What To Use Instead Of Petroleum Jelly
The good news is that there are SO many great, natural alternatives to petroleum jelly. These include things like:
- Shea Butter
- Coconut Oil
- And more
Not only are these ingredients natural, renewable, and safer, but they can also actually be absorbed into your skin. With their vitamins, fatty acids, and other nutrients, they can actually moisturize your skin while also allowing your skin to breathe and heal itself.
Is There An Environmental Impact
Petrolatum comes from crude oil, and as such is not a renewable resource. Of course, the volume of the ingredients in one jar of petroleum jelly or a bottle of body moisturizer doesnt come close to that used to fuel cars or run factories. Still, Health Canada is still investigating the environmental impact of petrolatum in cosmetics.
Concern for our planet and its resources is another reason why some companies are using oils from coconuts, sunflowers and olives in the formulation of their products. But these oils have an environmental footprint, too: They come from farmland, potentially displacing food crops.
Alternatives to petrolatum in cosmetics are more expensive and trickier to formulate. Right now, petrolatum is cheap, plentiful and generally safe, and it mixes up easily in the lab to create the products we use every dayits not going anywhere soon.
More Uses For Petroleum Jelly:
Eye makeup remover. Waterproof mascara and eyelash glue dont stand a chance against a dollop of petroleum jelly. Gently massage it onto your eyelids and use a cotton pad or tissue to wipe it away. Follow up with cleanser to remove possible pore-clogging residue.
Fly-away tamer. Rub a TINY dab of petroleum jelly between your palms and smooth down flyway hairs. Minimize the frizz of split ends, add shine and moisturize your hair by rubbing a little into the ends of your hair. Key words: a little.
Turn powders into creams. Looking at a pan of powdered eye shadow wishing for a deeper color and richer consistency? Scoop out a few crumbles and, using a makeup brush, mix them with some petroleum jelly. Voila! Your powder is transformed.
Highlighter. Glowy, dewy skin is all the rage. No need to buy an expensive tube of highlighter, though, just smooth a little petroleum jelly onto the high points of your face: cheekbones, cupids bow, and arches of the eyebrow.
Repair cracked skin. Heels, elbows and cuticles rejoice. Smooth petroleum jelly onto dry skin as you would a lotion or balm. As an extra treat for desert-dry feet, top a nice thick layer of petroleum jelly with clean cotton socks and hop in bed. Overnight, your feet will go from cracked and dry to baby soft.
Make perfume last longer. Moisturized skin holds scent better than dry skin. Rub a smidge of petroleum jelly onto your pulse points before you dab or spritz your scent and itll last much longer.
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How To Avoid Greasiness
A little petroleum jelly goes a long way. But if you donât want it on your fingers at all, use a small spatula to put on a thin layer wherever you want to use it. If you moisturize your hands or feet, just put on gloves or socks after. But keep in mind that oil-based products may stain fabric or carpet.
Can Petroleum Jelly Remove Acne
Petroleum jelly, as found in Vaseline, is ideal for softening rough cuticles, soothing cracked skin, taming the brown, etc. However, it cannot remove acne. On the contrary, it can add to the effect and make your breakout worse.
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Petroleum jelly can trigger an acne breakout if you use it on an active breakout or acne-prone skin. True, petroleum jelly is safe for use on dry skin since it has occlusive properties that will soothe the skin. You can also use it on sensitive and oily skin. However, as per dermatologists, petroleum jelly is not the best fix for an acne breakout.
Applying petroleum jelly to acne, a painful cyst, for example, may help keep the skins barrier function. When you apply a generous dose of the jelly to your skin, say before you sleep, you seal all the products you have used earlier, and this routine may be handy in helping the skin heal. Apart from this, the jelly is also known for its anti-inflammatory effects.
Petrolatum is comedogenic. This means that it will likely cause acne rather than heal it. Although it serves as an excellent barrier between the skin and the elements, it also does not let moisture flow too much to the surface. As expected, although well-meaning, it traps dirt and bacteria beneath the skin, two factors that can cause acne.
You can visit a dermatologist for acne treatment for recommendations on what product to combine with petroleum jelly against acne.
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Moisturize Your Hands And Face
Petroleum jelly functions as an occlusive moisturizer that keeps your skin from drying out. It accelerates healing by locking in moisture hence, it is handy for treating cracked heels, chapped lips, and rehydrating the nails to minimize brittleness.
In a way, petroleum jelly does enough to reduce acne caused by drying of the skin. For example, when your skin is excessively dry, perhaps due to environmental or self-induced conditions, it can cause acne to form.
However, when your skin is dryer than it should, the system makes oil to replenish the ones you lose and keep your skin hydrated. Unfortunately, excess oil production is one significant acne cause. Since petroleum jelly seals moisture and keeps the skin hydrated, it is an effective way to avoid acne caused by dry skin.
Other Uses For Petroleum Jelly
Those with eczema may find particular relief if they add petroleum jelly to their regimen. Eczema is the number one skin disease that we use to treat with petrolatum, says Boull. Parents commonly use it on their babies to treat dry skin and eczema. Babies do slugging from head to toe, twice a day. And thats like the best regimen, she says. So I think its kind of ironic that adult women are now just discovering this thing that weve been doing babies forever.
As evidenced by its original use among oil workers in the 19th century, petroleum jelly is great for healing wounds and broken skin. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying petroleum jelly to minor wounds like cuts and scrapes to promote healing and prevent scarring.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends it for diaper rash, if thats something you struggle with to prevent chafing, a sadly common summer affliction for those who like to be active in summer and to rehydrate the nails between manicures, a tip Id desperately wish Id known after six months of dip powder manicures left my nails so thin and brittle they may as well have not existed at all.
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It Helps Lock In Moisture In
Petroleum jelly is thick like peanut butter, so it’s not necessarily something you’ll want to slather all over your body like lotion, but it’s a great choice for areas like the elbows, knuckles, and lips that are dry or prone to dryness, says Dr. Lee. “In the winter, many of us need to switch to more moisturizing products, so itâs common to increase the use of petroleum jelly during winter months,” she says. “Personally, I have very dry skin, so I can tolerate a thin layer of petroleum jelly under makeup, but someone with really oily skin would probably hate this. Itâs definitely a greasier product that can make applying makeup or other skin-care products a little more difficult.”
What Are The Benefits Of Petrolatum
OcclusiveIn cosmetics and personal care products, petrolatum functions as an occlusive agent and skin protectant. Petrolatum is an occlusive agent that reduces the rate of water loss through the skin to air and the environment. Since petrolatum has a melting point that is close to body temperature, it softens upon application and forms a water-repellent film around the applied area. This film prevents evaporation of the skins natural moisture and increases skin hydration by causing a build-up of water in the stratum corneum or the outermost layer of skin. Furthermore, petrolatum has been shown to penetrate deeply into damaged skin and enhance the recovery of the skins barrier function. Maintaining a strong, intact barrier is essential to keep harmful things like allergens, bacteria, and irritants from entering the body through the skin.
TexturePetrolatum can also be found in hair care products due to its ability to enhance the appearance and feel of hair. Acting as a coating on the surface of the hair follicle, petrolatum adds shine and texture to the hair. It also increases the silky feeling of the hair and may help to repair hair that has been damaged physically or by chemical treatment.
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Is Petroleum Jelly Toxic
Among some clean beauty influencers and brands, petrolatum products are regarded as a category to avoid. This fear has emerged because petrolatum is derived from crude oil, which, in all fairness, sounds scary. But in most of the world, including the United States, petrolatum goes through a very thorough refining process that, in fact, makes it one of the safest products you can use on your skin. Cosmetic-based petrolatum is very refined and not carcinogenic. It doesnt actually get absorbed into the skin, Boull says. Its just kind of a large molecule that sits on the surface and is not dangerous to use. The downside to petroleum jelly simply sitting on your skin is, of course, the slug factor: you might look somewhat greasy if you use it, especially if you throw on a thick layer. And because it doesnt sink into your skin the way other products do, it doesnt add anything to your skin that isnt already there. It just seals in the good stuff and keeps the bad stuff out.
Its large molecular size is one reason why its great for people with sensitive skin . Petrolatum is non-allergenic and usually well tolerated , says Adelaide Hebert, a professor of dermatology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. However, if you have rosacea, petroleum jelly may temporarily cause skin redness because it traps heat, says Boull. The redness will fade when you wash off the petrolatum, but for this reason, those with rosacea may want to avoid using it during the day.
Dangers Of Petroleum Jelly
While petroleum jelly has many benefits, it should be for external use only. Do not eat or insert petroleum jelly. Avoid using petroleum jelly for masturbation or as a vaginal lubricant. According to Reuters, a study of 141 women found that 17 percent used petroleum jelly internally and 40 percent of them tested positive for bacterial vaginosis.
The brand and type of jelly you purchase may cause different reactions. These include:
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Earth Mama Organics Collection Of Balms
Price: $3.99-$24.99
Earth Mama Organics has a really awesome collection of affordable balms that serve different purposes for new moms and their babies. Their Organic Baby Face Nose & Cheek Balm is great for drooling chins and dripping noses and their Skin & Scar Balm is made to help reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks. They also have a Perineal Balm, Diaper Balm, and Nipple Butter .
These awesome healthy petroleum jelly alternatives come with a handful of third-party certifications, including EWG Verified, USDA Organic, Non-GMO, and Leaping Bunny.
Differences Between Vaseline And Petroleum Jelly
Considering the popularity of Vaseline, its easy to confuse it with petroleum jelly. Actually, Vaseline is made of pure petroleum jelly mixed with minerals and microcrystalline wax, which help to give it that smooth texture. Petroleum jelly on the other hand is chemically derived from natural petroleum and consists of a translucent, semisolid mix of hydrocarbons. The smell differs too. Petroleum jelly has a very oil-ish smell whereas Vaseline has a pleasing fragrance.
Written by Chandni Ghoshon Jul 07, 2021
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Lip & Face Balm From Kahina Giving Beauty
Price: $44 for 0.4 oz
This restorative treatment balm is also packed with soothing oils that help to moisturize sensitive skin, reduce skin inflammation, and even help with relieving headaches and bruising. In addition to the ingredients like beeswax and shea butter that the other balms have, this one also contains unique ingredients like immortelle, blue tansy, and sea buckthorn flower oil.
A Very Brief History Of Slugging
Vaseline and other petroleum jelly products have been used in skincare for over a century. We have been recommending it in dermatology for a long time, but it has just caught on more recently, I would say because of TikTok, says Christina Boull, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. When an American chemist named Robert Augustus Chesebrough observed oil workers coating their burns and other wounds in the neutral-colored jelly, he capitalized on their ingenuity and created Vaseline in 1872. Vaseline and other petroleum jelly products became popular in the ensuing decades because they were cheap, easy to make, and simple to use.
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The Best Products With Petroleum Jelly
We’d be remiss not to include the ultimate 100% pure petroleum jelly. The formula is as simple as it gets, with no additives or fragrances, and is safe to use on eczema and minor injuries.
Another simple, fragrance-free option that’s safe to use directly on irritated skin. “The majority of dermatologists recommend Aquaphor Ointment or CeraVes Healing Ointmentcleaner formulations with a few extra bells and whistles added to enhance desired efficacy,” says Kim.
Kim’s other recommendation is fragrance-free and contains gentle, soothing ceramides for an ultra-moisturizing formula. CeraVe is lanolin-free and boasts a seal from the National Eczema Association.
Can Bacteria Grow In Vaseline
Infections: Not allowing the skin to dry or cleaning the skin properly before applying petroleum jelly can cause fungal or bacterial infections. A contaminated jar can also spread bacteria if you insert jelly vaginally. … Make sure you clean the skin properly before you apply the jelly to reduce the risk of breakouts.
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Can You Put Vaseline On Wet Hair
Yes, you can. Applying Vaseline to wet hair will trap moisture, and will reduce drastically the itching sensation. It will also help fight dryness and consequently flaky skin.
When you do this, Vaseline soaks in the hair follicles and descends into your hair roots. There, it will moisturize the root and will help in rapid growth and healthier hair.
Dr Shannons Organic Skin Balm From Zoe Organics
Price: $18 for 2 oz
Using ingredients like coconut oil, beeswax, calendula, and marshmallow root, this multi-tasking, nourishing, all-purpose balm can be used for all types of skin concerns. And for the littlest family members, Zeo Organics also makes a Diaper Balm to help soothe diaper rashes, eczema, and other skin issues.
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Helps With Skin Healing And Condition
Ointments, unlike lotions, are more effective for treating dry skin. Hence, you can safely apply petroleum jelly to a cracked or dry skin, including the eyelids, lips, and other thin skin areas. It is also ideal for use on minor scratches, scrapes, and wounds to keep the site moist and prevent it from drying out.
This way, you will prevent a scab from forming and the scar from getting too deep, itchy, and large. Plus, it is handy against painful skin irritation like chafing and blisters.
Also, petroleum jelly is known to reduce diaper rash in babies, though not significantly.
Risk Of Bacterial Vaginosis
Doctors have found that using petroleum jelly can put a woman at a greater risk of developing bacterial vaginosis or candidiasis.
The journal Obstetrics & Gynecology reported that women who used petroleum jelly around their vaginal area were twice as likely to develop bacterial vaginosis.8 According to Dr. Sten Vermund from the Institute for Global Health, petroleum jelly is slightly alkaline and may promote the growth of bad bacteria in the vagina. Dr. Vermund explains that an acidic vaginal environment is essential for vaginal health.9
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Should You Start Using Petroleum Jelly For Scalp Psoriasis
If you are struggling with scalp psoriasis, you should try using petroleum jelly at least once or twice.
On a second try, you can see better results than you could not achieve on the first run. If you see any noticeable difference, consider including it in your scalp psoriasis treatment checklist.
Key Takeaways
- Using vaseline to improve scalp psoriasis exacerbation may be messy but it will be worth it. I can speak from personal experience because thats how I cured my psoriasis for a good while.
- It may come back from time to time, but you just have to bear with it and make the most of your life with what you have.
Helps To Retain Moisture
Moisture plays a huge role when trying to eliminate scalp psoriasis symptoms. By keeping your skin hydrated, chances for an exacerbation are slim to none.
Keep it a routine and surely it will avoid many of the spontaneous flare-ups that psoriasis likes to offer you occasionally.
Promotes Hair, Eyebrow, and Lashes Health
Nobody likes to have missing patches of hair here and there, much fewer flakes all around your eyebrows and eyelashes.
Using petroleum jelly will also help in getting stronger hair and cleaner facial hairs.
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