Vaseline is a popular beauty care product that you can find in most homes.
This more than 100 years’ old petroleum jelly-based product is perfect for many beauty uses. It is a mixture of mineral oils and natural waxes. Whether you are dealing with chapped lips, dark lips, dry hands, uncontrolled eyebrows, or cracked heels, Vaseline is the first item that comes to mind.
It also has been used as one of the best makeup removers. Due to its softening and moisturizing properties, Vaseline has been popular for a multitude of beauty and cosmetic applications for decades.
But apart from beauty care, Vaseline has several other practical uses that can compel you to keep a jar of it in every room of the house to help remove stains, protect valuables, stop squeaks and much more.
Here are the 10 uncommon uses for Vaseline that you’ve probably never thought of.
Manicures are expensive when done at a salon, so doing it yourself in the comfort of your home is becoming popular. A monthly manicure helps keep your hands and nails healthy and beautiful.
But when done at home, manicures can be messy, as it becomes difficult to keep the nail polish from running over onto your cuticles. Such manicures do not give a professional look and you become sad after all your hard work.
Well, the next time you sit down to do a manicure, keep a jar of Vaseline handy. Petroleum jelly can help your manicures look more professional by preventing the nail polish from staining your skin.
Dab some Vaseline along the base of your nails and the sides.
Now, apply your favorite shade of nail polish.
Allow the polish to dry completely.
Once done, wipe off the petroleum jelly and the sloppy nail polish with a wet tissue.
Before going out of the house, many of us have the habit of spraying perfume on our pulse points. But after a few hours, the fragrance may diminish to the point where even you cannot smell it.
To help your perfume scent last longer, use Vaseline. As Vaseline aids in keeping the skin moisturized, the fragrance will last longer than usual.
Rub a little Vaseline on your pulse points, such as your wrists, neck, cleavage, behind the ears, armpits and so on.
Spray your favorite perfume on the pulse points.
Avoid rubbing the areas, as it will change the way your perfume smells due to friction.
Hair dye is meant for your hair, not for your skin. But no matter how carefully you apply it on your hair, it often starts seeping onto the forehead and neckline.
You can use Vaseline to prevent hair dye from staining your skin. It creates a strong barrier between the hair dye and the skin.
Softly dab Vaseline all around your hairline and the back of your neck.
Start applying the dye on your hair. The dye will not drip down onto your skin.
After you wash your hair, you will notice not a single spot of dye on your skin.
Many times while applying face makeup, we end up staining our clothes or washcloths. Mascara and lipstick stains on clothes look really bad.
To get rid of these makeup stains, your jar of Vaseline is all that you need.
Rub some Vaseline on the stained area of the piece of clothing or fabric.
Wait 10 minutes, then use a paper towel to gently blot the stain away.
Finally, wash the item as usual and the stains will be gone for good.
Petroleum jelly also works as an excellent makeup remover. Put a little on a cotton washcloth and clean your face. All your makeup will come off easily.
Leather items like bags, shoes or gloves look classy, and they are expensive too. But these expensive items need lots of care and attention, otherwise they start losing their shine and softness.
Without the shine, leather items lose their classy look and charm. To restore it, there is no need to invest in expensive commercial leather polishes available in the market.
Your small jar of Vaseline can efficiently do the work of restoring shine or softness.
Rub some Vaseline into the leather item.
Wipe off the excess with a soft muslin cloth, and your leather item will look new again.
The food you put in your pet’s dish often becomes a huge target for ants. Once ants start lingering on the food, there is no other option but to throw it away.
Throwing away your pet’s food on a regular basis is not a logical solution. You need to deter ants from reaching your pet’s food with the help of Vaseline.
Simply spread some jelly around your pet’s dish, all the way to the bottom edge. The ants will be deterred by the slippery barrier created by the petroleum jelly. It will also help disrupt the ants’ scent trail.
Along with ants, you can also keep squirrels away from the bird feeder with Vaseline. Apply some jelly to the pole of your bird feeder, so that when squirrels try to climb it, they will harmlessly slide off.
There can be nothing more irritating than a squeaky door or window, especially at night or when you are trying to be quiet.
To eliminate the squeaky noise coming from your doors and windows, the best solution is your favorite Vaseline that works as a great lubricant.
Spread some Vaseline on the hinges of noisy doors to prevent them from squeaking. You can even apply some to the window sash channel and cabinet door runners using a small paintbrush.
Apart from preventing squeaky doors, you can try Vaseline to make shower curtains slide more easily. Just lubricate the curtain rod with petroleum jelly and you can whip the curtain across the shower with ease.
Whether you’ve got chewing gum stuck in your hair or on your furniture, it is an annoying problem that nobody wants to deal with. The next time you are in such a situation, think about Vaseline.
Due to its greasy nature, Vaseline works as the perfect solution for removing chewing gum from hair or your wooden furniture.
* To remove chewing gum from a wooden surface, apply some petroleum jelly on the offending wad, rub it in gently until the gum starts to disintegrate, then remove it.
* To remove chewing gum from hair, apply a small amount of Vaseline into the hair and rub gently until the gum slides away from the hair strands.
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