To Grease or Not Grease? What is your answer?

November 19, 2011 Posted by TiffanyG in General Information, Knotty by Nature

To Grease or Not Grease? What is your answer?

The Great Grease Debate Recently, there has been a lot controversy over grease/vaseline being used as a moisturizer agent for natural hair. Traditionally grease is used in the African-American community as a moisturizing agent to oil the scalp. Many Naturalistas have shared their disagreements for the typical usage of grease however, Knotty By Nature Divas such as CurlyNikki have come out of the closet admitting “Yes I still use grease”.

What is so bad about grease?

According to research, grease contains mineral oil and petroleum which are allegedly two of the filthiest substances within the earth. The continuous usage of these substances clogs the hair follicle, not to mention they are also used in factories and found in city runoffs. While watching the video of the Birmingham Natural Beauties’s (see it here) most recent “Tress Relief” meet up, Dermatologist Dr. Corey Hartman briefly spoke about Seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, inflammatory skin condition that causes flaky, white to yellowish scales to form on oily areas such as the scalp or inside the ear. It can occur with or without reddened skin. Seborrheic dermatitis, is thought to be due to a combination of an over production of skin oil and irritation from a yeast called Malessizia. While this is the medical terminology, seborrheic dermatitis is essentially dandruff or scaly scalp. Dr. Hartman points out in the video that greasing the scalp is not necessary. In actuality, individuals with this type of dermatitis are only doing more harm than good to their scalp. The yeast which develops from this condition feeds off the grease causing it to pursue continuous growth.

As a Knotty By Nature Diva myself, I must admit that I still use grease during the colder months for dry twist-outs however, I don’t use it on my scalp. I also feel if it works for you use it, if it doesn’t go with what works best for you. Now my question to you all is are you still using grease as a moisturizing agent? Respond below and let’s discuss why or why not. Don’t forget to rate the post below.

Thanks to Dr. Corey Hartman for such valuable insight. To read more about Seborrheic dermatitis please check out http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001959/

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