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Petrolatum Vs. Water Based Greases (not about washing out)

FreezeKitty

New in Town
Messages
21
Location
Rohnert Park
So I've been experimenting with different pomades and seen great resuls from both sides. However i'm coming to the point where I've heard from people that petroleum based pomades will make/help you go bald by weakening the hair blah blah blah then i hear from relatives telling me stories (i'm in my early 20s) about friends of theirs going bald because they used Tres Flores & Dax wax. I like how the petroleum pomades work imo they work better but now I've got this fear that I'll go bald quicker than I would if I didn't. IDK if this is all hogwash or if there is some truth to the matter, I'd use water based more but they r more expensive and i just dont think work the best. Can I get some opinions?
 

blasterbot

New in Town
Messages
1
Location
NYC
There are two opposing schools of thought. One is that old-school petroleum-based stuff causes baldness because it clogs the hair follicles. The other is that modern styling products (gels, sprays, etc.) cause baldness through all the nasty chemicals that's in that stuff.

But most men in the 20s through the mid 60s used some kind of pomade or grease in their hair. If grease really causes hair loss, then why didn't they all end up bald? And if gels and sprays cause hair loss, then why aren't the millions of men and women who've used it for years sporting a Mr. Clean by now?

The truth is that hair loss is, for the most part, entirely hereditary. Whether you're going to lose your hair or not is literally pre-determined at birth, and nothing you use on your hair topically can change the outcome either way. It makes perfect sense if you think about it: hair grows from beneath the scalp. Nothing you use on the hair above the scalp--and that includes grooming products, shampoos, conditioners, hair color, bleach and other caustics, etc.--can possibly reach the root of the hair.

A tiny percentage of people who experience hair loss do so because of non-hereditary factors: malnutrition, stress, shock, reaction to certain medications, etc. But there's not a person in the world that's ever lost or gained hair based on the products they used. Plenty of people may think they have, but they're fooling themselves.

(PS: As a licensed barber, I can tell you that petroleum-based stuff certainly helps the hair above the scalp far more than modern styling products, since it acts like a conditioner.)
 

Scotus

One of the Regulars
Messages
176
Location
Illinois
blasterbot, welcome to the forum, although I'm fairly new myself.

Your answer is very sensible and seems spot on to me.
 

Schofields

Familiar Face
Messages
91
Location
CRANFORD, NJ
i use nothing but straight petroleum. for the past 3 years actually and i never wash my hair. my grandfather started losing his hair around 26 and im 30 so im not worried. in this time ill also mention ive tried other things as well: beeswax furniture polish, household oil, mink oil, straight castor oil, chainsaw oil and ive still got a full head of hair.

side note: henry ford used no. 10 light kerosene in his hair.
 

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