Petroleum

Petroleum, along with oil and coal, is classified as a fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are formed when sea plants and animals die, and the remains become buried under several thousand feet of silt, sand or mud. Fossil fuels take millions of years to form and therefore petroleum is also considered to be a non-renewable energy source.
 * Petroleum** is formed by hydrocarbons (a hydrocarbon is a compound made up of carbon and hydrogen) with the addition of certain other substances, primarily sulphur. Petroleum in its natural form when first collected is usually named **crude oil**, and can be clear, green or black and may be either thin like gasoline or thick like tar. The burning of petroleum releases pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air. Petroleum is used in a wide variety of manufactoring, and transportation. Estimates place the daily global consumption at around 88 million barrels per a day.

Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling. This comes after the studies of structural geology (at the reservoir scale), sedimentary basin analysis, reservoir characterization (mainly in terms of porosity and permeable structures). It is refined and separated, most easily by boiling point, into a large number of consumer products, from petrol (or gasoline) and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make plastics and pharmaceuticals. Petroleum is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 88 million barrels each day.

The use of fossil fuels such as petroleum can have a negative impact on Earth's biosphere, releasing pollutants and greenhouse gases into the air and damaging ecosystems through events such as oil spills. Concern over the depletion of the earth's finite reserves of oil, and the effect this would have on a society dependent on it, is a field known as peak oil.

Petroleum is also known as a crude oil, that is naturally a liquid that is flammable.



Chemical Formula

There are several major oil producing regions around the globe. The Kuwait and Saudi Arabia's crude oil fields are the largest, although Middle East oil from other countries in the region such as Iran and Iraq also make up a significant part of world production figures. For more information on this subject, you can also check out the page on oil.

Price
After the collapse of the OPEC-administered pricing system in 1985, and a short lived experiment with netback pricing, oil-exporting countries adopted a market-linked pricing mechanism. First adopted by PEMEX in 1986, market-linked pricing was widely accepted, and by 1988 became and still is the main method for pricing crude oil in international trade. The current reference, or pricing markers, are Brent, WTI, and Dubai/Oman.

Benefits of Petroleum
Petroleum is an excellent lubricant and sealant for moisture within the hair shaft. It adds immediate softness and shine to the hair. When applied to hair strands, petroleum forms an impenetrable barrier that traps moisture in the hair. 

Problems with Petroleum
Petroleum works against effective hair growth in two ways. First, when applied to the scalp, petroleum-based products can clog the hair follicles. This clogging can lead to scalp problems like dandruff or sluggish hair growth over time. The scalp's natural oil, or sebum, also has follicle clogging potential, but petroleum exacerbates the problem.  Second, the barrier petroleum creates upon the hair shaft keeps additional, needed moisture from entering the shaft. Petroleum-based products will cause the hair to shine, but will not allow the hair to be effectively moisturized. Many people mistake the artificial shine petroleum imparts for healthy moisture. 