30+ Clever Uses for Vaseline We Never Thought Of

This article appeared in Bigglobaltravel and has been published here with permission.

Vaseline Hacks

Vaseline is a common household item that many of us have sitting around in a cupboard or medicine cabinet. However, it’s a tool that holds a lot more promise than you might have expected. From beauty hacks to household chores, Vaseline has you covered. Keep scrolling to read about the clever uses for Vaseline you may have never thought of before.

Shine Your Shoes

After you wear shoes around a lot, the shine they had when you purchased them might start to fade as they get dirty or even just more worn down.

Shine Your Shoes

Shining your shoes is a great way to get this luster back. Instead of polish, you could always take an easier route by scooping out a dab of Vaseline and gently rubbing it on the shoes. The best part? You only need a thin layer!

Tame Your Brows

If you have brows that are hard to handle, you can tame them easier than you might think. All you need is a little Vaseline to whip them into shape.

Tame Your Brows

To do this, just dab a little bit of Vaseline on a cotton swab or brow brush, and work it into your brows. Much like split ends, this will help hold your brows in place throughout the day.

Hide Your Split Ends

Split ends can be a hassle, especially if you can’t go get a haircut right away. That doesn’t mean that you have to deal with their appearance until your next trip to the salon.

Hide Your Split Ends

You can change the appearance of your split ends by putting a bit of Vaseline on your fingers and working it into the ends of your hair. This simple hack will help your hair stick to itself, giving it the appearance of united strands.

Keeping Polish on Your Nails

When you paint your nails, it’s often a challenge — especially when you’re painting your dominant hand. Even the most skilled among us sometimes gets nail polish outside of the lines.

Keeping Polish on Your Nails

Luckily, you can use a little Vaseline to help keep nail polish in its place. By applying Vaseline on the skin around your nails, you won’t have to worry about any polish sticking in places you don’t want. Simply add a touch of the petroleum jelly around your nail and paint away!

Restore Your Leather Products

Over time, leather tends to look old and worn just like anything else. This means that your favorite leather bag might look a little worse for wear as time goes on.

Restore Your Leather Products

You can use a little Vaseline to make sure that your leather goods look as good as new. Just rub on a layer of Vaseline and massage it into the material. After you’re done, remove any excess with a towel. Afterward, your leather goods will look years younger!

Create Your Own Lip Stain

Lip stain is one of the best pieces of makeup to have in your collection. It can help add a natural pigment to your look and it’s designed to stay on all day.

Create Your Own Lip Stain

Yet, beauty supplies can come at quite the cost. That’s why DIY makeup has become so popular throughout the years. That being said, you can replace an expensive product with one simple hack — Vaseline mixed with Kool-Aid mix! This will give you a simple and easy lip stain that will last throughout the day.

Stop Itching With Vaseline

Itchiness is never any fun. Whether it’s from bug bites, hives, or another source entirely, it can leave you feeling uncomfortable.

Stop Itching With Vaseline

Rather than scratching your skin raw, try putting a little Vaseline on the spot that’s bothering you. It will help moisturize your skin and lessen the unbearable sensation of being itchy. This is a much better solution than scratching annoying spots to the point of pain. Plus, moisturizing is never a bad thing!

Put Hair Dye in Its Place

A lot of people dye their hair at home rather than opting for a salon experience. A lot of times, this leads to beautiful results — boxed hair dye can go a long way in revolutionizing the way you look.

Put Hair Dye in Its Place

Unfortunately, it’s often a messy endeavor that ends up dying your skin as well as your hair. You can skip this untidy experience, though. If you apply Vaseline to your hairline, it will prevent the hair dye from tinting your skin while coloring your luscious locks of hair.

Repair Your Wooden Furniture

Wooden furniture has been in style for a long time. One disadvantage to it, though, is that it can get damaged rather easily.

Repair Your Wooden Furniture

While Vaseline can’t help much with large jobs, if you have a small scratch in your wooden table, you don’t need to start looking for replacements quite yet. Rather, all you need to do is put some Vaseline on it and leave it for 24 hours. Then, wipe up the excess and you should be good to go!

Removing Eyelash Glue

Wearing fake eyelashes to give yourself a fuller, more lush set has been a trend for years. That doesn’t mean that it’s always easy to pull off, though.

Removing Eyelash Glue

At the end of the night, you might find yourself having trouble removing those lashes and the glue it takes to hold them on without pulling on your real lashes in the process. By adding a bit of the jelly to your lash line, slipping faux lashes and lash glue off has become that much easier. Thank us later…

No More Chafing

Especially now that summer’s in full swing, it can be difficult to avoid chafing. However, you can apply Vaseline to help reduce the effect and keep you from experiencing major discomfort.

No More Chafing

For example, a common problem area when it comes to chaffing is on your thighs. You can counteract this by applying a little bit of Vaseline to the area before a bike ride or long day outside. This will lessen how much your skin directly rubs together by offering a buffer, which will relieve the issue!

Vaseline and Shaving

If you want to keep your skin soft and healthy when you shave, Vaseline can come to your aid here, too. All you have to do is apply it after you shave and dry off.

Vaseline and Shaving

With the help of Vaseline, you can reduce how dry and dehydrated your skin is after you shave. In addition, the petroleum jelly can help relieve any shaving irritation you might have such as bumps or burns. In no time, this routine will ensure that your skin stays soft, smooth, and hydrated.

Keep Your Perfume on Longer

Perfume is a great way to add dimension to your style and make sure you stay smelling great throughout the day. Unfortunately, it tends to fade after you wear it for a while.

Keep Your Perfume on Longer

However, you can make sure you stay fresh by applying a little Vaseline where you apply your perfume — behind your ears and on your wrists — will help it last throughout the day. Since Vaseline doesn’t have a scent, it won’t detract from your perfume either!

Use Vaseline as Highlighter

If there’s a beauty trend that seems like it’s here to stay for quite a bit, it’s contouring. This means using light and dark makeup to highlight areas of your face and add shadows elsewhere.

Use Vaseline as Highlighter

If you don’t have any highlighter lying around, though, you can rely on the jar of Vaseline in your medicine cabinet. By applying Vaseline to your brow, cheeks, and eyelids with a gentle hand, you can add a dewy highlight to your look.

Don’t Let Polish Dry Shut

As we’ve looked at, Vaseline and nail polish are great partners for getting the look that you want. They’re even great partners in making sure everything that you need stays functional.

Don’t Let Polish Dry Shut

For instance, if you get a little nail polish around the lid of the bottle, you might run into the problem of the top drying to the bottle, practically sealing it shut. You can avoid this scenario by applying a little Vaseline to the top of the nail polish bottle to prevent polish from drying there.

Create a Homemade Lip Scrub

Scrubs that include salt and sugar are great for exfoliating your skin and lips. Yet, you need the right ingredients to make sure you get the results you want.

Create a Homemade Lip Scrub

You can actually use Vaseline for the base of your lip scrub since it will help hold the ingredients together and moisturize while you exfoliate it. There are plenty of different recipes that you can use for a scrub but generally, you’ll want to mix salt or sugar in with your Vaseline.

Moisturizing for Acne

Acne can be a huge problem no matter if you’re a teenager or well into adulthood. If you struggle with acne, you’ll want to find something that works for your skin.

Moisturizing for Acne

If you have dry or combination skin but find that the moisturizer you’re using clogs your pores, this is likely part of the problem. Instead, try putting on a little bit of Vaseline. Again, you’ll want to apply it in a thin layer that will absorb fully into your skin.

Get Snails Out of Your Garden

Slugs and snails are common in gardens but they aren’t always welcome. Not only are people generally grossed out by them but they also may eat your plants.

Get Snails Out of Your Garden

You can prevent snails and slugs from getting into your garden without harming your plants by grabbing a bit of Vaseline. To start, mix Vaseline with salt to make a combination that’s dangerous and aversive to slugs and snails. Then, rub the mixture around the edge of your planters.

Get Earrings in Easier

If you’re trying to put in your favorite pair of earrings but you’re having trouble putting them in comfortably, Vaseline can work as a good lubricant to help you out.

Get Earrings in Easier

That being said, this is for piercings that are still open — it won’t help you out if the back of your ear piercing has healed shut. It’s a similar concept to people who are stretching their ears using ear butter to reduce friction as they put new jewelry in their ears.

Create DIY Vapor Rub

Vapor rubs are a popular remedy for ailments such as a bad cough or a stuffy nose. If you want, you can even make your own with the help of Vaseline.

Create DIY Vapor Rub

To make your DIY vapor rub, you’ll want to mix your Vaseline with your favorite essential oils. Popular ingredients for these vapor rub recipes include essential oils such as tea tree, coconut, eucalyptus — as well as carrier oils, like sweet almond or olive oil.

Keep Ants Out

Ants can be a pest in even the cleanest of homes. Especially during the summer, these little pests are apt to invade homes for food — even if it’s just the tiniest crumb.

Keep Ants Out

Your pets aren’t immune to this either and noticing ants infestations in pet food bowls is a rather unpleasant experience all around. To help prevent this, add a little bit of Vaseline to the edge of your pet’s bowl. It won’t disturb them but it will keep ants from marching in.

Heal Cracked Heels

Dry, cracked heels can be unsightly and painful. However, they can also seem hard to handle if you aren’t quite sure what to do.

Heal Cracked Heels

The good news is that Vaseline can help moisturize your feet and restore a healthy appearance. To do this, all you need to do is apply it to your feet overnight until you notice your feet aren’t cracked anymore. Since Vaseline can be a little messy, it’s a good idea to sleep with socks on!

Make Halloween Last Longer

One of the most common Halloween traditions is the practice of carving pumpkins that you can decorate your doorstep with. The biggest problem with this tradition is that jack-o-lanterns aren’t well-known for their long lifespan.

Make Halloween Last Longer

When you carve your next pumpkin, apply Vaseline to the cut-out edges. This will help elongate your jack-o-lantern’s life and prevent it from shriveling before the big night. It’ll also help you avoid the scariest task of all for a while — cleaning up rotted pumpkins.

Better Your Cuticles

Taking care of your cuticles is important for both looks and comfort. However, it can be a challenge to keep your cuticles healthy.

Better Your Cuticles

Once again, you can turn to Vaseline for a solution. The key to success here is to put Vaseline directly on your cuticles. To see lasting and consistent results, though, you’ll need to make sure that you apply the Vaseline to your cuticles multiple times a day. This will help hydrate your cuticles and keep them healthy.

Prevent Painting Mishaps

We already looked at what Vaseline can do for you when you’re trying to paint your nails but it has a lot to offer when you’re painting a room as well.

Prevent Painting Mishaps

Accidentally painting a bit of a window or dropping paint on a doorknob can make a room look like an amateur DIY. To avoid this and get a professional appearance on your own, add Vaseline to these areas and wipe them down when you’re done painting.

Use Vaseline as Makeup Remover

We’ve already covered that Vaseline is great for removing fake lashes and lash glue but its functionality as a makeup remover doesn’t stop there.

Use Vaseline as Makeup Remover

You can also use Vaseline to remove other hard-to-remove makeup such as eyeliner. All you have to do is use a cotton swab to apply it gently to remove the makeup. Then, just wash your face as you normally would and you’ll see your makeup wash away in no time.

Styling Your Hair

There are certain hairstyles that you might be trying to attain but it can be difficult to find the right product and technique. If you want a messy or choppy look, some Vaseline might be just what you need.

Styling Your Hair

To use Vaseline for styling a messy look, start by putting a little bit of Vaseline on your hands. From there, scrunch your hair up in your hands as if you were applying a curling gel. Voila!

Getting the Perfect Smokey Eye

Getting the perfect smokey eye isn’t always easy. It can be hard to make your eye makeup look a little messy when you worked so hard and so long at perfecting it.

Getting the Perfect Smokey Eye

The best way to get a smokey eye is to apply dark, usually black, eyeliner after you apply your eyeshadow. When you do this next time, try putting a small dab of Vaseline on top of the look. This will help you smear the makeup without things getting out of control.

Preventing Wrinkles

As you get older, there’s one beauty topic that gets increasingly brought up — trying to prevent wrinkles. There are plenty of solutions out there and some are prohibitively expensive.

Preventing Wrinkles

Again, you can circumvent this cost and difficulty with the help of Vaseline. All you need to do is apply a thin layer of Vaseline where you have wrinkles such as on the fine lines around your eyes and on crow’s feet. If you leave it overnight as a nightly routine, you’ll see results soon.

Fix That Squeaky Door

If you have a squeaky door, you probably need to oil the hinge. At this point, many people reach for a bottle of WD-40.

Fix That Squeaky Door

Yet, not everyone has this readily around the house. Don’t worry if you don’t because, once again, you can grab your handy jar of Vaseline. You just need to apply some Vaseline to the hinge — you can be as liberal as you want. It will lubricate the hinge and let the door move freely without creaking.

Keep Shampoo Out of Eyes

There’s nothing quite as inconvenient as getting shampoo in your eyes while you bathe or shower. You can avoid this by adding a little Vaseline to your brow.

Keep Shampoo Out of Eyes

This will help divert the water from running into your eyes and catch any soap, shampoo, or conditioner before it gets into your eyes. This is especially a great trick to use during bath time for young children to help during bath time. It’s a great way to avoid stinging, burning eyes thanks to wayward shampoo.

Hiding Blackheads

Blackheads can be a huge pain. They linger for long amounts of time and can be damaging to extract. Next time you find yourself plagued by blackheads, try putting a little Vaseline on them.

blackheads
Hiding Blackheads

The Vaseline will gloss over your blackheads and reduce the way they look. This is a great trick if you get caught right before going out. Just be sure not to use too much, or you could cause a breakout!

Prevent Metal From Rusting

Rust is ugly and unsafe. Having rusty surfaces on anything you own is a bit of a drag. Using Vaseline can help protect your metal goods and prevent them from rusting.

rust
Prevent Metal From Rusting

Simply spread a light layer of Vaseline on whichever surface you wish to protect. Be careful of painted metal, however, as Vaseline can actually end up pulling the paint off!

Fix a Stuck Zipper

Zippers are really convenient. They help you fasten your clothes, after all! That being said, they can become a pain in the neck when they get stuck. You can end up stretching or even tearing your garments, not to mention breaking the zipper itself.

zippers
Fix a Stuck Zipper

Using just a little bit of Vaseline, you can lube up those zippers to help the get unstuck. One bonus to this method is that it also protects your zipper from rusting!

Fix Streaky Self Tan

Self-tan mixtures can be really convenient. They let you get that nice, sunny, bronze look without having to actually sit in the sun. That being said, if they apply unevenly, you can end up with a splotchy look that makes you stand out.

leg tan
Fix Streaky Self Tan

By spreading a bit of Vaseline on your skin (particularly your joints) before applying self-tan can help the creases in your skin moisturize and stay consistent. This helps the self-tan apply more smoothly and consistently.

Prevent Scars From Forming

Scars, even little ones, can be fairly off-putting. If you’ve ever gotten a little scrape or cut and been worried about whether or not it will leave a permanent mark, then here’s the solution for you!

scar
Prevent Scars From Forming

The next time you get another one of those burns or scratches, apply some Vaseline! The Vaseline will help the skin around the cut or burn stay moisturized. Keeping the skin moisturized is one of the best ways to prevent scarring.

Make Matte Eyeshadow Glossy

If you’re the kind of person who likes to play around mixing different makeups and makeup techniques, then this is a great way to use Vaseline.

vaseline over eyeshadow
Make Matte Eyeshadow Glossy

Simply apply a layer of Vaseline on top of your favorite matte eyeshadow. Don’t be afraid to really slather it on there. It will give your eyes a phenomenal glossy look, which you can do a lot of different things with.

Remove Stains

If you’ve ever spilled salsa or red wine on your favorite shirt, you know how it feels to have one of your favorite garments ruined. There are a lot of DIY stain removal solutions, but one of the easiest ways to remove stains is by applying vaseline.

vaseline stain removal
Remove Stains

Especially if you catch the stain early on before it dries, this is an excellent method. Just apply enough Vaseline to cover the stain, and wash out later with war water and a bit of soap. Unfortunately, for more sensitive garments, you will still have to take it to a dry cleaner.

Moisturize Your Eyelids

Having dry, flaky eyelids is the worst. One of the worst feelings is waking up in the morning and feeling the sting of dry, flaky eyelids. If you want to moisturize those eyelids, then Vaseline is the thing for you!

moisturize eyelids with vaseline
Moisturize Your Eyelids

Vaseline is well-known for being one of the most effective moisturizers on the market. However, some people never think to put it on some of the more sensitive areas, such as eyelids.

Fix Scratched DVDs or CDs

If you’ve still got some old CDs and DVDs lying around, it’s more than likely that some of your favorite hits are scratched up by now. If you feel distressed, and want to use your old scratched CDs and DVDs again, then fret no longer!

fix scratched dvds with vaseline
Fix Scratched DVDs or CDs

Simply clean the surface of the disk with some ethanol, and then rub a thin layer of Vaseline over the surface of the disk. With some luck and finesse, the Vaseline will fill in the scratches and make the disk functional again.

Buff Out Scratched Phone Screens

Having a scratched up screen on your electronics is a huge drag. It can reduce the apparent resolution and distract you from whatever videos you’re watching or articles you’re reading. Vaseline can help buff out ugly scratches in phone screens.

vaseline for buffing scratches in phone screen
Buff Out Scratched Phone Screens

This works particularly well for small or shallow scratches. Simply put a very small amount of Vaseline on your finger or a microfibre cloth, and use it to buff out the scratches on your phone. This works on any glass screen, for electronics or what have you.

Lessen Your Back Pain

There’s nothing quite as difficult to deal with as back pain. It can come from a variety of sources too, from physical labor to an injury — or even just sitting incorrectly for too long.

Lessen Your Back Pain

To find some relief from this problem, heat up some Vaseline in the oven or microwave, but just for a bit! You want it just warm enough that offers some heat without being too hot to burn your skin. Once it’s all warmed up, massage it on your back for some heated relief.

No More Lipstick on Your Teeth

If there’s one makeup hazard that everyone who wears makeup has experienced, it’s getting lipstick on your teeth.

No More Lipstick on Your Teeth

This might seem hard to avoid, but the solution might actually be in your medicine cabinet. By applying a thin layer of Vaseline to your teeth, it will prevent lipstick from sticking to it. Since Vaseline isn’t scented or flavored, it won’t leave a nasty taste in your mouth either. Keep in mind, though, that a little goes a long way so don’t overdo it.

Getting Gum Out of Hair

There are few things quite as infuriating in your — or your kids’ — hair. When your child comes to you with gum in their hair, for example, you might be perplexed as to what to do.

Getting Gum Out of Hair

Don’t reach for the scissors just yet, though! Instead, grab a bit of Vaseline and start to work it around the gum so you can work that out of the strands. You can also use this solution in other sticky situations such as getting tree sap caught in your hair.

Remove Stuck Jewelry

Using jewelry to accessorize can go a long way in amplifying a look and making it more dynamic. That being said, you probably don’t want to keep a ring on forever.

Remove Stuck Jewelry

Even if you love a ring, it can get damaged if you wear it while washing the dishes or showering, so it’s best to take it off beforehand. It’s easy to get a ring stuck on your finger, though. You can use Vaseline to help lubricate it and get it off.

Get Thicker Lashes

Despite what you may think, Vaseline isn’t just limited to helping you with faux lashes. If you want, you can also use it to make your lashes look thicker and shinier.

Get Thicker Lashes

To do this, the steps are fairly close to using Vaseline to remove your fake lashes and lash glue. Just apply it the Vaseline to your lash line but make sure that you don’t go overboard. You don’t want clumps of Vaseline on your lashes but rather just enough to give your lashes a volume boost.

Lose and Prevent Dandruff

Dandruff is caused by dry skin on your scalp and it can be a real nuisance. It can cause side effects such as itchiness and messy flaking.

Lose and Prevent Dandruff

The good news is that Vaseline can go a long way in reducing and preventing dandruff. All you have to do is work it into your hair at your roots. Just like it works well at hydrating your skin, it will help hydrate your scalp and reduce the production of dry skin or dandruff.

Keep Your Eyeshadow On

As we’ve discussed, how quickly beauty products fade can cause a problem. This is especially true if you have a long day ahead of you and you need to look your best the whole day.

Keep Your Eyeshadow On

Another way that Vaseline can help with this is by aiding in keeping your eyeshadow on longer. You can use it as a primer to help your eyeshadow stay. However, you’ll want to make sure that you only use a little. If you opt for too much Vaseline, it won’t work.

Fixing Old Keys

If you have an old key and a rusty lock, you might think you’re out of luck in actually getting the lock open. Indeed it can definitely cause quite a challenge.

Fixing Old Keys

Before calling a locksmith or simply giving up, try to apply Vaseline to the key and place it in the lock. You won’t want to add too much but rather just enough to offer a layer of lubricant to the process.

Prevent Sticky Candle Wax

If you keep your candles in candle holders rather than using candles that come in their own housings, you probably already know how annoying it is when candle wax seals to the holder.

Prevent Sticky Candle Wax

Before you light your next candle, put some Vaseline on your candle holder. This will keep the melted wax from sealing to the candle holder as your favorite candle burns. In turn, you’ll have an easier time cleaning up when you go to replace the candle.