How to Get Vaseline Out of Hair In 3 Ways

Last Updated on August 16, 2019

Have you ever had Vaseline stuck to your hair, or worse, to your baby’s hair? If yes, then you will likely agree that it may be beneficial when it’s applied to skin but it’s a tough substance to remove on hair! Suffice it to say that the well-known brand of petroleum jelly will not make it to any list of the best ways to take care of your hair, much less get it in contact with the best hair straightening brushes.

Fortunately, there are three proven effective ways how to get Vaseline out of hair. Before using one of these methods, however, you should ideally blot the affected hair with paper towels first. The paper towels can soak up most of the Vaseline so there will less number of treatments involved afterwards.

You may also heat up the Vaseline to liquefy it so that it can be easily absorbed by the paper towels. Just set a handheld blow dryer to its low setting, point the nozzle at the affected area for a few minutes, and let the Vaseline melt a little. Then, blot the hair with paper towels and comb through it with a fine-toothed comb, which will remove more globs of Vaseline.

Baby Powder

When you try to get Vaseline out of baby hair, you will likely encounter a few issues. Your baby’s hair, for one thing, will have a finer texture and your baby will squirm more than usual so it isn’t as straightforward as you want it to be. With patience, the goal can be accomplished so stick with it, so to speak.

Don’t look far, too, for a remedy since it’s fast and easy to get Vaseline out of hair with baby powder! If baby powder is unavailable, then you can substitute cornstarch since both work well in Vaseline removal.

• Blot the affected hair with paper towels, as previously recommended.
• Apply a light dusting of baby powder or cornstarch to the affected area. Both items are highly absorbent and, thus, should work well in binding to the oil-based petroleum jelly.
• Pat the baby powder or cornstarch into the hair. Don’t rub it in since doing so can worsen the situation – the Vaseline can be pushed farther into the scalp.
• Let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Rinse the hair with lukewarm water and apply a clarifying shampoo; let it lather well to remove as much of the baby powder or cornstarch.
• Towel blot the hair and let it dry naturally.

You may also get Vaseline out of hair with baking soda! Mix baking soda with a clarifying shampoo and apply the mixture to the affected area. Massage it into the hair for about 10 minutes, rinse with warm water, and repeat, if necessary. Again, towel blot the hair and air dry the hair only.

You may repeat the process in 12-24 hours to remove the residue.  Avoid repeating it frequently since the powder and clarifying shampoo can strip the scalp and hair of their protective natural oils.

 Peanut Butter

You can also get Vaseline out of hair with peanut butter, as unlikely as it sounds.

• Apply unflavored peanut butter on the affected area.
• Use the pads of your fingers to massage the peanut butter but be careful about applying too much into the scalp.
• Leave it for about 10 minutes.
• Use a comb to remove both the peanut butter and Vaseline from the hair; remove as much as possible.
• Rinse your hair in cold water so that the residues can be removed. Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner, towel blot, and let it dry naturally.

Tip: Apply twice the amount of peanut butter in comparison with the Vaseline for good results.

Natural Oils

Yet another way how to get Vaseline out of hair fast is to use natural oils, such as jojoba oil, olive oil, and coconut oil. The rationale: For oil to dissolve, more oil is needed.

• Apply a generous amount of your preferred oil on the affected area.
• Massage it well into the hair and leave it on for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse your hair with a clarifying shampoo and warm water.

Bonus: The oil will moisturize the hair strands, too, resulting in more lustrous locks.

Which of these ways is the best way how to get Vaseline out of your hair? Well, it depends, but you may try all of them for stubborn cases!