Working with Petroleum Jelly

[hellomimi]

I wanna work with petroleum jelly to make a lip balm/lip scrub, however, I can never find it in any recipes…

I’m a bit nervous about trying it out? Is is difficult to work with? Is it dangerous when heated to a certain temperature?

Orr is it just an offset of the “clean beauty” movement? I’ve been educating myself a lot of this through channels like Dr Dray and LabMuffin and I’m glad to say that I’m not longer letting fear mongering control my crafts. I’m willing to work with the “naughty” ingredients now lol.

 

[Marsi]

short version - try it and see

tl;dr
i dont like the taste of petroleum jelly
it is easy to work with and is lip products here
i havent tried burning it (your dangerous when heated question prompted this ... brb ... im gonna try burning some)

*edited to add
no ... it doesnt burn in a naked flame
and it melts really easily

in an occlusive lip balm it might be useful
in a lip scrub it could be too hard to clean off afterwards

to me it has a slight petroleum product smell that i dont like
the smell is very faint and could be overpowered easily with fragrance
i remember why i dont use it ... instant headache (i tasted it ... again )

 

[hellomimi]

short version - try it and see

tl;dr
i dont like the taste of petroleum jelly
it is easy to work with and is lip products here
i havent tried burning it (your dangerous when heated question prompted this ... brb ... im gonna try burning some)

*edited to add
no ... it doesnt burn in a naked flame
and it melts really easily

in an occlusive lip balm it might be useful
in a lip scrub it could be too hard to clean off afterwards

to me it has a slight petroleum product smell that i dont like
the smell is very faint and could be overpowered easily with fragrance
i remember why i dont use it ... instant headache (i tasted it ... again )

Vaseline is pretty much tasteless to me lol… I think I’ll use. It’s just soo accessible/cheap, and an awesome occlusive. I was thinking that there had to be some kind of catch since so few people use it in recipes…

 

[Obsidian]

Its part of the clean ingredient movement. A lot of people won't use petroleum products.
I'm a fan of vaseline and mineral oil.

 

[earlene]

Petrolatum, as it is called by the (US) FDA, is approved for use as a cosmetic and as a drug. For lip protection, it is a drug. I have long found Vaseline to protect my lips from chaffing (when skiing, when riding motorcycle with wind on my face, when hiking in cold climates) and my dermatologist gives it out when a skin would needs protection. As long as the petroleum jelly is refined (removal of carcinogens occurs during refining) it is skin safe.

But as Obsidian says, it's probably more to do with the bad rap of being a petroleum by-product, why you don't find recipes including it.

If you want it for personal use, why not just use it straight, rather than mixing it with anything else?

 

[hellomimi]

Petrolatum, as it is called by the (US) FDA, is approved for use as a cosmetic and as a drug. For lip protection, it is a drug. I have long found Vaseline to protect my lips from chaffing (when skiing, when riding motorcycle with wind on my face, when hiking in cold climates) and my dermatologist gives it out when a skin would needs protection. As long as the petroleum jelly is refined (removal of carcinogens occurs during refining) it is skin safe.

But as Obsidian says, it's probably more to do with the bad rap of being a petroleum by-product, why you don't find recipes including it.

If you want it for personal use, why not just use it straight, rather than mixing it with anything else?

I mean, the same can be said for other ingredients we used in cosmetics too… it’s just fun to blend it with other ingredients and come up with something new

 

[artemis]

*edited to add
no ... it doesnt burn in a naked flame
and it melts really easily

It will catch in an open flame, though. We have used Vaseline on cotton balls as a quick fire starter while camping. It catches pretty quickly, so keep it away from an open flame while you're working with it.

 

[Juggsy]

Since petroleum is derived from crude oil, early and less pure distillates were certainly unhealthy or worse (think diesel fuel/oil spills).
Modern PJ is purified and as safe as can be. It is heavily regulated.

Petroleum jelly acts primarly as an occlusive agent having been shown to reduce TEWL by over 98%, whereas other oils only manage a 20–30% reduction. Yet this agent does not simply act as an occlusive film over the surface of the skin; it has been shown to diffuse into the SC intercellular domains which may add to its efficacy. On penetrating the epidermis it was also shown to accelerate lipid biosynthesis, thereby aiding barrier repair

Somehow I deleted my post when I went to edit my post.....

I don't feel like retyping it all right now. It's hard typing on phone. I will try get to a computer later today.

Unless mods have access to original post before I tried to edit. If so please edit it.

 

[Purple heather natural sk]

Well ... I am part of the clean movement.
I would say, stay away from petroleum products. Petroleum damages the lower layers of your skin, killing collagen.
I have often said, have you heard the person say, I am addicted to my lipbalm. If I stop using it, my lips become chapped .... well thats the damaged skin coming to the surface.
Petroleum products are cheap. That is why it is used in large corporation lotions, creams and lipbalms.
Treat yourself well. You are worth it ❤

 

[Marsi]

It will catch in an open flame, though. We have used Vaseline on cotton balls as a quick fire starter while camping. It catches pretty quickly, so keep it away from an open flame while you're working with it.

this makes more sense than my experience
(i expected mine to burn in a naked flame so the result was a suprise)
good safety warning - thanks

 

[hellomimi]

Well ... I am part of the clean movement.
I would say, stay away from petroleum products. Petroleum damages the lower layers of your skin, killing collagen.
I have often said, have you heard the person say, I am addicted to my lipbalm. If I stop using it, my lips become chapped .... well thats the damaged skin coming to the surface.
Petroleum products are cheap. That is why it is used in large corporation lotions, creams and lipbalms.
Treat yourself well. You are worth it ❤

What evidence have you read that suggests that petroleum jelly “damages collagen”?

Petroleum jelly is used by corporatatioms because it WORKS. It’s one of the most powerful occlusive known to the cosmetic industry and nothing combats TEWL as well as it does.

The reason lips get chapped is because how of fragile the skin on our lips is, and the fact that they produce no sebum, which is why we have to especially be sure that we’re manually applying a protective layer over them regularly…

Petroleum jelly molecules aren’t even big enough to penetrate the lower layers of your skin which is why it’s such a great occlusive lol

 

[Microchick]

What evidence have you read that suggests that petroleum jelly “damages collagen”?

Petroleum jelly is used by corporatatioms because it WORKS. It’s one of the most powerful occlusive known to the cosmetic industry and nothing combats TEWL as well as it does.

The reason lips get chapped is because how of fragile the skin on our lips is, and the fact that they produce no sebum, which is why we have to especially be sure that we’re manually applying a protective layer over them regularly…

Petroleum jelly molecules aren’t even big enough to penetrate the lower layers of your skin which is why it’s such a great occlusive lol

You are absolutely correct. Petroleum jelly is used in wound care to prevent water evaporation and pathogens from entering. Water evaporation depletes collagen, not the other way around as incorrectly stated in certain "mommy blogs."

 

[beckster51]

Petroleum jelly is recommended by dermatologists because it is so effective as an occlusive and because it is non-comedogenic. Actually the petroleum molecule is too large to get into pores; that is what makes it occlusive and non-comedogenic. It is not recommended for use on the face for those who are acne prone, but many people find it very effective in treating dry skin. I use Aquaphor instead of petroleum jelly. It is a combination of emollients and petroleum jelly, so moisturizing and occlusive, the best of both worlds.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Learning a lot from this post - I did not know that PJ is occlusive and non-comedogenic. Though I will continue making my lip balms with coconut oil and beeswax as the primary ingredients, I am glad to have this information. By the way, for me, my lip balms do a great job of moisturizing and protecting my lips. I have had almost no problems with lip chapping since I started making and using my own lip balm. It seems to work better for me than the PJ based products you can get OTC. I do wish I knew how to add SPF protection, though.

 

[beckster51]

My favorite OTC lip balm became unusable for me when SPF was added. SPF formulations really dry my lips. And I have never had a sunburn on my lips, so I am not concerned about that. I have sunburned my very fair face, but never my lips.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

My favorite OTC lip balm became unusable for me when SPF was added. SPF formulations really dry my lips. And I have never had a sunburn on my lips, so I am not concerned about that. I have sunburned my very fair face, but never my lips.

Sorry to get off topic, but I was thinking that using lip balm with SPF would help prevent the fine lines around one's mouth. If I am going to be outside for any length of time I still use an OTC sun screen lip balm. I wonder if I am wasting my money.

 

[Obsidian]

Anyone heard of slugging? It's a skin care technique for dry skin, I've done it a few times on my face and really like it.

https://www.byrdie.com/slugging-skincare-trend-5087545

 

[beckster51]

I have not heard of slugging, but it actually looks like something a lot of us have been doing for a long time. I don't generally use Aquaphor or Vaseline on my face unless I have problems in the winter with extremely dry skin, but I use it a lot on my lips and body. The skin on my body is unmanageably dry most of the time. Slugging, huh? I just call it greasing up! LOL Thanks for this, Obsidian! I feel like I have been validated.

 

[Obsidian]

I've also used it on my body for many years, along with baby oil or other petroleum products.

If you try slugging, the trick is to use a very thin layer. Some places say to slather it on but its not necessary. Just enough to know its there

 

[Quanta]

I do wish I knew how to add SPF protection, though.

I wouldn't. SPF is very tricky, and certain ingredients will negate the UV absorbing/blocking properties of your active ingredients. Without having your product tested by a lab that tests SPF, you will not even know if your product is actually working. I would stick to store-bought OTC sunscreen products.