parenting message boards baby calendars SheKnows parenting regional info parenting advice from the experts parents article index shop
geoparent.com
   Print this pagePrint this parenting information    Send this to a friendSend this parenting information page to a friend

 Baby calendars 
Enter your baby's birth date for a customized page every day! (Year 1 below)
[Already signed in?]
[Year 2 options]


  Timeline  
• Pregnancy & Baby
• Toddler
• Ages 3-5
• Ages 6-12
• Teen

  Raves & faves  

• Message boards
• Baby calendar
• Kids' health
• Baby bames
• Recipe box
• Just for moms
• Coloring pages

  More - by topic  

• Ask the Experts
• Family time
• Home & Living
• Education
• Health & Wellness
• The life of a mom
• More at SheKnows.com!
Featured sponsors

:: Disney parenting tips
:: Contests & freebies
:: Earn points & prizes


Hair Emergency:
Removing Vaseline

by Karen M Shelton

We all know kids who have taken scissors to their hair and created a mess! But what about when they put things in their hair that seem near impossible to remove -- like Vaseline? Karen M Shelton from HairBoutique.com has the answer!

Help!
My favorite AskKaren Vaseline-in-the-hair story was from Jennifer, a concerned mom, whose three-year old wannabe stylist son rubbed Vaseline into her 9-month old's hair. After days of trying the frustrated mom still could not remove the Vaseline from her baby's hair. She finally wrote to me to tell me that "I have tried everything and I can't get it out!!! I've washed the hair at least a dozen times, but the baby's hair is still greasy. Is there anything I can use to get rid of this problem?"

That first Vaseline SOS hit my e-mail box only to be followed by a steady trickle of interesting follow-up stories.

Heather wrote that her two year old popped open a jar of the greasy stuff and smeared it all over her face, hair and clothes. While the face and clothes could be reclaimed, Heather could not get the grease out of her daughter's new do.

One woman wrote that she had recently gone through a type of skin surgery that required the constant use of Vaseline. She reported that as the Vaseline warmed from the temperature of her skin, it would melt into her hair line. She was unable to get the greasy residue out of her hair no matter what shampoo she used.

Luckily the news is good. Vaseline, which is composed of petroleum jelly (petrolatum) can be removed from hair.

Removing Vaseline
If you apply a little cornstarch to the hair and carefully pat it into the hair, it will absorb some, if not all the Vaseline. After you apply the cornstarch you can shampoo it out with a good clarifying shampoo and it should be removed. If the Vaseline is not completely removed in the first treatment, it will be removed to the point where one more treatment will remove all of it. Be sure to use warm to hot water in the shampoo. Cold water makes the Vaseline worse.

Tell someone about this article - just click below to share this page with a friend!
Or you can try putting about 1 teaspoon of baking soda and mixing it with a regular baby shampoo and this should help. Unfortunately Vaseline is petroleum based and can be almost impossible to remove. If the clarifying or baking soda does not work, try using soft tissue to blot the hair and see if that removes some of it.

You can try a good clarifying shampoo like Edwin Paul Classic Shampoo, Vain Peppermint Strip or Philou Green Apple.the end


Links, information and more for you

Directory of family articles
Directory of all articles


About the author: Karen M Shelton writes the AskKaren column at HairBoutique.com. This article was reprinted with permission.

Terms of use/Disclaimer :: Privacy policy
Like what you see? Tell a friend! :: Link to us :: About us :: Advertise with us :: Contact us
© Copyright 2003-8 SheKnows, LLC and/or individual copyright holders. All Rights Reserved.

Don't miss! Message boards | Free newsletters | Recipe of the day | Celebrity gossip | SheKnows: Relationships