15 Of The Most Useful Things You Can Do With Vaseline
Intensely moisturizing and gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin, petroleum jelly can be used in a dizzying number of ways! Today Ill be sharing some of the best uses for vaseline with you, including quite a few that are real lifesavers when youre in a bind!
But before we dive in to that list, I wanted to quickly clear up some of the confusion regarding the safety of vaseline and/or petroleum jelly.
A Note About Safety
Due to the fact that petroleum jelly is a byproduct of petroleum production, many people claim that it contains cancer-causing compounds. But that isnt actually true!
Vaseline, the largest producer of petroleum jelly, purifies their jelly three different times during the production process. This ensures the final product is free of impurities, including anything that could cause cancer.
According to the EWGs Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, which ranks cosmetic products according to how potentially hazardous they are, Vaseline gets a score of 1, or low hazard. But if youre still not convinced, my two-ingredient non-petroleum jelly will work just as well for any of the uses Ive listed below! :-)
15 Brilliant Uses For Vaseline
1. Lubricate Fridge Drawers
If your fridge drawers arent gliding smoothly, opening and closing them can get infuriating very quickly! But luckily for us, all you need is a bit of vaseline to fix it!
Spread a thin layer of vaseline on the outer edges of the drawer where it slides along the track. This added bit of lubrication will help your fridge drawers glide much more smoothly!
2. Heal A Chapped Nose
Its almost impossible to avoid chapped skin when youre frequently using tissues to wipe or blow your nose. (No matter how soft or lotion-packed your tissues of choice are!)
Applying a bit of petroleum jelly to the chapped areas of your nose can help immensely. Not only will it help heal the chapped skin, but it will also help prevent further dryness and cracking too.
3. Stop Blister Pain
It happens all the timeyou wear a new pair of shoes to an event, only to realize that theyre giving you blisters an hour later. Having a bit of vaseline in your bag can be a lifesaver in this situation!
Just apply a bit of it to the area of your shoe that is causing the blister. Its not a perfect fix, but it can help prevent the blister from getting worse before youre able to remove the shoes.
4. Make A Scrub
A little manual exfoliation can help keep your skin soft and moisturized. Make a simple body scrub by mixing together petroleum jelly and sugar (or sea salt!)
Scoop the paste-like mixture into your hand and massage it over damp skin in a circular motion. When youre finished, wash yourself off with soapy water and apply a generous amount of lotion.
5. Treat Dry Paw Pads
Just like our skin can start cracking if it gets too dry, your pets paws can get dry and cracked too. Ouch!
Treat the dryness and help heal the cracks by applying a thin layer of vaseline to the area. (It can help to use a recovery collar to keep them from licking it off!)
6. Control Unruly Eyebrows
A dab of petroleum jelly can tame unruly eyebrows that are determined to misbehave. Those unruly brows will stay put all day, and look sleek and glossy to boot!
7. Hide Scuffs On Furniture
Many visible marks and stains on wood furniture are caused by moisture issues (either too much or not enough). Apply a bit of petroleum jelly to stains, rings, scratches, or scuffs on your wood furniture and let it sit for 24 hours.
The next day, wipe away any excess jelly and give the area a good polish. Good as new!
8. Prevent Dye Stains
Before dyeing your own hair or someone elses at home, grab your jar of vaseline! Smear it liberally around your hairline to prevent wayward drips and splatters of dye from staining your skin.
9. Soften Dry Lips
Apply a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to your lips and let it sit for a few minutes. Then gently scrub your lips with a clean, soft toothbrush and rinse clean.
10. Remove Gum From Hair
I suspect that dealing with a gum stuck in hair scenario is some sort of rite of passage for parents. Its been years since Ive had to tackle that one, but I must have done it half a dozen times when my kids were younger!
But removing gum from hair is one of the best uses for vaseline! All you have to do is apply it generously to the gum and the hair its stuck to, then work it through with your fingers until you can slide the gum free!
(This also works for silly putty, play doh, and all sorts of other things kids find a way to get stuck in their hair!)
11. Unstick A Ring
So you discovered the hard way that a ring is too small, and now its stuck on your finger. Never fear! Just apply some jelly to the area around the ring, then gently slide the ring back and forth until you can slide it off.
12. Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeders
Hanging bird feeders can attract all sorts of wildlife to your yard, including crafty, feed-stealing squirrels! If your feeder is hanging from a post, you can coat the post in a layer of vaseline as a squirrel deterrent.
When the squirrels try to climb the post, theyll just slide right off! And it wont bother the birds, who can still settle comfortably on the feeder itself.
13. Treat Dry Skin Overnight
An intensive, overnight jelly treatment is one of the fastest and easiest ways to heal patches of dry or cracked skin. Smear jelly onto any dry patches before you go to bed, and by morning, your skin will feel so much softer!
14. Fix Sticky Shower Curtains
If your shower curtain keeps getting stuck on the rod, you can use a bit of jelly to fix it! Just apply a thin layer of jelly to the top of your shower curtain rod.
Open and close the shower curtain a few times, and it should start gliding smoothly.
15. Add Shine To Hair
For those of us whose hair is on the dry end of the moisture scale, frizziness and flyaways can be a frequent problem. Take care of both issues by dabbing a tiny amount of petroleum jelly to the topmost layer of your hair!
And not only will the jelly make flyaways stay put, but it will also add an enviable shine to your hair!
What are your favorite uses for vaseline?