Odorless and colorless are the first two descriptions of mineral oil. Mineral oil is classified as a non-vegetable oil. Instead, it is created from a distillation of petroleum and is a byproduct of the process that creates gasoline.
Uses
There are several uses of mineral oils, including cosmetics, cell culture and in the mechanical and industrial arena, as well as veterinary uses and food preparation.
Veterinary Uses
Mineral oil is used in many of the vaccines that are administered to livestock. When chicken feet get infected, the vet swabs them with mineral oil. In the bee industry, the beekeeper can place it on napkins in the hives to treat mites and tracheal. For the reptile lovers, it can be used to remove the skin that has not been shed.
Cosmetic Uses
There are a number of lotions, creams and ointments that contain mineral oil as one of the ingredients. It is a moisturizer for itchy, rough and scaly skin, including diaper rash. For those having to take surface radiation therapy, it has been used to treat the areas that may have been burned. Mineral oil works well with water so splashing it over a chapped area on the body right after a shower can be the most beneficial. Also in this category, it is used in cosmetics and to remove cosmetics colors like eye color and mascara. Artificial eyelashes have a treatment of mineral oil to keep them from becoming brittle.
Food Preparation
When an individual has a wooden cutting board or any other wooden utensil, it can be treated with mineral oil so food will not penetrate the wood. This is a safety issue also. There has also been considerable research done to explore how mineral oil may impede the absorption of certain vitamins, such as A, E, K and D.
Preservation
As well as protecting wood, a light coat of mineral oil will act as a preserving agent to wood in many aspects. Another material it preserves is leather. For wood and leather, the process is to wipe a light coating onto the surface and let it set for several hours before gently wiping it off.
Mechanical and Industrial
Mineral oil serves as many things in the industrial field. It can be used as a lubricant and also as a hydraulic fluid. Along with these uses, it is can be a coolant or an insulator in the electrical field.
