Vaseline Uses:  55+ Cool Ideas

Vaseline isn’t just for protecting skin.  It has many other cool uses as well.

Note: Because petroleum oil used in Vaseline is a bi-product of the oil that we use for our cars, there can be some health risks for long term use.  You can also make your own petroleum-free jelly at home that’s nearly the same texture and color as Vaseline (more info on homemade petroleum-free jelly).   

Vaseline Uses:  Skin Care and Medicinal

• Vaseline is great at moisturizing severely dry skin and can help protect and heal wind-burn.
• Coat your feet with petroleum jelly and cover them with socks overnight to heal dry cracked feet.
• Sooth shoe blisters by dabbing jelly on the parts that rub against your shoe.
• A little Vaseline on your elbows and knees will keep them from getting dry and ashy.
• Mix petroleum jelly with sugar or sea salt to create a homemade scrub.  Here are more recipes and ideas for making homemade salt and sugar scrubs.
• Heath Spa Secret: Rub a small amount of Vaseline onto your clean damp face. Rub the jelly into your face until the greasiness goes away. This is a great moisturizer.
• Vaseline is also great for getting rid of dry skin on your face from excessive washing.
• Use it to smooth out skin after shaving and to help relieve razor burn.
• Use it to help treat and prevent chaffing.
• Warm up Vaseline and use it as a night cream.
• Warmed jelly can also be used as a treatment for back pain. Have someone massage it into your back.
• Put petroleum jelly in the freezer for a few minutes, then rub it onto your forehead to sooth a fever.
• Mix with essential oils to create your own homemade vapor rub.
• Apply Vaseline to new cuts and scrapes. While it won’t disinfect, it will temporarily prevent the cut from getting dirty and infected.
• Use Vaseline to get rid of cold sores.
• Use it to help treat bug bites, poison ivy, and atopic eczema.
• The jelly can be used to help heal and protect new tattoos.
• Petroleum jelly is a great substitute for Desitin as a diaper rash preventative.
• It can also be used for baby massage. Just warm it up a tiny bit.
• Put a little Vaseline above your baby’s eyebrows during bath time.  That way, the shampoo suds won’t go into their eyes, and instead will harmlessly go off to the side.
• Have pets with cracked paws? Rub a little jelly onto their pads.

Vaseline Uses:  Beauty and Cosmetic

• Many people have said that putting a coat of Vaseline on your eyelashes before you go to bed will help them grow thicker and longer.
  
• Vaseline can also be applied to eye lashes to be uses as a clear mascara. It helps define them and leave them looking glossy as well as water proof.
• Use false eyelashes? Use the jelly to remove the eyelash glue from your lash line.
• A tiny bit of non-petroleum jelly can help tame and define unruly eyebrows.
• Put the jelly on your lips, leave for a few minutes, then scrub them with a toothbrush. Rinse your lips and they will be smooth and exfoliated.
• Used alone, petroleum jelly makes a great lip balm for chapped lips.
• Make flavored lip balm by adding a little Kool-Aid powder to the jelly.
• Melt a little jelly with a chocolate chip in the microwave (just a few seconds), Mix it and let is resolidify to create chocolate lip gloss. Here is another similar recipe for creating homemade lip balm.
• Combine the petroleum jelly with your lipstick to create a cream blusher.
• Apply a little jelly to your teeth before putting on lipstick to avoid lipstick stains on your teeth.
• Petroleum jelly is a great makeup remover.
• Dab a tiny bit on your ear lobes to make earring insertion easier.
• Use the jelly to condition your scalp before shampooing. It can also reduce the scaling and itch that comes from dandruff.
• Create a chopping hair look by smearing a tiny bit on your hands and scrunching it through your hair.
• Petroleum jelly can also be used to hide dry, split ends.
• Rub some jelly all along your hairline to protect your skin against the chemicals used in hair dyeing, perming and straightening.
• Remove chewing gum from hair by applying jelly and working it into the hair until the gum slides right off.
• Add some shine by using a Q-tip to rub a little on your week old nail polish.
• You can maintain the scent of your perfume for a longer time if you apply the jelly to the perfume points before spraying it on.
• Make your favorite lotion go further by mixing it with the petroleum jelly.

Vaseline Uses:  Household

• Rub in a tiny dab of jelly to your shoes and hand bags to restore the shine.
• Leather baseball gloves can be softens by rubbing the jelly into the leather.
• Use it to remove makeup stains from clothing and fabric before washing.
• Rub a tiny amount of jelly onto the neck of your nail polish bottles to keep the caps from getting stuck.
• Light bulbs will no longer stick in the socket if your rub a little jelly on the bulb threads.
• Toy wheels can be kept lubricated by putting a little jelly on the cylinders.
• A little jelly can keep your door hinges from squeaking.
• If you have a key that won’t fit into an old rusty lock, try rubbing a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the key. It works like WD-40.
• Rub a little jelly inside your candle holder to prevent melted wax from sticking.
• Use it to repair stains, rings, and scratches in wood furniture. Cover the area to be treated with a thick coat of jelly and let it sit for 24 hours. Then rub it into wood, wipe away excess jelly, and polish the wood as usual.
• Before painting a room, dip a Q-tip in Vaseline. “Paint” the jelly around the edges of the glass, door hinges, doorknobs, and more. This will prevent paint splatters and smears. They should wipe right off with a cloth.
• Rub the on the exposed edges of a carved pumpkin to help keeps it from rotting drying out as quickly.
• Squirrels getting into your bird feeder? Apply some jelly to the pole that holds it up and the squirrels will harmlessly slide off.
• This jelly makes great fly paper. Heat some up then pour a little into the lids of some jars. Place the lids wherever you see flies or other small bugs gathering. They will get stuck in it.
• Spread a thin layer around the outside of your pet dish all the way to the ground. This will prevent ants from getting into your pet’s food.

Related reading: Uses of coconut oil