Vaseline is more than the goopy stuff you put on your baby’s behinds. It has uses ranging from homesteading to medicinal. Some of these unique uses for Vaseline can be found at Joey Green’s website [1], who seems to find wacky uses for just about everything.
Vaseline is a mixture of mineral oils, paraffin, and micro-crystalline waxes that, when blended together, creates a jelly-like feel. Since it has a melting point just above body temperature, it re-solidifies, thus locking itself in place. Vaseline is a low cost, multi-purpose prep that should be in every prepper’s storage closet.
Homesteading
- Petroleum jelly can be used for tinder, lightly coated on a cotton ball.
- Lure Trout – Smearing Vaseline on small pieces of sponges and hooking them onto fish hooks will trick the fish into thinking the sponge coated Vaseline is fish eggs
- Lubricates tools and protects them from rusting.
- Rub some Vaseline on the wheels of wagons to keep them lubricated and protect them from rust.
- Protects leather and softens it.
- Rub Vaseline around candle holders and the wax will not stick to them.
- Petrolatum is a useful material when incorporated into candle wax formulas. The petrolatum softens the overall blend, allows the candle to incorporate additional fragrance oil, and facilitates adhesion to the sidewall of glass.
- Use it as a lubricant on your sailboat’s spinnaker pole.
Personal
- Vaseline is an effective moisturizer.
- It is used as a key ingredient for conditioners of ethnic hair.
- It is used in pomades to help users sculpt their hair.
- Removes makeup.
Medicinal
- When petroleum jelly is applied under the eyes and can be used to prevent dirt or sand from irritating the eye.
- Applying Vaseline to lips to help to protect them from chapping.
- Vaseline helps to prevent windburn by creating a barrier on top of the skin to protect it from the wind.
- Put it on scrapes and cuts to use as a barrier to keep moisture out.
- Make your own vapor rub using Vaseline and combining essential oils such as eucalyptus and mint oil.
- It lubricates psoriasis and eczema prone skin to help get rid of the dry patches.
- When applied thick to the scalp, it eliminates lice by smothering them.
- It helps to heal burns and moisturizes the skin.
- When placed under the nose, Vaseline can help minimize allergies by trapping pollen before it enters the nostrils.
- It helps heal poison ivy lesions.
Note: DO NOT apply Vaseline to the insides of the nose due to the risk of lipoid pneumonia [2].