. choleSTEROL) and is sort of waxy. If lanolin is really high on the list of ingredients, it can be a bit heavy for fine hair types. It really coats and moisturizes the hair (because it absorbs water), and offers great protection against the elements - - but as with anything that coats the hair, it can build up with continued use.

My experience with lanolin:

There is a product that I use every now and then called Super Protein Pac by Jheri Redding. Lanolin is the 5th ingredient (behind Hydrolyzed Collagen). Now I use this product if my hair is feeling particulary dry or brittle. I does indeed condition and moisturize the hair. My hair feels thicker, and ususally remains very moisturized until my next wash. HOWEVER, if I use it a second time, my hair feels heavy and flat. So the bottom line for me is that I only use this product every now and then.

The only products that seem to "over soften" my hair are Cholesterol Treatments (such as Queen Helene). If I am not mistaken, these products do use an ample amount of lanolin (and sometimes mineral oil) - with no balance of protein. My hair just does not benefit from Cholesterol Treatments, and gets "limp." But then again, my hair is in the fine/medium 4a category, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Anyway, my thoughts are that if you are not allergic to lanolin products, and you take precautions to avoid product buildup, I don't see where it would cause any detrimental consequences for your hair.

AngieK </font>
 
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