Mineral oil and petroleum jelly are both byproducts of petroleum refinement. Most baby oils on the market consist of 100% mineral oil, yet mineral oil has several dangerous hazards associated with it. Mineral oil clogs the pores and prevents the skin from "breathing." It prevents the natural release of toxins, and it blocks the absorption of any beneficial ingredients (such as essential oils) blended into the mineral oil or contained in other products applied to the skin. Babies put their fingers in their mouths all the time, leading to additional hazards with ingestion of the oil. Mineral oil may possibly cause vitamin deficiencies because it is absorbed into the skin, gets processed by the liver and then nutrients get bound by the oil, blocking their absorption.
Cold processed vegetable oils, vegetable butters and natural balms made out of them, however, are wonderful to use instead of mineral oil and offer far greater therapeutic benefit.
For a list of the many vegetable oils (sometimes referred to as carrier or fixed oils, visit From Nature With Love's detailed Carrier Oil Profiles page.
