Vaseline, a petroleum jelly-infused product, has been in use for years due to its diverse effects. People use it for healing their dry and cracked skin and even to prevent diaper rashes in their babies. It is also commonly used in creams, deodorants, and lotions.
There is still one benefit of this product that not everyone knows about. Vaseline can also be used for hair removal. By using the right technique and mixing the right ingredients with it, you can make yourself a DIY hair removal product. Let’s see how this works.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: Can Vaseline Actually Remove Hair?
- Part 2: Can Hair Removal with Vaseline Give Long-lasting Results?
- Part 3: What are the Benefits of Removing Hair with Vaseline?
- Part 4: How to Prepare Ingredients for Hair Removal with Vaseline?
- Part 5: What’s the Process of Removing Hair with Vaseline?
- Part 6: What Not to Do During Hair Removal with Vaseline?
- Part 7: What are the Downsides of Using Vaseline?
- Part 8: What Can I Do to Attain Long-lasting Hair Removal Results?
Part 1: Can Vaseline Actually Remove Hair?
Vaseline is a common household product used by everyone from children to grandparents. While most people know it due to its quick and long-lasting moisturizing effect, only some are aware of its other benefits like hair removal. So yes! Vaseline can remove hair from your body making your skin smooth, soft, plump, and fuzz-free.
It can be used alone or in combination with other household products. But, most users prefer to mix other products for quicker and better results. When applied on the skin, this moisturizing product weakens the hair follicles so the hair attached to them loosens and can be removed easily.
Part 2: Can Hair Removal with Vaseline Give Long-lasting Results?
The main function of hair follicles is to promote hair growth. At the root, cells keep on dividing and that is how hair keeps on growing longer. For long-lasting hair removal, this cell division must stop which means the hair follicles should be destroyed completely.
Vaseline can weaken the hair follicles but cannot get rid of them completely. Therefore, you cannot achieve long-lasting results just by using Vaseline as your ultimate hair removal product. Still, you can achieve results as good as shaving, waxing, or depilatory creams.
Part 3: What are the Benefits of Removing Hair with Vaseline?
If the results are temporary, then what’s the benefit of using Vaseline for hair removal? We have an answer for you:
- Moisturizing effect: Vaseline itself cannot moisturize your skin but it can help in locking the moisture in your dermis. Therefore, it serves as a great hydrating agent that can make your skin soft, gentle, and smooth
- Easily Available: Vaseline and all other ingredients that are used in combination with it are easily available in any nearby store. So, you will not have to look around or surf through the internet for hours to find an effective hair removal product
- Affordable: Using this petroleum jelly-based product is a great option in terms of affordability. You can buy one pack for less than $5. This one pack can last for a long time since only a small amount is used per session
- Improves skin tone: Using Vaseline regularly along with turmeric and milk can help fade the tan on your skin and improve the skin tone. It can make your skin clear, healthy, and glowing
Part 4: How to Prepare Ingredients for Hair Removal with Vaseline?
You can use Vaseline solely for hair removal but you can also add some other ingredients to make the process easier, quicker, and more beneficial. The following are the most common ingredients that are used in combination with vaseline:
- Turmeric powder: ½ tablespoon
- Raw milk or milk powder: 3 tablespoons
- Vaseline: ½ tablespoon
- Gram flour: 1 tablespoon
- Honey (Optional): 1 tablespoon
All these ingredients are easily mostly present at home or easily available in the market. Turmeric is a natural anti-oxidant while milk softens your skin. Honey has healing properties and vaselin provides hydration to the skin.
Mix all these ingredients in a box slowly until it forms a paste. The paste should neither be too thick nor too watery. You can slightly change the amount of these ingredients to attain the right consistency.
Part 5: What’s the Process of Removing Hair with Vaseline?
The paste is ready to be applied to the skin. Now, you need to prepare your skin and then start applying the paste.
Pre-preparation
- Clean your skin: The surface of the skin where you are going to apply the paste needs to be clean. You can either use a cleansing form or a soap to remove impurities from your body. Then pat the area gently with a towel or cloth to dry it thoroughly.
- Patch test: The ingredients used in vaseline are only suitable for some. Besides this, mixing other ingredients like gram flour might irritate your skin or stimulate an allergic reaction. So, apply the paste to a small area first and then decide whether you can use it or not.
Hair Removal:
Now starts the hair removal. Let’s see the steps:
- Apply a thick Vaseline paste on the area with unwanted hair in the direction of hair growth
- Let it stay for some time so that the mixture can penetrate hair follicles and work on them efficiently
- Once it is dry after 15-20 minutes, pull the paste off your skin in the opposite director of hair growth
- Clean your skin with water and you are done
If you are using Vaseline without other ingredients, apply it in small circular motions and let it dry for 30 minutes to an hour. After this time, you can wipe it off against the grain.
Part 6: What Not to Do During Hair Removal with Vaseline?
Using Vaseline for Wet Skin
When you are using Vaseline, applying it on wet skin must be avoided. Firstly, it does not adhere well with your skin rendering the hair removal ineffective. Secondly, it will prevent your skin from breathing properly letting the moisture stay locked in. This damp place can serve as a growth habitat for fungi that can lead to infection.
Keeping the Vaseline on Skin for Long
Keeping the Vaseline on too long on the skin can clog your pores. This clogging of pores can initiate acne, breakouts, and pimples. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid keeping it on the skin for too long particularly if you have oily skin.
Moreover, it can also entrap dirt, dust, and other impurities making your skin dull and dirty.
Start Without Patch Test
Allergic reactions caused by Vaseline are not very common but still, it is better safe than sorry. You might not be aware of your allergies therefore conduct a patch test before applying the mixture. For this, you can apply a small amount on your upper arm or leg to see if it starts any reactions.
No Proper Pre Hair Removal Preparations
Preparing the skin thoroughly before applying Vaseline makes the treatment more effective. Moreover, using it on dirty skin can entrap the dirt, cause skin irritation, clog pores, and start breakouts.
Hence, it is essential to cleanse the skin properly before hair removal. You can also use exfoliating products to remove dead cells and make your skin smoother.
Part 7: What are the Downsides of Using Vaseline?
- Allergic reactions: It is rare but if you have sensitive skin, any petroleum-jelly-based product can cause an allergic reaction leading to redness, itching, and rashes
- Difficult to Cover Larger Areas: For hair removal with petroleum jelly on larger areas, you first need to prepare a large amount of mixture. The application, wait, and removal procedure can be exhausting
- Time-consuming: If we compare this method to others, it is very time-consuming because you need to wait nearly half to one hour to let the mixture dry. Additionally, a single use will not show satisfying results. You will have to do it daily to attain the expected outcome
Part 8: What Can I Do to Attain Long-Lasting Hair Removal Results?
Hair removal with Vaseline does not offer long-lasting results. Besides, you will have to give at least one hour per day to achieve the desired results. To save time and get a long-lasting solution to hair removal, you can try IPL hair removal.
IPL hair removal has more reliability as it is effective for most people. Unlike Vaseline, the light from an IPL device destroys hair follicles and retard hair growth for a long time. In addition, it is less time-consuming and you do not need everyday sessions.
Seems quite interesting, right? Want to do it at home? Try Ulike Sapphire Air 10 handset. The treatment with this compact IPL device can reduce 90% of your unwanted hair within 4 weeks. Also, it is FDA-cleared so it is safe to use. Furthermore, there is no risk of developing an allergic reaction or acne with IPL treatment.
Conclusion
Ever since Vaseline is introduced in the market, people love it for its versatile uses. One such use is hair removal. You can save yourself from the pain of waxing, tweezing, or plucking by using Vaseline instead. Mixing it with some ingredients like turmeric, milk, and gram flour can make a perfect hair removal mixture.
Then, you just need to apply this paste and remove it after some time. However, it does not have the same effect on everyone. Those individuals who are not satisfied even after trying Vaseline can upgrade their hair removal method to IPL hair removal.
